Tonga will host a regional conference to discuss whale conservation in the Pacific.The three day event will run from April 4-6, to be attended by delegates from around the Pacific as well as conservationists. 

The "Whales in a Changing Ocean Conference" is an initiative of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The conference is part of a two-year campaign by the SPREP to protect Pacific whales from extinction. 

The conference includes presentations by conservationist leaders and academics, and focuses on emerging threats to whales from problems such as entanglement, noise pollution, marine debris and climate change. The Pacific Ocean is home to over half the world's whales. 

Vava'u is an essential location of whale conservation as it is a breeding ground for Humpback Whales. Whale watching has become an important tourist attraction and revenue earner for Tonga.

The current population of Humpback Whales is estimated to be around 80,000. Commercial humpback whaling was banned in 1966 when the Humpback Whale population numbered around only 5,000.

Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni and SREP Director General Kosi Latu will lead the presentations.