Five licences were issued last week to sea cucumber operators to fish and to export sea cucumber from Tonga for the 2009 season, which runs from April 1 until the end of September.

The Fisheries Deputy Director 'Ulunga Fa'anunu said on Friday that the five licence holders were chosen out of 13 operators who had been short listed from 54 applicants.

The licences of the remaining eight operators will be issued once their packaging facilities are constructed.

'Ulunga said that the five who had received their licenses were from Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u and Niuatoputapu.

Under the regulation to ensure the sustainability of the sea cucumbers only 13 operators are to be granted licenses in a season, which is four each in Tongatapu, Vava'u, Ha'apai and one in Niuatoputapu.

At the same time a total quota of dried processed beche de mers for exportation has also been set this week at 200 tonnes.

In Tongatapu the four operators are issued a quota of 25 tonnes each, then it varies for the operators from the outer islands.

'Ulunga said that Tongatapu has the largest quota because most of the resources are found in its waters.

Petition

Meanwhile, a group of applicants who failed to get licences this year are not satisfied with the way licenses are awarded.

Led by Noble Lasike the group submitted a petition to HM King George Tupou V on April 6 asking for licenses and full fishing access to the sea resources. The petition was also submitted to the Prime Minister Hon Dr Feleti Sevele through the Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet Busby Kautoke

Lasike said they were dissatisfied with how licenses were awarded. He claimed that the application process was not transparent because the call for license applications was not publicly advertised and the criteria on how licenses are awarded is not known.

He stressed they had asked in the petition to allow them full fishing access of the sea cucumbers without a set quota and zone limitations and to extend the limited six fishing months season opened on April 1 to allow it to run until December.

"We also asked that the constraints in fishing methods like the banning of the use of artificial breathing apparatus like scuba gear be lifted because high valued sea cucumbers are found in deep waters and we want our divers there," he said.

"We want the constraints to be lifted during this difficult financial time and the Fishery Department should take more care of us humans and ensure our livelihood rather than ensuring the sea cucumbers," he said.

Conservation

In response to the petition, 'Ulunga said the Fisheries Department stands firm with their regulation on the fishery so as to ensure its conservation and sustainability.

"It is like they are asking us to tear apart our legislation and regulation," said 'Ulunga.

He confirmed they received a total of 54 applicants for licenses this year but to award all of them was unrealistic and uneconomic considering that over 70 percent of the sea resources are of low value and do not fetch a good price.

"In addition by awarding all we would have to set a quota that would not be profitable to the operator at the same time we are trying to ensure to sustainability of the resources for next year's season."

The fishing of sea cucumber was banned for 11 years because it was overfished and was only lifted last year for a limited period of six months per year starting from April 1.