Results for Fishing

Eight fishing boats were donated to Tonga by China’s sister city to Ha’apai, Dongguan Municipality in Guangdong Province, at a handover ceremony this afternoon, 10 January, at the Ministry of Fisheries in Sopu.

Increased aerial surveillance capacity to be provided to 15 Forum Fisheries Agency members to detect and respond to illegal and unreported fishing, was welcomed by Pacific Forum Leaders on September 5.

Vailele Taukitoku the owner of the FV Losemani Fo'ou and one of six Tongan fishermen who were rescued by the German cruise ship The Albatros south of Tonga on Saturday, February 4, is thankful for their rescue and his safe return home to Tonga last night, but he's very sad that he's lost his little boat, and his fishing livelihood. "If we were given the batteries we could have fixed our boat and returned home. The sea - how it was rough at that point -was normal to us," he said. By Linny Folau

A foreign fishing vessel boarded by the Tonga Navy’s VOEA Neiafu patrol boat last week, was apprehended after failing to produce its original fishing license in Tonga, was later released on Monday, May 26.

A decision by the Tongan Cabinet on March 29 to lift a moratorium on the harvesting and the exporting of sea cucumber will accelerate the depletion of Tonga's sea cucumber stock and kill the industry, according to fisheries experts.

The 'cheap' tuna fishing license fees that the Tonga government sells foreign fishing boats, 'a tear drop in the ocean.'

Tonga has reversed its decision to close the fishing of sea cucumbers for three years and re-opened in June with 10 licenses issued bringing the government some short term cash in licensing fees, but against the best advice of its fisheries experts who warn that closure is the best option for managing the sea cucumber stock sustainably.

Tonga's export fishing industry is dead, say business people who have abandoned their efforts to keep it alive, after years of paperwork battles with government officials and the ministry responsible for fisheries.

Tonga's sea cucumber harvesting season that was extended for two weeks from September 30 was closed on Saturday, October 15, according to the Ministry of Fisheries.