The World Bank last week approved a USD 10 million (EUR 8.9 million) grant to finance Tonga’s fisheries development.
Semisi Fakahau, minister for fisheries for the Kingdom of Tonga, said the grant will benefit more than 40 coastal communities in Tonga and some ten-thousand Tongans directly engaged in fishing.
The money will be poured into improving fisheries, including Tonga’s tuna longline, deep water snapper, and inshore commercial fisheries, through enhancing licensing and other fishing rights frameworks, according to a release by the World Bank. This, in turn, will improve compliance and protect Tongan communities’ access and management of fish stocks.
“Ensuring the sustainable use of our offshore and inshore fish stocks is vital to the economic prosperity of Tonga,” Fakahau said. “Guided by our Tonga Fisheries Sector Plan, we look forward to working with the World Bank to improve our governance, knowledge base and developing our fisheries and aquaculture industries to benefit all Tongan families.”
The money – financed through an International Development Association (IDA) grant – will support Tonga's Pathway to Sustainable Oceans project, which will strengthen sustainable management and development of Tonga’s commercial, aquaculture, and community fisheries.
Tonga is heavily dependent on its fisheries and ocean resources for food, transport, economic development and culture with subsistence fishing as a source of livelihood, with 82 percent of Tongan families involved in reef fishing.
Fisheries, marine biodiversity, and coral reefs are a critical part of Tonga’s growing tourism industry, estimated at 7.7 percent of annual GDP, the World Bank press statement said,
However, Tonga faces challenges in the implementation of sustainable management frameworks due to the lack of measurable targets, financing plans, and monitoring.
“Our experience in supporting Pacific coastal communities in fisheries and marine resources management has shown that improved fisheries lead to more sustainable communities, healthier ecosystems, and stronger economies,” Michel Kerf, country director for Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands, said.
The project will also increase the positive economic impacts of mabé pearls and giant clams, and support at least eight new women-owned mabé pearl businesses.
