Day 1

Lessons learned in Community management

Tonga Solid Waste Project

The Tonga Solid Waste Management Project is a joint initiative between the Australian and Tongan Governments to improve waste management practices in Tongatapu. The Project has a large infrastructure component that includes a new landfill and waste collection trucks. However, it also involves implementing change; including new legislation and a new Waste Authority to operate the services. But the greatest challenge involves change at the level of every household – not only in how they deal with their waste, but also to pay a new monthly fee for a new service. The Project has adopted a community management framework to meet these challenges. Two case studies will be cited – community managed recycling depots, and the use of local women’s committees for fee collection. The recycling depots have taught us a lot about the more successful approaches, and we hope we can take these lessons into the future in developing the network of women’s committees to manage the communications and finances of the new waste collection service.

• Monitoring surveys used for analysis and find out which deposits are doing well and why
• Key to success is who is looking after the cages and how they are encouraging use
• The more active the group the better the results
• A person from the community consistently pushing for recycling and promoting a clean house works well
• Need people at grass roots level to motivate and encourage from a broader sense
• Position of cages not so important, just need that motivated person or community

Collecting money for the waster is a challenge even though it is law

Women’s commission collect money from each house, keeping 10% commission

They know the people and can exert “moral pressure”

Women’s committee leading the way

Next generation needs to grow up with new messages and new behaviours

Questions

Q. Will the waste management be implemented in the outer islands? There are a lot of aluminium wastes and the islands are too small to deal with all the waste.

A. The effort is concentrated on Tongatapu with 12 million to improve the situation donated by the Australian Government, there have been surveys taken in the outer islands to understand what is needed, there is work aimed at Ha’apai, Vava’u is also planned to receive the program, in time.

Q. Do you have any plans to bring all the information for improving the current situation on the waste cages? Aluminium can returns get money but what about other wastes such as tin cans etc?

A. Aluminium has value so that is why there is a payment, but there aren’t really any other payments for other recycled materials because there is no value for them in industry.

Q. Will costs vary between families with varying wastes? It costs $10 a month for all families, shouldn’t it be less for families with less waste?

A. No, the price is already discounted and the price applies to everyone due to costs for running the pick up trucks and employing the people who pick up the waste.

The community policing experience in Tonga

Been in Tonga since November. Investigation and policing in Tonga.

Police need to be active stakeholders in community policing

Police staff trained in the position of the Community Police Officer (CPO) link the community and the police. CPO maintain constant liaison with the community with proactive policing rather than reactive. The key is to be constantly in touch with the community.

Community policing been identified as a key area of the 2006-2010 strategic plan for the Tongan Police Force. More resources are been allocated into community policing.

Steps have been taken to interact and engage with the community with the community being receptive to date with initiatives been currently developed.

Q. Is there any legal framework for the community police (volunteer police)? What is the legal status of the CP?

A. At this stage they are able to work closely with the communities and ask for volunteers, but there is no legal status.

Q. What are the legal rights of the Community Police?

A. Because it’s a new concept, at this stage they are using the CP as a first eye -witness which the police can then use. These people record details and can then be relied upon to refer to for details. They plan to have a legal framework and status for the CP.

Q. How would we be able to identify these community police officers?

A. It works well in small communities because everyone knows everyone, but the police are working on trying to get uniforms and gear so these people can be easily identified by the people.

Q. If they don’t have any legal authority, how are they able to perform the duties that the police department wants them to do? Are they really doing their job?

A. The most important thing is that the community themselves are involved. They are voluntarily doing the job very well, if they are doing it well without the legal framework, then we wonder about the legal framework. They do very well in the communities Navudoka, Kolovai etc and have demonstrated that they have got the participants to perform without the legal framework at this time.

Q. Is it possible to ask members of parliament and law communities to look into putting a framework or legislation for these CP? In Vava’u a CP was penalised by the magistrate court because he went beyond his duty.

A. Yes that why they are looking into the legal framework.

Comment from Hahake district officer:

‘We know we have no legal rights, but it is only for the love and dedication for their local community that we do it. There is also female community police officers. There is also involvement of youth, it is for the commitment of the community’

ECO experience in community management

The Ha’apai Outer Islands Electrification Project was an Australian Government funded, AusAID initiative that commenced in 2002. The Project introduced electrical power for the first time, to four of the main islands in the Ha’apai Group; Nomuka, Ha’afeva, Ha’ano and ‘Uiha. This presentation will discuss the role the community played in the Electricity Cooperative (ECO) and details some of the experiences and lessons learned from the ECO’s.

Ha’apai outer islands electrification project

Community involvement

• By registering as members for $30.00
• By Electing the Management Committee during Annual General Body Meeting
• Chairman / Deputy Chairman
• Secretary / Deputy Secretary
• Treasurer / Deputy Treasurer
• Power Station Manager

Operations

Training by AusAID of the Community on-site

Training of Management Committee off-site

Community involvement

• Registering as members for $30
• Electing the Management Committee during the Annual General meeting Body

Positive outcome of project

• Reduced tariffs by five cents
• Installed 27 street lights
• Activates close relationship of churches into sharing the payment for streetlights and capital reoccurring costs
• Acceptance of community to increase electricity consumption to earn more money

Positive outcomes/impacts because of community involvement

• Acceptance of community of need to increase electricity consumption to earn money and to reduce tariffs

• Demand grew due to streetlights, new connections and more appliances
• Results in increased operating hours per day

Problems

• High cost of fuel and transportation
• Isolation of island resulting in delays to remedial technical actions
• Members not being able to work together

Clam Circle Experience

The government of Tonga started it’s giant clams circle hatchery in 1989 which was initially funded by the ACIAR project followed by JICA project, communities and the government of Tonga through the Department of Fisheries. This presentation provide clarifications and experiences regarding Giant Clam Circle hatchery such as the environmental and biological nature of giant clams, different types of giant clams, procedures of it’s adoption and placement, obstacles and constraints that had limit the ongoing viability of a Giant Clam Circle. But most importantly this presentation will direct discussions to solve the current challenges faced by the communities and the department of fisheries here in Tonga in order to establish economic viable clam circles in the Future.

Clams raised in a circle due to wildstock decline, incentives from tourism and reproduction and growth rates

Environmental Requirements

• Require clear tropical seawater
• Water temperature, 25-30 ºC
• pH 8.1 to 8.5
• Sunlight is important for photosynthesis
• Presence of food in water indicate the importance of zooxanthellae
• Sand, coral rubbles

Giant clams are bivalve molluscs, 9 species but only 5 species found in Tonga with 2 introduced species

Size limits placed on the shell size for fisherman

Management of circles

• Seen from village

• Where boats don’t anchor
• Clean and clear water
• Shelter from waves
• Good tidal flush
• Up current of the reed centrally located so juveniles are not washed out to open water
• Depth of over 2 m

HOW TO START A NEW COMMUNITY GIANT CLAM CIRCLE

• Request to Department of Fisheries
• DOF conduct a site survey & meetings
• Transfer of clams
• Communities responsibility to look after the circle

Each circle should have only one circle

People must watch over the circle

Restrict access, only one person designated access

Count clams once a month, replace dead clams with wild stock

PROBLEMS

Community management

• Lack of legal authorization ( Aquaculture Regulations)
• Poor supervision and maintenance
• Increase coastal population
• Improve harvesting efficiency (engine boats & diving gear)

Habitat

• Wrong environmental condition
• Pollution

PROBLEMS

• Reproduction of Giant Clam
• Poor arrangement of clams in the circle
• Mix of species in one circle
• Small number of broodstock
• Lack of hatchery activities (eg. laboratory)

CHALLENGES FACED BY

Community

• Enforce SMA terms and conditions
• Direct consultation with the Ministry when needed
• Department of Fisheries
• Ministry has to follow up the approval of the aquaculture regulation
• Continue to supply startup clams resources
• Awareness and training of clams circle experiences

Questions from Vava’u Clam Circles

Q. There are clam circles with 187 clams, it’s an ongoing project, but we want to know from the DOF what the mature age for the giant clams is before it is able to reproduce?

A. 12 years

Q. What is the mature age before the giant clam is able to be sold on the market? (International market?)

A. Only the DOF has the legal right to sell the giant clams commercially in the smaller sizes because of CITES, which does not allow the selling of wild giant clams. Only cultured giant clams can be sold overseas. For commercially small giant clams, they must be cultured, which only the DOF knows how to, the communities do not have the licences to sell.

Open Discussion

Comment from the floor

‘It’s important for the department to have the rights for the communities. This way the communities receive the money.’

The ACT is in place but the DOF wants to make sure that the policy is right before it goes ahead with giant clam and aquaculture rights.

Q. Is there a plan for these electricity cooperative to ensure the electricity in these islands runs 24hours?

A. Fundamentally everything is controlled by the price of fuel, so the price of fuel will determine if the community can run the electricity 24 hours.

Comment (district officer of Hafae) ‘The community has talked about this but they have concluded that it is manageable to run it on the current system as said before the current fuel is the deciding practice. It is sustainable this way.

Comment Tonga National Centre Manager

‘It seems like from all the presentations, everything is in the planning process has been done very well, but there are concerns for incentives for the community to take part. For any projects to be sustainable the community has to be involved, so there needs to be an incentive.’

“It is equally important for the legal framework to be established so that those that are responsible for monitoring e.g. CP, they are well protected by the law and also protect the community from any wrongdoing or misusing resources.

‘There should be a committee out of the community to continue on from this workshop. The importance of management and responsibilities need to be well understood. I fear that after this conference all the ideas will disappear.’

Government rep from Ha’apai

‘DOF needs to be more involved in managing resources in Ha’apai e.g. giant clams.’

Comment president from Tonga Youth

‘Is there any plan in this conference to be accessible for other communities?’

“Yes all the information will be available at the DOF and website.’

Eua representative

“Very concerned with the solid waste management project, it seems all the projects are in Tongatapu, there is little attention to other islands, where the metal resources are more important than here in Tongatapu. Is the project looking into Eu’a to clean up the environment and promote tourism?’

‘There is already an officer in Eva, a peace corp. volunteer who is looking into these issues. As explained above.’

Community Fisheries Management in Samoa (Autalavou Tauaefa)

This presentation was delivered by a senior fisheries officer from Samoa regarding the experiences in coastal management in Samoa. He stated that their vision incorporated in their corporate plan is particularly aiming at promoting optimum and ecologically sustainable use of the country’s fishery resources and the development of sustainable alternatives to harvesting of depleted resources. Fisheries in Samoa are engaging in three main fishing they are subsistence, artisanal and commercial fishing. He continued on with the location of their coral reefs near shore resources. The total reef and lagoon area is less than 50m of 23100 hectares. And he concluded that Samoa’s coral reef area is among the most degraded in the Pacific Region.He did mentioned that possible reasons for that decline includes over fishing, using of destructive fishing method, used of effective techniques (gillnet, wire, fish fences etc.) of inshore nursery habitat, inadequate use of fisheries management tool and regulation. However he again mentioned some possible solution to alleviate and overcome those problems mentioned earlier. Those are Awareness, Concern and Action programs such as media, training and publications.

Samoa village base fisheries management programme was initiated in 1996 and Procedures of undertaking the program was given from (step 1-7 steps). He noted the need to undertake consultation effectively with the community and for the fisheries management advisory committee to undertake their roles efficiently in order to achieve their goals.

Further to the discussions he clarified the roles of Samoan Fisheries Officer which include technical assistance, community support, training and workshops and all advisory services regarding fisheries and also the roles and undertakings of individual communities such as, limiting the types of fishing gears use, policing and monitoring and banning destructive fishing method etc. Lastly he presented the current activities, evidence and result taken by some of the villages in Samoa. i.e. Clam farming, trochus farming, sea urchin farming and tilapia farming. And the important message that he proposed at the end of his presentation is that corporation between the Fisheries Agencies and the Community is very vital for the achievement of their goals and this might be an issue in relation to fisheries in Tonga.

Questions from the floor.

1. Koli made the first question regarding the current status of the sea cucumber in Samoa? Responded by Mr. Tauaefa that the sea cucumber in Samoa is still close and ban from export.

2. How does the inshore fisheries develop? Responded by Mr. Tauaefa that the inshore fisheries are still concentrating on village levels.

Tonga Community Management study visit to Samoa: (Timote Vea)

This paper is a presentation on the result of a study visit to Samoa in May 2006 by one of the participant from ‘O’ua village.

He mentioned that the reason of their visit were to learn experiences from the communities in Samoa in how they manage their coastal fisheries area. On their arrival the CEO from Fisheries Department welcome them, and he urged them the importance of the ministry and the government’s roles and why they had given communities in Samoa the rights to protect their own areas. Welcome speech from the ministry of fisheries staffs in Samoa was represented by Tauatalavou Taua (Head of the Extension Section, Samoa Fisheries) and he also led the tour activities for the tour group. During the tour in Samoa Mr Taua mentioned the importance of conserving marine resources in the community but not to gain wealth from.

One of the village they visited (Vaisu) they welcomed them to their coastal management committee meeting and they learned that women’s group in this village started off the plan for their protected area which at the end of the meeting they agree to protect their coastal area. They also visited a place called Toloa where Samoa’s clams, trochus and sea urchin farm are located. Mr. Vea also mentioned that in Samoa the protected areas are labelled with signs and guard houses for those who are responsible to look after their resources and each members of the village has to take a duty roster in policing their resources. Moreover they also took a tour to the ministry of Fisheries‘s wharf in Samoa where they saw good catches, no undersize fish and lobster found in the market and also another trip to the Samoan market which provides evidence that coastal management in Samoa contributes to the availability of different species of fish for consumption in the market. And also they have learned that Samoa is limiting the size of their fish sold in the market but their price for fish is still too higher than Tonga.Lastly they visited to some of the protected area (Tafatafa village) where their clam farming is located. The people of this village reported that in this reserve area they also found many mullets in comparison with the past and he said that he did believe that this is a good sign of community management.

Questions

No questions

Facilitating Coastal Community Management- the framework and the process

( Siola’a Malimali)

Summary

Mr Malimali starts off by stating that local fishers are already aware of the decline in stock and the Department of Fisheries is responsible for managing fisheries in Tonga. He continued on by presenting the background history of the Fisheries Management Act, 2002 and it’s current status.He mentioned that this act provides opportunities and legal framework for coastal communities to take active roles in managing their inshore marine resources. Mr Malimali elaborated on that idea that coastal management issues were created due to shortages and limited capacity within the ministry of fisheries which leads to letting and open of a coastal community management area. The clarifications of Coastal area management were made which includes reasons (CCM) for undertakings and regulations of fisheries management in the Special Management Area(SMA). Further to that, Community management plan development process was also an issue of this presentation that is the process to engage, plan and undertake the community management of the SMA. As a summary of the process, the community has to request the department of Fisheries for assistance and the community will have to consult with their people and with support of the Ministry a coastal community Management committee should be elected and set up(CCMC).Several workshops should be carried out and from there draft coastal community management plan and mapping will be adopted. This draft document will then be submitted to the CCMC meeting for review and finalisation and from there to the Ministry of Fisheries. The ministry will ensure the preparation of regulations for the SMA requested and will submit to FMAC for endorsement than if endorsed than this plan is submitted to Minister for approval and followed by Cabinet and it’s formal declaration process. Mr. Malimali concluded that ‘OUa’s SMA had followed this process through out and as a result the people of ‘O’ua are very greatful for that.

Questions from the floor

1.A representative from Ha’apai posted the first question which says “ Is there any follow up to charging of illegal activities?for example if someone is charges for carries out related activities in any SMA, If he’s unable to pay the fine, what’s the next step? Answer to that question were made by ‘Apisake , she replies that the same process for any conviction is similar to these cases if applicable.

2.The second question was made from a representative from Polo’a island he posted this question “How can people in an island be able to manage their coastal areas, is it for ma’u tofi’a only or anyone which includes the owner of the island?

Mr. Malimali inform the representative and the meeting plus the support of other representatives that the owner of the island has limit areas within the land , that is up to 50 metres from the sea that he has authority to . Therefore if polo’a will request for a special area than the whole community in Polo’a will together own this special management area but not the owner of the island only.

The representative from polo’a urges the meeting that somehow their island is being in danger, some of the aquarium companies harvest their corals , fishing of both women and men and so on .. therefore they might need a special management area to enable the recovery of their marine resources.

Another participant posted a statement to support the idea of creating a special management area. He stated that SMA is vital only to those area that overfishing , too much illegal fishing activities are occurred and it’s very important that this idea will be enforce and carry out in some communities.

3. A question from a government official, he stated that he is excited to hear the discussions…. But his concern “Is it the same strength to manage the coastal areas and the current fisheries management act that are currently in place…how about caring for those fishers who are harvesting resources inefficiently?

Mr. Malimali said that the Fisheries act which are currently in place is consist of what it’s include in this coastal area management and that Fisheries acts are being enforced but due to limited capacity and resources of the ministry the support of the community was needed to efficiently manage the resources.

Coastal Communtiy Management plan for ‘o’ua- Manase Tu’alau

Mr. Tu’alau’s presentation was on the Coastal Management plan of the community of ‘O’ua. He began with the clarifications of the objectives which includes to stop the use of destructive fishing methods around ‘O’ua and to restore health of the habitat and recovering of marine organisms. ‘O’ua’s SMA map was presented together with the photos of various meetings in ‘O’ua. Mr. Tu’alau went on to what have been in place so far in ‘O’ua that includes the restocking of the fish habitat reserve of 60 clams so far. The major challenge that ‘O’ua community currently face is the lack of public awareness of the legal ownership of their coastal areas. And that was an important issue for the Department of Fisheries to take note of. He concluded by stating some of their future recommendations and vision that might leads to the development of their SMA.

Questions from the Floor

No Questions

WORKSHOP 1 - COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Provide support/ incentive for community management
2. Coordinate community management activities between different Government agencies - possibly establish a (multi agency) National community development Division or Regional agency…
3. Community’s with SMAs to work together and consider neighbouring communities
4. Increase capacity (staff, resources), so increase allocation to community development activities

5. Develop a training system so that information and skills will be passed on to future generations
6. Raise awareness and educate the community and general public on SMAs
7. Including health related issues (eg. seafood is healthy!)
8. Need to make regulations on community activities which are not yet regulated eg. community policing
9. Community and Government to conduct regular and ongoing monitoring and review of community management
10. The DoF need to take the lead role in community SMAs to ensure ongoing monitoring and review of community management is undertaken.
11. Need to develop a longterm strategy to ensure sustainability of community management, including what the roles of Government, Donors, other should be.
12. Need to generate alternative income generating activities
13. Sharing of information and ensure good communication both inter-Government agency and between Government, donors, and communities/ Non Government

Tonga Community Management &Small Scale Fisheries Conference

Dr. Matoto began by thanking everyone for their participation since the first day of the conference. He also mentioned the contributions made on the first by the participants in which they’re very valuable for the development of Coastal Fisheries Management issues. He was very grateful also to have and to heard some experiences and ideas mentioned by the participants and presenters in the previous sessions such as the presentations on Policing experiences in the community and Waste management. He stated that these presentations have common community views and ideas that are of related to this conference’s theme. Another issue he raised are the inputs from the Chiefs Magistrate of Ha’apai and Vava’u which are of very vital to this activity since at the end of the day legal fine and convictions might be needed. Lastly he is hoping to have and to hear some new ideas and experiences today in order to enable this fisheries management reach it’s ultimate goals and for the benefit of the whole economy as a whole. After the meeting recommendations and guidelines will be adopted and notify as a result of this conference.

Problem Analysis Outputs from 3 pilots Communities in Tonga - Sailosi ‘Alofi

Mr. ‘Alofi from the department of Fisheries presented a paper on the analysis of output problems found in the respective communities of ‘O’ua, Ha’afeva and Felemea. He stated that this analysis is a part of the assessment and planning process for the establishment of a Small Management Area. Therefore if this analysis pictures very risky fisheries resources status than managing of a protected area might be needed. However the main important issue of Mr. ‘Alofi’s presentation is the clarifications of reported problems from these 3 pilot communities here in Tonga. He mentioned that there were 3 common problems for all these communities they are declining in giant clams, too many outsiders in the inshore area and decrease in Octopus. Given these problems as mentioned by Mr. ‘Alofi, each communities have their own individual problems as according to consultation reports that were received. He continued on with the presenting of the causes and effects of those agreed problems namely the decrease in giant clams, too many outside fishers fish in the inshore area, decline of anadara stock, damaging of coral reef, lack of inshore fish and lastly broken boat engines. As for his conclusion he stated that the major causes found for all these problems are illegal, destructive and using of unsustainable fishing practices which had direct effects on inshore fisheries resources and earnings by which the communities primarily rely on.

Question from the floor

1. Naitilima Tupou- Decrease in the bec der mer in ‘O’ua? Why is that since the export of this resource is still close?

The answer made by Mr. ’Alofi- he said that while in previous years, fishing of bec der mer were undertaken with too much harvesting therefore time frame for it’s growth will take time.

2. Unrelated Questions

Community Trend Analysis- Tonga Tuiano

This presentation was presented by Mr. Tonga Tuiano of the Department of Fisheries on the Analysis of Community Trends. He mentioned that his presentation looked at how fishing and resources change overtime especially in ‘O’ua, Felemea and Ha’afeva. The objectives of this trend analysis and it’s activities were also presented which includes enabling capacity building within the community in preparation of their coastal community management plan, obtain broad knowledge and understanding of current inshore status and so on. In addition Mr.Tuiano also mentioned the methods used for the collection of the information from the communities. Meetings have to be conducted first with people of the communities to facilitate the survey than a second meeting must be carried out to ensure overall consensus are met regarding the information collected. Detail of individual trend analysis for ‘O’ua,Felemea and Ha’afeva were given but different year of comparison. Overall trend analysis stated that for all 3 communities the number of fishing boats increases, the healthy of inshore areas are decline, amount and size of lobster has decreased and lastly the size of octopus in these areas has also decreased. Mr.Tuiano concluded by saying that these communities wanted to achieve their goals (increase in their coastal fisheries resources) by ensuring their management plan will be implemented and that their vision is to stop the decline of marine organisms in their inshore areas and at the same time improve fish catches through sustainable practices.

Questions

1. The first question from the floor was posted by representative from tourism department: he said “Is there any method to tell fishermen that the lobster they fish is a lobster with an egg?

Given the answer to Mr. Malimali – the department is looking forward to some methods to enable that issue to be solved.

2. About the Anadara- Does the department have any method to enable the restoration of the anadara to their previous locations as mentioned in the presentation?

Given to participant from Felemea – they have separated a close area for the anadara to breed in.

3. Naitilima Tupou : Statistics – history of the seaweed in Tonga- The decrease of the 25% in seaweed in ‘o’ua is seems conflict with what I have in mind?

Mr. Malimali answered: We did this survey with the people of Felemea and that is what they gave us.

4. Question from Kepueli (culture centre): The reliability of information is very low and the resources are limited to undertake the survey since the statistics might be unrepresentative.

Mr.Malimali:The table is an approximate of the resources by the older people in ‘O’ua therefore this statistics is the best representatives of current Inshore stocks in these respective communities given the amount of energy to translate these information into figures.

CEO’s comment - the statistics clearly shows the decline in stock that’s what these figures shows and the community participation is very important in this part.

Near shore Fisheries Resources Use and Status- Tu’ikolongahau Halafihi

Mr. Halafihi delivered this presentation on the status of near shore fisheries resources here in Tonga. He started off by giving the definition and location of this fisheries term. In fact, near shore is located from the shore up to 12 nautical miles and usually this fisheries area are for mostly subsistence fishing and some for commercial fishing and that entailed it’s important to both communities and commercial operators. Different habitats within this area was noted by Mr.Halafihi including Lagoon, muds and flats, coral reefs and much more. In addition to that, status of different inshore resources such as sea cucumber, lobster, mullet, turtles and reef fish resources were being highlighted in this presentation and it was concluded that due to increased cost of living, environmental degradation, improve fishing technology, access to markets the inshore resources are showing clear signs of being under threat. Mr. Halafihi suggested that the Department of Fisheries is working on finding strategies which could address these issues before inshore fisheries move to an irreversible state of decline. He therefore urged and proposed stronger communication and collaboration between communities and department and more technical assistance is needed from the fisheries department and not forgetting community involvement in the implementation of inshore management tools.

Questions from the floor

1. Faifekau :Do you have to license before you export live fish overseas?

Presenter: Yes

2. How is it possible to have the foreigners’ fish on Sunday for live fish?

Presenter: That should be classified as illegal fishing if they are not licensed to do so.

3 Nomuka- Don’t have enough information from the Department regarding any survey to farm any resource

4. Question regarding the lobster that was lost earlier last month?

It was reported to have found the lobster in Vava’u.

Fisheries management tools Mele Ikatonga Makasini

Special management areas give communities the responsibility and rights to manage a designated coastal. This area

· Shall be measured seaward from the high-tide mark of a coastal community extending to a maximum depth of 50 metres

· Should include a cross-section of inshore habitats

· Shall be clearly defined and demarcated

· The community must be able to manage / enforce the area (management plan and commitment)

· Zoning (spatial closures): could be divided into different areas for specific objectives

Fish Habitat Reserve (“Tapu” area) is also included where strictly NO FISHING is permitted to ANYONE

It is important as it not only protects fish but also their habitat to allow them to grow and breed undisturbed in a healthy marine environment

SOME of the main points to consider when selecting a Fish Habitat Reserve site:

– Have maximum habitat types and depth ranges (in cross section)

– Be an area of reasonable health

– Have some level of protection and contain protected areas adjacent to areas of high current (potential aggregation / spawning sites for certain species)

– Represent ~15% (by area) of the total SMA

– Acceptable and visible from the village

– Not be an anchorage/ main transit path

Size limits

Directly limits the size of fish or species (e.g. giant clams, lobster, turtle) caught in order to allow them to reach a certain size/ age/ sexual maturity

• Minimum size limits should be bigger than the size of the species at sexual maturity
• Size limits need to consider the biology of the fish

Catch quotas or limits

• Limits the amount which is caught, can be area or species based. Ensures that there are ‘enough’ left to be able to breed successfully
• This can include limiting outside ‘non community resident’ fishers (allowed and enforced through permits) with conditions on their catch:

–Quantity (kg or #)

–Types of species

–Bag / cooler / catch storage size

Seasonal (temporal) closures

• Certain species have known breeding times. If they are protected during their breeding time, this will allow for maximum breeding success and higher survival rates
• It is important not to catch them during these times to ensure there will be sustainable stocks in the future – more breeders & juveniles, more fish!
• You can also have a combination of both seasonal and area closures e.g. a particular spawning area can be closed on a seasonal basis
• On-ground management actions & other related tools
• To assist you in implementing your fisheries management tools you need

–Community / town laws

–Education / awareness activities

–Good communication

–Enforcement (legal and cultural)

Most importantly a dedicated community is needed

Questions from the floor

Representative from Ha’apai

Q. We now know that O’ua has a management plan which consists of some law to maintain this management area, I am wondering if any of the community members of O’ua has the authority to enforce the law? E.g. To prosecute someone if they have been caught in a fishing area. What are the procedures?

A. Yes, we have trained some people in the community to enforce the law. Firstly if you have been caught once you are given a warning, the second time the community will charge you with a fine, a fine that the community agreed on. The third time round the community members will then report directly to the Department of Fisheries in Pangai. Above all this, a report form will be filled in to be filed in the Department of Fisheries, Pangai for the record. We have trained the community people to communicate in a professional manner with people who violated the law.

Representative from the MAEA

Q. Does the Management plan of ‘Oua applies to ‘Oua only or does it applies to Tonga as well?

A. The Management Plan for ‘Oua applies for ‘Oua only the Management plan for Ha’afeva will be Ha’afeva only.

The Deputy Secretary for Fisheries – ‘Apisake Soakai supported the answer by stating that this time only Ha’apai expressed interest in the management areas but in the future if any of the other islands express interest in formulating any management area we will design a management plan for that area.

Chief Magistrate of Vava’u – Paula Tatafu

Q. Now we know that ‘Oua have their own management plan and law, is the law directly to ‘Oua people only if they violate it ? What happens if anyone from Ha’afeva violates the law? will that person be charged ?

A. Malimali answered this question stating that the management plan and law applies to a person in ‘Oua or a person outside of ‘Oua the law applies the same.

Facilitating Coastal Community Management Malilmali

The fisheries management ACT 2003 provides an opportunity and the framework for the Coastal Communities to take an active role in managing their inshore resources. The fisheries Management ACT provides guidelines and the legislative capacity for implementing community based management through declaration of a Special Management Area.

A problem tree strategy is used to identify cause and effect of issues in these communities.

MANAGEMENT STRATEGY & ACTION PLAN includes restrictions on

· Persons or groups of persons; type of vessels allowed to fish,

· Methods of fishing may allowed,

· Terms & conditions of fishing or related activities,

· Any activity that may be regulated,

· Any other necessary conservation or management measures that apply,

· Other matter prescribed in the specified Special Management Area

Questions from the floor

A representative from Ha’apai

Q. Have the laws and legislations for managed areas been approved by parliament? If the Minister is responsible for approving the law when will it be effective and has it been authorised to enforce these laws?

A. All the legal framework regarding the management plan has been submitted to the Crown Law Department for approval. The Department of Fisheries is only responsible for warning the people who violated the law and provide advice for the public. The law has stated clearly that the Minister has the power to formulate a law and it becomes a law. There is no need to submit to the Crown Law for approval, its automatically gazetted.

The Chief Magistrate of Vava’u supported the above clarifying that the

Eco Tourism by Falati Papani

Mr. Papani discussed the role of the Tourism Bureau of Eua in community work and how effective these community work are. Eua is being advertised in a different way from the rest of the other islands of Tongatapu, Vava’u and Ha’apai. The island of Eua is being advertised by its natural features such as caves and waterfalls. There are about four types of plants that cannot be found anywhere else in the world except Eua and the Bureau is trying to work with the community in trying to keep these plants. In order to keep the values of these natural features contained in Eua, the Bureau tries to convince the communities of the importance of these natural features and value them and let them know that its their responsibility to look after these features.

One of their community work is planting palm trees across the island and the main purpose for this program was to beautify the island. The first thing they did was to ensure that the people understands the importance of this work and that it is their responsibility to keep their environment beautiful. Therefore, the Bureau set some examples by actually helping the communities in planting their palm trees. They also run few programs such as home stay programme where tourists can live with families in communities and receive the same service provided by motels. They also carry out some competitions as a way of getting the community to work together to maintain the unique values the island contains. One of these competitions is the beauty pageant where ladies are being judged with how much traditional value they can portray. With this competition, the community understands more their values and also educate their younger generations on these unique values. The Bureau’s future plan is to make Eua the most beautiful island in the Pacific region by 2016.

Discussion

Question by Mele Ma’ake: What is the method used by the Tourism Bureau in Eua to ensure the the community feels theimportance of their natural resources?

Answer by presenter: They try to make the people absorb the importance of their resources and the work they planned to do. They also show good examples for the people to understand the importance of work that the Bureau is doing for the community and that to make the community understands that it is their responsibility to look after their environment and it is for their own benefit.

Moving Fishing Offshore – FADs Minil-longline

Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) is a tool used to attract fish and it is usually deployed within 5 miles from shore. This device helps reducing costs spends on running around and it also attracts fishermen from inshore fishing to offshore fishing. There are two types of FADs deployed in Tonga and they are floating and submerging FADs.

The deployment of FADs started in 1994 in Niuafo’ou and Niuatoputapu. Out of 24 FADs deployed, only 5 FADs that are still active at the moment and there is still a continued demand from communities and fishermen for more FADs. Some of the assisting countries includes the United Kingdom, EU and the Australian Government. There are several reasons for why a great number of FADs has been lost and one of the reason is that some fishing boats are tied to the FADs and the strength of the current moving the boat cuts off the FADs. The use of cheap materials such as thin ropes can result in FADs cut off. Less monitoring of FADs by the staff of the Department of Fisheries due to lack of staff is another contributing factor to the lost of FADS. Natural disaster is something that we cannot prevent and it is another factor for the lost of FADs. The Department is now trying to increase public awareness and educate communities about FADs and educate them to produce data or results or their catch by using FADs as an advantage for the Department to seek funds to assist them. The Department is also trying to use submerge FADs as most of the FADs deployed were floating FADs only.

Mini long-line is another tool used to attract fishers from inshore areas to offshore areas due to the decline in the resource of inshore resources; this method is used to encourage fishermen to move out to the offshore areas. This fishing method does not require a bigger boat, small outboard boats can be used. The main problem associated with this is that it requires a better fishing skills and it involve high cost of baits. The Department however is still trying to do more research and study about mini long-line and also wants to continue training people and the communities about mini long-line.

Discussion

Question from Tima Tupou: What is the distance from shore to be used by mini long-line?

Answer: No more than 12 miles from shore, for safety purposes.

Small Business Development Opportunities for Communities

There are several opportunities provided by the Tonga Development Bank for the communities which include loan, business advisory services and other opportunities: non lending.

Loans are made available to all the economic sectors such as Fisheries, Agriculture, Businesses and Group/Communities. The loans are the be balanced so that each economic sector can have access to loans to be able to develop each sector. A few key factors considered to help in making businesses success is to apply good business practices, serviceability (discipline) and planning as well. The business advisory service provide by the Bank includes one-on-one consultation, business planning, record-keeping systems and business training. There are other opportunities other than borrowing which includes good community management program, be open to new opportunities, know your strengths and opportunities sites and leadership, commitment, take opportunities, persistence and faith.

Discussion

Question: Can the bank assist the communities in making a loan for SMA

Answer: A loan is free for anyone to apply, therefore the community can apply for loans.

WORKSHOP 2 – COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

RECOMMENDATIONS

COASTAL COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

1. Set the rules and regulations for the community (G1)
2. Responsible for implementing management strategy eg. issuing licences (G1)
3. Control and administer any penalties or enforce (G1)
4. Seek funding from donors for assistance (G1)
5. Work closely with DoF and to work closely with the rest of the community (G1)
6. Assess and monitor harvest and impacts on resource and report to DoF to avoid abuse by communities of their own SMA(G5)
7. Should be transparent and accountable for the management. This should be achieved by sharing information (resource status, financial, other management decisions or actions) with the rest of the community (G5) Should ensure that knowledge and information is passed onto younger generations, make sure youth is included.
8. Responsible for preparing the Management Plan and ensuring the whole community is involved in preparing the management plan.

DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES

1. To provide advice and guidance to the people
2. To provide training and promote public awareness
3. To follow up and monitor the community management plans and to prepare a fall-back/ contingency plan
4. Where committees are set-up the DoF should have a staff in the committee (
5. Responsible for seeking funding
6. Provide assistance (materials and money - vasuva, seedstock) to communities to help them with start-up
7. To enforce
8. To prepare regulations/ legal support to communities to effect the management plan legally
9. Ensure gender equity in the fisheries sector/ management planning activities
10. Ensure youth and NGO involvement in the fisheries sector/ management planning activities
11. Collaborate with MOTEYS to implement the components of the National Youth Strategy related to fisheries (small scale fisheries, volunteerism, environmental preservation, and income generation)
12. DoF needs to define/ clarify the role of community is as a caretaker or as an ownership role
13. Provide financial assistance to communities for initial setup of their SMA
14. Promote the national benefits of Community SMAs and what the flow on effects are to the rest of the Kingdom of Tonga through excess stock and stock migration
15. To establish a working group for legal issues relating to community management (membership – District Magistrates (Ha’apai and Vava’u), DoF, Crown Law)
16. To review the Fisheries Management Act 2002 penalties (should always include fine or imprisonment)

COMMUNITY

1. Protect and manage SMA (eg. markers) and showcase the SMA to other communities
2. Prepare and implement plans, monitor, evaluate and review the plans
3. Community must be committed

TOWN OFFICERS

1. Mobilise people/ Ensure maximum community participation in meetings
2. Support the CCMC and lead the way, be a liaison officer and maintain the peace
3. Should understand the plan and understand all the details of the plan

DISTRICT OFFICERS

1. To ensure communication with other communities and to set up a district committee
2. To support any community activities (eg. fundraising, exchange program)

GOVERNMENT

1. To fit in/ coordinate with other international bodies and/ or plans
2. Look for financial assistance in areas e
3. Ministry of Police is responsible for enforcing laws and maintaining peace
4. MoHealth is responsible for public health awareness
5. Examine laws/ rules/ regulations to ensure there is no conflict or contradiction

NON GOVERNMENT

1. Create extracurricular activities for youth on fisheries related issues
2. Initiate and collaborate with the DoF and the MOTEYS and other Ministries (Marine & Ports) and the Youth to hold a Fisheries Youth Congress

DONOR BODIES

Group not in a position to speak on behalf of donors.

PRIVATE SECTOR

1. Ensure development of resources where communities are concerned
2. Comply with fisheries regulations or guidelines
3. Be represented on the FMAC

LEGAL GROUP

1. Review existing FMA 2002 to reflect penalty application in circumstances when offender fails to pay fines. Additional penalties may include seizure of catch, fishing gears, vessel etc and or prison term
2. DoF to host a formal discussion with the relevant agencies (Crown Law, Justice etc) to determine legal procedures for the community SMA.

SECRETARY FOR FISHERIES CLOSING REMARKS

Dr. Sione Vailala Matoto briefly expressed his gratitude and thanks to the participants for being present during the 2-day duration of the conference, despite the bad weather. The Department of Fisheries appreciate their support, time and effort to assist in discussing the further development of the community-based fisheries programme in Tonga. We value all your suggestions and concerns which will enable us to find better ways to improve the programme and hope that we continue to cooperate in the near future.

Minister - Closing Address (Day 2)

Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, Chief Magistrates, and community representatives… Thank you for your dedication and participation in this ‘Community Management and Small Scale Fisheries Conference’ over the last two days. I can see by the large attendance and the wide-spread representation of different sectors and communities of Tonga that community fisheries is a high priority concern. I have heard reports from the Ministry staff and participants of some interesting and fruitful discussions that have taken place during the conference.

The recommendations that you have presented to us provide us at the Ministry with a clear direction of what is needed to progress the implementation of community management activities for Tonga. The concern and willingness of communities to be actively involved in the management of their inshore areas is evident from this conference. So what is needed? We accept that there is evidence that many of our inshore resources are in decline. We accept that from lessons learned of both here and in the Region that community based management is effective.

We accept that it is vital for the Ministry, at all levels, to establish and maintain clear and transparent processes to be sure to maintain confidence in the management actions of the Ministry and of our partners in the community. We need to fulfil our role and responsibilities in supporting community management and we need to find a way both from our Government and by requesting assistance from others to resource the community management and development process.

This does not disregard the needs of the commercial sector, we need to keep a balance, as our responsibility is to serve all Tongans for now and the future. This as you know is sometimes hard because at times all factors do not complement each other and at times timing can be can be out of sync for everyone involved in fisheries management.

Some of the recommendations which have been put forward are aimed directly at the Ministry, and some are directed at other areas of Government. Tomorrow we will be holding a round table discussion with representatives of the Government and community’s present, the recommendations from the two workshop activities will be presented and discussed, and subsequent recommendations will be provided to Cabinet and incorporated into our Ministry work program.

Again thank you in dedicating your time and effort to joining us to ensure that there are fish for our children’s’ children, and ensuring that those fish are not from a tin can, but instead that our children’s’ children will be enjoying big octopus, big lobster, and plenty of big fish”.

Day 3.

Do communities need fish? Marc Wilson, Tongan Fisheries Project

Questions from the floor

Why is the percent of samples different in population sampled on the islands?

It is hard to interview people in Tongatapu because they work and you have to go around at night. We couldn’t sample more people because we didn’t have enough money.

Do you have stats on how and what fish people are catching?

Not this time, only in 1996 was the last survey

“I think it is really important to have this data, when I have a look at fish or meals per week it is interesting to find out what is happening in the regions around Tonga’

Marc “I think the point you make is valid, the stats are underdone, they are clearly very important for the people, but we can see the pattern in the stats is the resources are been fished down’

‘What is the main source of income for these people?’

‘this stat applies to only people who are fishing as a major income’

“Couldn’t you have asked more questions”

“I’m sorry but there is no more data, it was already 10 pages. You always think of better questions to have asked but it will end up so long.’

Applying Fisheries Management in Tonga

Where, why, who and how do apply this fisheries management?

This is surrounded buy the obligation of rights, and resource allocation

The main concern is inshore fisheries, because this is an accessible area to everyone. There are a lot of uses for this area for subsistence fisherman and communities. They use the same area and asame resources, its not only restricted to fisheries, there are other developers, who target the same area and resources.

There are some underlining principles that we need to understand such as resources concerned, utilisation of resources. There are many people who compete for these resources. Our resources are declining, income is reducing, and the impact increasing.

We need to restock and bring new species, the rate of regeneration is slow. Fisheries receive a lot of complaints from rural committees about declining resources in the inshore areas, and the power of commercial fishers who move from place to place.

The Department of Fisheries has the responsibilities for these resources.

Summary from yesterday

The inshore resources are showing clear signs of being under threat which the DOF is trying to address.

People who are active in these resources need to be involved in the management through good communication and collaboration, including the stakeholders.

Community management is a based on a community approach where the community is empowered to take the lead role in management. We need to share the power of management throughout the communities.

Responsibility needs to be with the people who have the largest stake, and raise awareness and establish ownership in the community. Adaptive management needs to be encouraged. Local and traditional knowledge need to be accessed for natural resource management.

This will provide an opportunity for good communication between community and government and increase understanding of decisions made and the subsequent rules and regulations for effective management.

In the long term it will reduce output of governments by the people managing their own resources

However the downside is large amount of resources in initial stages, a shift in skills and expertise in government and

strong coordination and communication between and within government agencies

The end result will improve livelihood of community, improve and heal the status of resources and improve sustainable development.

Comment from Asipeli Palaki

‘Environment department, natural disasters and land based activities need to be monitored because it has great effects on the marine habitats.’

Do communities need fish? Marc Wilson, Tongan Fisheries Project

Questions from the floor

Why is the percent of samples different in population sampled on the islands?

It is hard to interview people in Tongatapu because they work and you have to go around at night. We couldn’t sample more people because we didn’t have enough money.

Do you have stats on how and what fish people are catching?

Not this time, only in 1996 was the last survey

“I think it is really important to have this data, when I have a look at fish or meals per week it is interesting to find out what is happening in the regions around Tonga’

Marc “I think the point you make is valid, the stats are underdone, they are clearly very important for the people, but we can see the pattern in the stats is the resources are been fished down’

‘What is the main source of income for these people?’

‘this stat applies to only people who are fishing as a major income’

“Couldn’t you have asked more questions”

“I’m sorry but there is no more data, it was already 10 pages. You always think of better questions to have asked but it will end up so long.’

A brief overview of the Community Management Process in Tonga

During the discussion on the overview of this management process in Tonga, a question was raised regarding the reserves and how does the idea of one person managing its area by not fishing there and fish in other places. Mr. Malimali responds by saying that about 15% of the total SMA is being used for reserves and no one is allowed to fish there. About fishing in other waters, it may look selfish but its legal to do so and it also helps the other communities to try to manage their own areas.

Mr. Halafihi wanted to know that during the process of this community management whether Fisheries ever needed the assistance from other related Government departments. Mr. Malimali said that the only government department that they really needed their assistance was Crown Law in speeding up the process of their regulations. At the moment they have the assistance from overseas and it could be one of the reason why there was no assistance needed from other Government Department. Mr. Halafihi also queried the effectiveness of the cooperation contributed by the other government agencies. He recommended creating a national committee to handle the management work of the department regarding SMA. Mr. Malimali stated that currently there is a committee to handle these management issues.

Dr. Matoto stated that the community management in Samoa is more effective because their tenure system is different compared to ours. In Samoa the transitional marine tenure system gives their chief the power beyond the land but in Tonga we have land tenure which makes it more difficult and requires legal work. The judge from Vava’u commented that this community management work carried out by Fisheries is not a selfish work but it is of vital importance to the country as a whole. The Secretary for Labour, Commerce and Industry supported this community management work. The CEO of MAFFF stated that this community work will ensure food security and to prolong the marine resources for daily seafood consumption.

‘O’ua Coastal Community Management Plan – “’O’ua objectives and commitment”

The current work of the ‘O’ua Management Committee has been running well and a fruitful future is expected. With the current operation of the ‘O’ua community, they have come across one boat entering the SMA of ‘O’ua. Malimali wanted to know whether there were any difficulties faced regarding legal issues when dealing with those violating the SMA. Mr. Tu’alau responded that things has been running smoothly but they need a boat for monitoring purposes and similar equipments. The judge from Vava’u commented that most of the society are not fully aware of the community management work but there is a great need for the public to be informed through radio announcements and magazines. This dissemination of information is important when charging someone who violates the SMA. The CEO for MAFFF stresses this and need the department of fisheries to redistribute the information regarding SMAs to the public.

The judge from Ha’apai, Mr. Lokotui, mentioned that fisheries is responsible for distributing the information to each island but at the same time there are district and town officers in each island and it is their responsibility to make sure that the people of their communities are aware of the SMAs. Mr. Matoto further stated that in the process of the ‘O’ua management work, the department already announced through the media of their planned work and distribution was also made through town officers. They were also told to report any comments within 28 days but the department never receives any comments.

1. SWOT ANALYSIS (DAY 1)…. Presented by Mrs. ‘Apisake Soakai

Mrs. ‘Apisake Soakai of the Department of Fisheries provided a brief overview of the SWOT Analysis from Day 1. Mrs. Soakai presented the result of the group discussion about the Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats of having a Special Management Area followed by comments and Question from the floor.

The first Question by Penisimani Vea (CEO for MAFFF). “ Why the support from the Community is limited”. Answered by Mrs. Soakai, “ because the community are wait to understand the content of this project and according to the presentation by the Chairman of ‘O’ua Coastal Community Management Committee, he said that some people are not sure about the legal status of this SMA whether it is legal or not”.

Mr. Siola’a Malimali (Head of Community Development Section, Department of Fisheries) comments that the above issue is one of the Weaknesses of having a Special Management Area and he also add on that the community is still enforcing the Term and condition for SMA and not taking cases to courts but in Samoa the Fisheries Department already prosecuted some people for illegally fishing on Special Management Area.

2. ROLES and SUPPORT SUMMARIES… Presented by Mr. Vilimo Fakalolo

Mr. Vilimo Fakalolo of the Department of Fisheries highlighted the results from group discussion on Day 2 about the role of Government Departments and related Stakeholders. Mr. Fakalolo reported all the role and support to be conducted by the Government and stakeholders. After his presentation, there are few comments from the floor to add on.

Mr. Tu’ikolongahau Halafihi (Head of Research and Stock Assessment of the Department of Fisheries) raised up an issue to include Ministry of Land and Survey, Natural Resources and Environment to the related government sector because he believe that there is an important role of the this department especially the environmental issues.

Mr. Paula Tatafu (Chief Police Magistrate, Vava’u) supported Mr. Halafihi’s comment to include Ministry of Lands in the role of Government Sectors because there will be a big conflict between lawyers in the locations and marker of the Special Management Area. He also gives example on a case happen in Mineva Reef. He also said that the Ministry of lands are in charge on Land and Ocean.

FACILITATED OPEN DISCUSSION & SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Karen Vidler, from Tonga Fisheries Project) proposed that the list of recommendations be reviewed so that only the issues relevant to Cabinet be submitted.

Referring to the first recommendation (to provide incentives to community SMAs), she went on to say that community SMAs should be driven out of WILL rather than incentives.

‘Apisake Soakai (Dep. Secretary – Corporate Services, Department of Fisheries) proposed to prioritize the list of recommendations, given the long list of items provided, before they are submitted to Cabinet. She suggested to particularly focus on policy-related items.

MAFFF CEO, Penisimani Vea agreed and continued to say that funding-related issues should also be considered to ensure the sustainability of the fisheries community-based management programme/project. He suggested that the prioritized list of recommendations be distributed to conference participants to comment on.

‘Apisake mentioned that DoF can seek other government departments’ views on the prioritized list.

Paula Tatafu (Magistrate) mentioned that DoF should prioritise the recommendations themselves.

Folau Lokotui, Court Magistrate of the Ha’apai region stated that he supports the community SMA programme and proposed if the SMA development process in the 2 remaining pilot communities (Ha’afeva & Felemea) be speeded up. He continued to say that there is a need to train communities over a long period of time to ensure they fully understand the community SMA programme so they can be able to establish and implement it themselves in future. He concluded that there is an important need for DoF and rest of Govt and donor bodies to fully support the community SMA programme.

Taniela (from MOTEYS) suggested to leave the recommendations to be discussed later particularly with people higher in the government as there are youth activities that can be carried out in the communities which could be coordinated with the community SMA programme.

‘Apisake mentioned that the recommendation discussion results from yesterday also included a suggestion to review the current Fisheries Management Act 2002 (FMA 2002) regarding penalties (that there should also be imprisonment imposed as a punishment rather than just penalty fines). Also suggested was that a separate meeting be conducted by Crown Law and Magistrates to discuss limitations and the need to improve the current provisions of the FMA 2002 and fisheries regulations in relation to community SMA development, management and implementation.

Folau agreed that these legal limitations still need to be further reviewed, particularly focusing on penalties where imprisonment is not provided as another form of punishment to those who breach the rules/regulations of a community SMA.

CEO also agreed and pointed that this is a good time to review our FMA 2002 with Crown Law.

‘Asipeli Niupalau from DoE highlighted the importance of prioritizing issues/recommendations because it provides important information to donor/funding bodies. Issues of high priority are what donors are concerned with and willing to fund. Therefore, these issues/recommendations should be prioritised to at least the top 5 and then given to the communities to comment on.

DoF should also be responsible for drafting and preparing policy directions rather than just give recommendations to Cabinet.

CEO concluded that the successful community-based fisheries management programme in Samoa should be a lesson to be learned from. We still have a few things to improve, particularly legal and funding aspects as well as stakeholder involvement to assist in the success of our community SMA programme in Tonga. There is a need to support and encourage communities to work together with government in managing our coastal resources for a better future.

Marc Wilson from Tonga Fisheries Project suggested having a look through and tidying up the inter-agency issues/recommendations, since different government agencies were present and would be a useful outcome from the meeting. This would assist the DoF when they are evaluating and prioritising the recommendations.

Members of the meeting suggested doing this in another meeting.

Actions:

1. DoF to prioritise list of recommendations provided from the conference and distribute to government agencies/communities/stakeholders/donors to comment.

2. DoF to inform other government agencies of when another meeting will be held to view and discuss these prioritized recommendations before submitting to Cabinet.

3. DoF to meet with Crown Law and Court Magistrates to discuss the review of the FMA 2002 and fisheries regulations, as discussed.