VEPA was kindly asked to participate in the outreach program
of the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation during their stay in Tonga.
The vessel, M/Y Golden Shadow, is a
large research vessel belonging to HRH Khaled bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia who
has dedicated this vessel to monitoring and protecting the world’s coral reefs.
After their time in Fiji, the vessel arrived in Tonga where
it was joined by 24 scientists and local partners including representatives
from Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries and Ministry of Lands, Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources.
Karen Stone, who joined the vessel for VEPA, is also able to
help out on some of the dives by collecting data on sea cucumbers, giant clams,
and crown-of-thorns and Trochus
snails.
This data is important for Tonga to help assess the current
status of commercial fisheries including sea cucumber harvesting and status of
Giant Clams. Crown-of-thorns are damaging to the reef as they feed on the
corals; their natural predator the Triton Trumpet Shell is a much sought after species
for souvenirs. Crown-of-thorns species is
also an indicator of run off, pollution and agricultural practices.
The first stop for the vessel was Ha’apai, the outreach team
led by Amy Heemsoth, Director of Education for the Living Oceans Foundation,
delivered awareness to over 500 school children and 35 teachers in one day. The
slideshow focused on the objectives of the projects, coral ecology and the
threats they face worldwide.
Ha’apai is extremely reliable on their coral reefs not only
for a sustainable food source but also as a barrier between the ocean and the
land protecting the coastlines from storm damage and as an indicator for climate
change.
The awareness program was well received and some great
comments from teachers and staff members showed a desire to learn more and to
help enable the future of their coral reefs.
There is more outreach to come in the following week until
we head to Vava’u, currently we are at Haafeva, which is a Fisheries Special
Managed Area and tomorrow (Monday) we will head to shore to attend the Primary School
followed by a community meeting in the evening.
This is a wonderful dedicated program that serves not only
to provide scientific research but also to work alongside the communities to
which coral reefs are so vital. It is an honour for us to be a part of such a
program and we look forward to being able to continue the outreach and
collaboration once the vessel has left our shores.
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