NUKU’ALOFA – August 22: 11.32am (R2R Media): Surveys carried out at the Fanga’uta Lagoon site will determine the status of marine life in the lagoon and the status of the Tonga Ridge To Reef focal point.
Last week a team from the Fisheries Department here in Nuku’alofa carried out a catch survey within the lagoon area.
Environment and Fisheries officers working on cleaning out samples of fish caught during the survey last week at the Fisheries Department in Sopu last week. Photo: R2R MEDIA
The catch were then taken to the Fisheries Department head office in Sopu.
Samples were then sent to the Secretariat of the Pacific Community in Suva.
Results will show the type and age of the fish caught plus what they survived on and where they came from before they ended up at the lagoon.
Today a team from the Land and Survey Ministry were joined by officers from the R2R Project and the Department of Environment on another survey to see the landscape and what the area is like.
Aerial photos plus samples of the water at different levels and area would be taken to help in the survey results and monitoring.
The Fanga’uta Lagoon is the focal point of the R2R Project, which is being funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The current phase of the R2R project will end in December this year, with an extension planned up to August 2018 to facilitate the works needed to be done for the proposed Phase 2.
Rubbish found thrown along the banks of the Fanga’uta Lagoon. Photo: R2R MEDIA
Meanwhile, a disappointment has been the fact that people are still throwing their rubbish around the lagoon area.
Photos taken by the R2R team on board confirmed the presence of rubbish thrown along the lagoon backs at certain areas.
The message would be for people to be more responsible and put rubbish in rubbish bins provided.
Littering and dumping of waste illegally comes with a penalty and members of the public who are caught in the act will face the law.
Briefing before the survey trip earlier this morning. Photo: R2R MEDIA