Working Together

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Over the past two weeks we’ve been meeting up with local leaders and fishers of the Vava’u island group in Tonga. The shallow-water reefs and lagoons surrounding the islands provide a vital source of protein for local people. The sharing …

Island Education

Written by Toni Saul It is early morning as we make our way on circuitous dirt and pothole roads, dodging a menagerie of farm animals from the tiniest piglet to unbridled horses and cows. We petition friendly locals for fine-tuned …

Turn of the Tide

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Today as the sun came up we made our way to the west side of the Vava’u archipelago. After about twenty minutes in the car we reached the small town of Koloa and turned down a narrow track that petered …

Fish with a Roof over their Heads

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The Tonga fishers of Vava’u have recently come together to form a fishing association.  As part of this effort, the fisheries department in Tonga agreed to give the fishing organization a building next to the government fisheries office. And this …

Back in Tonga

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We are thrilled to send you this update! We’ve been pretty quiet over the last few months as we’ve been hunkered down crunching data from previous research expeditions. However, we’re in the field now and ready to send blogs and …

The Global Reef Expedition

The Foundation is conducting one of the largest coral reef studies in history. Called the Global Reef Expedition it will circumnavigate the globe surveying some of the most remote reefs on the planet. It will take five years to complete …

Tongan Livelihood

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In Tonga, people are dependent on the land and sea for food and it’s a way to make money for their families. Agriculture and fishing form the primary basis for Tongan livelihood.  Handicrafts, pumpkins, fish, and vanilla are the main …

A Gift of ‘Atu

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While visiting the island Ha’ano in Tonga, I was told a Tongan legend of the abundant skipjack tuna that visit the shallow waters near Ha’ano every year. It wasn’t until later that I learned that there was a story behind …

Tonga Field Report

Between September 10, 2013 – October 3, 2013 the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation conducted a research mission to Tonga as part of the Global Reef Expedition, focusing on coral reefs surrounding the islands in the Ha’apai group (Sep 11-21), …