Country profile
Coastal fisheries snapshot
demersal fish (including parrotfish, spinefoot and unicornfish), invertebrates from intertidal habitats (e.g. clams), and nearshore pelagic fish (including tuna) using a range of fishing methods. These species are important for food, local livelihoods, jobs and government revenue (further details in Chapter 3).
Top 5 training topics
Gender participation
Male participations: 693 (66%) · Female participations: 357 (34%)
Yearly participations (2016–2025)
Projected changes in atmospheric & ocean climate (by 2050)
Relative to 1995-2014 baseline. Regional CMIP6 projections applied to Tonga's climate zone (Southwest Pacific Convergence).
Coastal fisheries (current vs 2050)
demersal fish (including parrotfish, spinefoot and unicornfish), invertebrates from intertidal habitats (e.g. clams), and nearshore pelagic fish (including tuna) using a range of fishing methods. These species are important for food, local livelihoods, jobs and government revenue (further details in Chapter 3).
Oceanic fisheries (current vs 2050)
Tuna fisheries — skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye and albacore. Habitat areas projected to shift with ocean temperature, stratification and oxygen content changes.
Freshwater & estuarine fisheries (current vs 2050)
Inland fisheries are expected to be affected by changes in rainfall patterns, river flow, and habitat accessibility by 2050.
Aquaculture (current vs 2050)
Mariculture impacted by sea surface temperature, ocean acidification and intense storms. Freshwater aquaculture may benefit from increased freshwater habitat but face disease and temperature pressure.
giant clams, pearl oysters (Pteria spp
Livelihoods & economies (current vs 2050)
Fisheries and aquaculture provide household income, jobs and government revenue. Climate-driven changes will affect employment and economic contribution.
Aquatic food security (current vs 2050)
Aquatic (blue) foods provide an important source of nutrition. Population growth combined with climate impacts may create deficits in fish supply.
Blue food production systems (current vs 2050)
Blue foods contribute to nutrition security, economies, livelihoods and jobs. Climate impacts on coastal, oceanic, freshwater fisheries and aquaculture together determine the system's resilience.
make high contributions to nutrition security and health, economies, as well as livelihoods and jobs. Compared to other Pacific islands, projected climate impacts to blue food production by 2050 are medium to high.
Recommended adaptation: Food & nutrition security
- Implement sustainable ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management
Recommended adaptation: Sustainable livelihoods
- Diversify production of fisheries and aquaculture commodities Livelihoods 4
Recommended adaptation: Economies & government revenue
- Implement climate-informed fisheries management Economic Revenue 2
- Implement energy efficiency programs for fisheries and aquaculture Economic Revenue 4
- Maintain the contribution of fisheries and aquaculture to government revenue and economies
- Climate-proof infrastructure
Community-based Fisheries Management — Tonga
Source: Govan & Lalavanua 2022 (SPC), updated from FAO & SPC Outlook 2026. See the regional CBFM Report for full analysis.
Coastal fisheries in Tonga
demersal fish (including parrotfish, spinefoot and unicornfish), invertebrates from intertidal habitats (e.g. clams), and nearshore pelagic fish (including tuna) using a range of fishing methods. These species are important for food, local livelihoods, jobs and government revenue (further details in Chapter 3).
Tuna fisheries in Tonga
The Pacific is home to the world's largest tuna fishery, with member countries' EEZs producing over half of the global tuna catch. Tonga's EEZ covers 659,558 km², providing significant access to tuna and other oceanic resources.
Fisheries Contributions to Tonga's Economy
Harvest by sector (1999 → 2021)
Volume and economic value of fisheries production by sector, from successive Benefish studies. Use the toggle to switch between volume (tonnes) and value (T$).
Fishing contribution to GDP
Official contribution of fishing (and aquaculture, where included) to Tonga's GDP, in US$ (units). The line shows the percentage of total GDP.
Key findings from Benefish Study 4
17.2 Contribution of fishing to GDP
Current official contribution The Tonga Statistics Department's "National Accounts Statistics 2020-21" (TSD 2022b) gives the fishing sector contribution to GDP (Table 17-4). Fishing 18,962 21,979 23,594 23,421 Tonga GDP 1,072,556 1,163,344 1,119,952 1,068,862 Fishing as a % of Tonga GDP 1.8% 1.9% 2.1% 2.
Full chapter section in Benefish Study 4 →
17.3 Exports of fishery production
The fish exports of Tonga (Table 17-7) are given in the document "International Merchandise Trade Statistics" (TSD 2022a). Fish 7,581,054 4,218,282 of which: Yellowfin tunas (fresh or chilled) 701,027 672,897 Bigeye tuna (fresh or chilled) 26,212 90,014 Other fish fresh or chilled 6,853,815 3,455,370 Crustaceans and molluscs and other invertebrates 2,873 9,123 Seaweeds and other algae 269,108 434,170 All fish, invertebrates and seaweed 7,855,055 4,663,596 Total Tonga exports 33,524,736 34,561,775 Fish exports as a % of all Tonga exports 23.4% 13.5% Some comments should be made on the above table: • The large percentage of fishery exports relative to all exports for 2020 should be noted. • When compiling fish export data, it is often confined to the Harmonized System (HS) category HS 036, which is "fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates". As seaweeds are considered an important fishery export of Tonga7 , the category "seaweeds and other algae" was added to the table. • There was a large drop in fishery exports between the two years on the table. The export of snapper was responsible for much of the decrease. Due to Covid, snapper exports dropped to zero in 2021, hence the large change in "other fish fresh or chilled" in the table. • By contrast, the export of tuna changed very little between the two years. The report prepared by the Ministry of Fisheries for the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission states: Despite the continuous worldwide pandemic of COVID19, the tuna industry export indicates a very encouraging result as 2021 tuna export increases compared to 2020. 6 The Harmonized System (HS) is an international numerical method of classifying traded products. 7 The 2021/2022 Annual Report of the Ministry of Fisheries indicates that mozuku seaweed was one of the top fishery exports of the country.
Full chapter section in Benefish Study 4 →
17.4 Government revenue from fisheries
Access fees for offshore fishing An unpublished document by the Ministry of Fisheries "Ministry of Fisheries Revenue for 2021–2022" gives information on payments in the 2021/22 financial year, including those for access: • Multilateral Tuna Treaty: T$2,217,744 • Foreign Fishing Vessel & Application: T$123,574 • Local Fishing vessels & Application:8 T$42,715 • Tuna licence: zero The above indicates that in FY 2021/22 Tonga received T$2,384,033 as access fees for offshore fishing.
Full chapter section in Benefish Study 4 →
17.5 Fisheries-related employment
Tonga's most recent household income and expenditure survey has considerable relevance to fisheries-related employment. The document "Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2015/2016" (TSD 2017) mentions "fish" 147 times. Some of the notable results are: • In total, 63% of households participate in agriculture, 13% in fisheries, 70% in livestock and 39% in handicrafts and home processed foods. • The household participation in fisheries ranges from 6% in urban Tongatapu to 32% in Ha'apai.
Full chapter section in Benefish Study 4 →
17.6 Fish consumption
The major historical studies of fish consumption in Tonga are: • The 1998 FAO/AusAID Fisheries Sector Review (Gillett et al. 1998) stated that the figures published for per capita fish consumption range from a low of 14.0 kg/year to a high of 102.0 kg/year (implying a production of 10,000 t). Assuming that all the production from inshore fisheries is eaten domestically, and that the best estimate of this in 1995 was 2,362 t, then this would provide a supply of 24.
Full chapter section in Benefish Study 4 →
Tonga — country resources
Direct access to country-specific chapters, regional report cards and economic studies.