
Up until the 1990’s, ocean areas within Tonga were declared as open access for all Tongans, in the hopes of allowing everyone equal and fair sharing of its resources. Over the years this caused a serious downfall in the status and health of the marine habitats, fish and invertebrate resources, that the communities heavily rely…
As we leave the shorelines and the shallow water habitats of coral reefs, mangroves and intertidal zones, the ocean changes its physical (light (photic), temperature and pressure) as well as biological and ecological characteristics. Within the deep ocean there are 5 specific interconnected vertical layers: Epipelagic or Photic Layer: found within the upper 200 meters…