Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) summary

The Ministry of Fisheries is responsible for ensuring sustainable management of fisheries resources. The Ministry is led by the Hon Semisi Fakahau, Minister for Agriculture, Food, Forests, and Fisheries. The Ministries Chief Executive leads the activities of four divisions, i) Fishery Management, ii) Fishery Science, iii) Fishery Compliance, and iv) Corporate Services, each of which is led by a Deputy Chief Executive.
A key activity for the Ministry is the delivery of the Tonga Fishery Sector Plan (TFSP), a long-term plan to maximise the sustainable contribution of the fisheries sector to food security and economic growth. The TFSP will be implemented with the support of development partner funding. A key source of funding will be the World Bank’s Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape Program (PROP) that is funding the Tongafish Pathway project.
The proposed objective of the TongaFish Pathway project is to strengthen sustainable management and development of Tonga’s commercial, aquaculture and community fisheries. Overall, the impacts of the project are expected to be highly positive. An Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) has been prepared to ensure that any residual environmental and social impacts are managed so that the project does no harm. The ESMF will be the projects umbrella document for environmental and social risk management. A framework is being used because specific activities for all subprojects and phases of the project have not yet been identified.
The ESMF outlines the project, its components, and possible environmental and social impacts. It sets out the risk screening process and mitigation methods for project activities during project preparation and implementation. This is to ensure that any potential adverse environmental and social impacts that may be generated are identified, and appropriate tools are prepared to avoid, minimize, mitigate and offset any remaining adverse environmental and social impacts. The ESMF includes a review of potential land access requirements for the project, methods for consulting and engaging with stakeholders, and a process for receiving and managing complaints during the project cycle.
Stakeholder consultation on the ESMF will be occurring during the week of 19 November, and the ESMF is available on this website should anyone not involved in consultation wish to comment.
For more information or to provide comment, please contact: Lupe Feiloaki. Project Manager, Ministry of Fisheries, on email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone: (+676) 21399 27 799