A live female sea turtle and 7 bags of giant clams meat were seized by the Fisheries Enforcement team on the 3rd of August 2019 from the fish market at Faua.

According to the Fisheries Management (Conservation) Regulations 2008, closed season for catching, possessing, selling, purchasing or destroying of any turtle starts in August until February.

 

The Fisheries Management (Conservation) Regulations 2008 also states that no person shall sell clam meat out of the shell, unless it has been certified by an authorised officer that it came from a clam of legal size.These clam meats was found ready for sale which was not certified yet.Failure to comply is an offence under the Fisheries Management Act(FMA) 2002.

The female turtle is kept in the fisheries aquarium to be released once it get strength,whereas the clam meats according to the Section 81 of the FMA, was given to the Alonga Centre.

Ongoing operations by the Fisheries task force team to ensure that ban season for turtle and all Fisheries regulations are not breached, to support sustainable coastal fisheries for Tonga.