Tonga still reeling after underwater volcano hit reefs and fish stocks

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The government, which said it would seek $240m for recovery, including improving food security, is awaiting funds to aid small-scale fisheries

Volcanic ash blankets the western side of Tongatapu island following the eruption of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai on January 15 2022. Picture: REUTERS/VILIAMI T MANU

“In terms of [a] recovery plan … we are awaiting for funds to cover expenditure associated with small-scale fisheries along coastal communities,” said Poasi Ngaluafe, head of the science division of Tonga's ministry of fisheries.2 Because the Tongan government does not closely track subsistence fishing, it is difficult to estimate the eruption's effect on fish harvests.But scientists say that, apart from some fish stocks probably being depleted, there are other troubling signs that suggest it could take a long time for fisheries to recover.

Meanwhile, the tsunami in the waters around the archipelago knocked over large boulder corals, creating fields of coral rubble. And while some reefs survived, the crackling, snapping and popping noises of foraging shrimp and fish, a sign of a healthy environment, were gone.Agriculture has proved a lifeline to Tongans facing empty waters and damaged boats.

Scientists are also now taking stock of the eruption's effect on the atmosphere. While volcanic eruptions on land eject mostly ash and sulphur dioxide, underwater volcanoes jettison far more water.

 

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