Tonga’s pioneering legacy in marine conservation will take centre stage at this Sunday’s World Oceans Day Pelagos Sanctuary Voyage at Monaco’s Port Hercules.
His Majesty King Tupou VI’s daughter, Princess Lātūfuipeka Tuku’aho, will represent the kingdom, marking 47 years since its historic whale hunting ban.
The move preserved Tonga’s waters as a critical breeding ground for humpback whales and set a precedent for Pacific marine protection.
The Pelagos Sanctuary Voyage for World Oceans Day is an initiative that uses new technologies to raise awareness and educate the public, particularly younger generations, about the importance of conserving the Pelagos Sanctuary.
Whale Hunting Ban
In 1978, King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV made global headlines by issuing a Royal Decree prohibiting all whaling in Tongan waters.
This established one of the world’s first whale sanctuaries years before the International Whaling Commission’s 1986 commercial whaling moratorium.
A report said that “Since the Royal decree, which banned the hunting of whales in Tongan waters, the Tongan breeding populations have recovered from less than 50 to more than 2000 whales”.
The government of Tonga reaffirmed its commitment to the Royal Proclamation of His Majesty King Tupou IV from 1978 by declaring that all Tongan waters would be designated a Sanctuary for Whales in 2017.
As Kaniva News reported in 2021, following a whale stranding in Ha’apai where locals enthusiastically harvested the meat, social media has seen renewed calls to legalise whale hunting, considered a delicacy by some.
These recurring demands, which resurface periodically, are supported by critics who believe whale meat could help address Tonga’s obesity crisis, as the country currently ranks among the world’s most obese populations.
The Pelagos Sanctuary Voyage in Monaco provides a fitting platform to celebrate Tonga’s achievements while addressing current ocean threats. The Pelagos Sanctuary—a protected marine area spanning the waters of France, Italy, and Monaco—serves as a Mediterranean counterpart to Tonga’s conservation model.
During the event, experts will discuss critical issues including the expansion of global marine protections, with a focus on achieving the ambitious “30 by 30” goal to safeguard 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
