Pacific Fisheries Security: Operation Tui Moana 2026 wrapped up after three weeks of coordinated surveillance across Pacific waters, with Tonga among participating countries, aiming to deter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and other maritime crimes. Illegal Fishing Crackdown (ADF): Australia’s ADF backed the effort under Operation Solania, deploying air surveillance to support detection and deterrence in Tonga and the Cook Islands. Tonga Connectivity Resilience: Tonga officially named and commissioned its second international undersea fibre optic cable, Tu‘i Vava‘u, to boost capacity and reduce outage risk during disasters and technical faults. Climate Science From Hunga Tonga: New research links chemistry inside the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai eruption plume to methane breakdown, offering a way to better judge future methane-removal ideas. Community Housing Recovery: Tonga is strengthening a community-led, climate-resilient housing approach, drawing on lessons from the 2022 eruption and tsunami and supporting local rebuilding skills. Disaster Preparedness (Samoa–US): Samoa launched a Tsunami Ready Recognition Program with U.S. support, focusing on evacuation planning, warning systems, drills and coastal community response. Green Finance (PNG): Papua New Guinea’s Green Finance Summit pushed sustainable investment, highlighting green finance policies and plans to attract private capital. Biodiversity Curiosity: A viral humpback “gaping” behaviour is still a mystery, with researchers trying to understand why whales open their mouths when no prey is nearby.