Penrhyn, referred to by its local name Tongareva, is the northernmost island of the Cook Islands situated 8.58’S 158.03’W some 1365 km north of Rarotonga. It is the largest of the atolls in the northern group and the numerous islets (motu) cover a land area of 10 sq./km. The highest point is about 4m above the average sea level. The lagoon covers an area of over 200 sq./km. Currently Penrhyn has a population of 500 people. There are two main settlements on Tongareva, Omoka which is on Moananui and Tetautau which is on Pokerekere. The distance between Omoka and Tetautau, across the lagoon, is over 14 kilometers.

Penrhyn Island, being the northern most of the Cook Islands is the warmest island, ranging on average between 27.2 and 28.2 degrees Celsius. The island is located in a very dry zone, compared with the other islands of the northern group, a few exceptionally wet months account for much of the reasonably large rainfall total. Annual rainfall is 2,137 mm, the wettest months are December to March.

Tongareva is the top of a volcanic mountain. The soils are derived from coral and reef materials with a thin layer of organic topsoil. They are relatively infertile and as a result vegetables are hard to grow, but crops such as breadfruit, banana and coconuts are plentiful. Some households grow vegetables but they mulch the soil before planting. Income is generated mainly through pearl farming and sales of mother of pearl, and natural pearls (pipi pearls) which are collected by free divers. The womenfolk make handicrafts such as baskets, purses, kikau brooms and hats from locally derived material. The men carve jewelry such as earrings, necklaces and hairpins etc out of pearl shells. Private enterprise on the island is in cultured pearl farming, handicraft making, retail stores, commercial fishing (including crayfish) and a visitors accommodation (2 beds). In the early 1980’s fish was sent to Rarotonga in small ships with refrigeration however this no longer occurs, the majority if fish caught in Penrhyn remains there. Main government sectors on Tongareva include agriculture, Marine Resources, the ministry of Outer Island Development and the Ministry of Energy.

Tongareva has a huge lagoon reaching depths of up to 70 meters. It supports a wide variety of marine life species including ruhi, malau, nugutuuri, nato, ature, korperu, maratea, lahi, papo, veve, kanae, ava-roto, ava-tai, white tip reef sharks and shellfish such as the pasua, pipi and palau. The islanders harvest much of the marine life for food. Almost every person is engaged in some sort of fishing activity, such as patia or verovero, tavere, sisi, poito, i’i and kupenga to name a few. Most families in Tongareva own a boat as it is the mode of transport for gathering food from the motu, for fishing outside the lagoon and for transport to pearl farms.

The lagoon is unpolluted and well flushed by incoming and outgoing tides through the three wide passages and parts of the barrier reef without landmass. The northern end is shallower and is where most of the pearl farms are concentrated. The Penrhyn lagoon is suitable for pearl farming because there are large areas that are shallow enough for SCUBA divers to set farm lines. Already there are as many pearl farms on Penrhyn as on Manihiki, however they are much smaller than those of Manihiki.

The lagoon is Crown Land and is managed by the Island Council. They are responsible for issuing pearl farming licenses. It is up to individual farmers to submit their proposal and island council can decide whether they will issue a license. There is an annual fee of $50 dollars for each pearl farm, however, most farmers only pay the initial $50.

The island has one warf at Omoka, and it is a national port of entry with customs and immigration facilities.

Fisheries in Penrhyn are generally on a subsistence scale (harvesting for the households food requirements) with limited artisanal activity (harvesting to supply the local market), occasionally fishes are sent to Rarotonga either for relatives or sale. About 94.06% of the population are engaged in some form of fishing activity whether domestic or commercial. This includes methods such as patia, verovero, tavere, sisi, poito, i’i and kupenga.

• Rui (black trevally) fishing: This type of fishing is carried out in the northern Cooks however is more common in Penrhyn. Essential equipment required for this type of fishing includes heavy fishing line, hooks, boat, bait, snorkeling gear and at least two men. On arrival at the rui fishing ground one of the fishers remains on the boat and the other/s enter the water. The diver/s dives down with the ground baited (paru) in his mouth to where he knows the rui will be and then spit’s out the ground bait. The divers goal is to attract the fish to the surface (the diving and spitting may be repetitive). Once the fish are at the surface the diver reaches out to his buddy on the canoe for a baited hook. S/he then offers the baited hook to the feeding rui, once the fish takes the bait the divers buddy on the canoe hauls in the catch. According to local fishermen is becoming harder to catch a good sized rui. Many people spear the rui at the passages and this may be having an effect on stock numbers.

• Hapuku (cod) fishing-spawning season: Fishermen know when the hapuku will begin aggregating by checking the size of the gonads (sexual organs) of their catch. When the gonads in the hapuku become large, spawning (aggregating time) is about to begin. This generally occurs during April, May or June. In 1999 it occurred during May. The aggregations occur at the reef passages, and include hapuku from both the ocean and the lagoon. The aggregations can be quite large. Fishermen anchor at the passage during the day and catch the hapuku using handlines or samoan reels. Bait used includes skipjack, milkfish, tuna and ature.

• Milkfish in pond culture: Milkfish ponds in Penrhyn are generally privately owned and stocked. Milkfish are usually farmed for a particular purpose or function, such as the opening of a new community building, for ceremonies or for celebrations. During high tide the milkfish young are driven into the fishponds and then the exit is blocked. Sometimes fish will be transported manually to ponds using a bucket or basin. The milkfish are then left to grow for 6 months to over a year, then they are harvested. A net is used for the harvest.

• Nato fishing: Nato are generally caught at night from boats or from the reef. Rod or bamboo fishing line is use and white lures including feathers and white cotton. When fishers are fishing from a boat the rods will be shorter. Generally they will fish near the reef passages. Full moon nights are good for catching nato. Nato are abundant in Penrhyn.

• Trochus: Populations of trochus on Penrhyn are increasing to harvestable numbers. It is expected that over the next 5-10 years trochus harvests will be economically viable.

No management exists for any resources in Penrhyn with the exception of pearl oysters (parau). The islands councils has imposed a restriction on the use of SCUBA and Hooka for the collection of wild shells and must have a permit to farm or dive for shells. Each permit holder is allowed to farm 3,000 parau. The majority of pearl oysters for the farms are collected from the wild. Pearl farmers free dive to collect the young oysters, often to great depths and for long periods of time.

No tourist or foreigner is allowed to go on the motu (small islets) unless with a local. No one is supposed to scuba dive in the lagoon without a permit.

In the future there may be limitations placed on harvesting for Tere parties (visiting groups) and export of local marine animals such as clams (paua). There may be a reserve established for parau, trochus and paua. Small and female crayfish are being over harvested and crayfish on the whole are becoming harder to find. This is partially to do with the export of crayfish from Penrhyn by commercial operators. Management may be put into place to protect the coconut crabs and crayfish.

The Cook Islands Government began developing the pearl farm industry in 1994, and there is now a research station on the island. The main role of the MMR staff in Penrhyn is to produce pearl oyster spat to assist in the growth of the pearl industry in Penrhyn. They also support the pearl farmers in terms of information and assisting in pearl farming workshops.