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The climate of Niue is hot and moderately wet in the summer months (October to April), and drier and cooler in the winter months (May to September). Annual rainfall averages around 2000 mm but varies widely from year to year (from a high of 3175 mm in 1924 to a low of 1070 mm in 1931). Maximum daily temperatures vary seasonally from 27°-31° C. Niue lies well within the tropical cyclone belt and significant cyclones have occurred with an average 10-year frequency. More recent cyclones include Ofa in 1990, with recorded wind speeds of 185 km per hour (kph), or 100 knots. Cyclone Heta struck in early January 2004, and was among the most destructive cyjclones in living memory. Previously unheard of wave heights extended destructive waves above the western cliff heights; unconfirmed reports indicate wind gusts were up to 300 kph. The southeast trade winds blow steadily for most of the year but particularly between April and October, maintaining a steady breeze of between 10 kph and 20 kph during the day. The tidal range is on the order of 1.5 m, with a corresponding fluctuation of 100 mm in the groundwater table.

The baseline assessment provides a current status report on the coastal marine resources of Niue. It offers recommendations for the management options available to address the concerns of local villagers with respect to deterioration of coastal resources. The lessons learned from the pilot project are expected to have national importance and should provide a guide to the best approach to sustainable fisheries management for all of Niue.

Generally, the introduction to community monitoring commenced with a brief presentation of the concepts and use of monitoring data (see Appendix 3 for an outline of the presentation material), which led into the proposed methods that would be used in the demonstration in the pilot villages, focusing on the target species of concern that have been already identified through prior consultation. Apart from reef fish species of concern, most of the focus was on reef flat invertebrates and seaweeds from this habitat. Many opportunities were available for additional discussion on species of concern, and some additional species of interest were raised during the visit.