Pacific Island Fisheries Professional

Pacific Island Fisheries Professional (Coastal Fisheries Science)

• Join the principal development organisation in the region

Description

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, proudly supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our unique organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are renowned for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health surveillance, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (FAME) Division is composed of three programmes: the Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme (CFAP); the Oceanic Fisheries Programme (OFP); and the Marine Ecosystems Programme (MEP). The Director’s Office provides implementation support and strategic direction across the programmes and cross-cutting projects. Working with all 22 PICTs, SPC FAME has strong partnerships with regional, sub-regional and national entities working in the marine sector. SPC FAME staff are based in New Caledonia, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tonga, with most of the 165 plus staff being based in New Caledonia.

The Pacific Island Fisheries Professional (Coastal Fisheries Science) will support the Coastal Fisheries Science Team with providing advice to governments, stakeholders and the private sector in planning and implementing coastal fisheries science activities, focusing on coastal finfish and/or invertebrate resources and their supporting habitats.

The key responsibilities of the role include the following:

Assist the CFAP Science team in providing support and training to PICT members to enhance science capacity and capability in coastal living resources data collection, entry, quality control, analysis, interpretation and reporting in support of sustainable management.

• Assists in the development of coastal fisheries survey (independent and dependent) training materials for countries through needs-based stakeholder consultations, taking into account gender, culture and human rights in the country or territory.
• Assists in the training of local staff in-country and/or online in all areas of data collection, data management, analysis and reporting for coastal fisheries and associated habitats.
• Ensure there are no gender or social inclusion barriers to training activities.

Contribute to the design and implementation of assessments of coastal living resources, the development and application of innovative tools and approaches for data collection, data management and reporting to inform coastal fisheries management.

• Participates in the design of surveys based on standardised methodologies and lessons learned.
• Assists in the promotion of the standardisation of data collection and assists with the expansion of standardised data collection and/or monitoring systems for coastal fisheries (finfish, invertebrates, habitat and catch and effort) and programmes at the national level
• Assists in the development and implementation of data systems, tools and approaches that will improve data collection and monitoring of coastal fisheries at the national and regional levels.
• Assists in the collection of biological samples to help inform coastal fisheries assessments.
• Support PICTs to analyse available scientific data on coastal finfish and invertebrate fisheries and associated habitats to provide updates on the status of coastal fishery resources.

Promote inter-agency networking and cross-sectoral collaboration with partners in coastal fisheries and aquaculture science in support of evidence-based management

• Liaises, encourages collaboration and works with national, regional and international organisations, research institutes and NGOs on coastal finfish and invertebrate fishery issues.
• Assists in collaboration with other sections/programmes/Divisions within SPC on issues such as food security, small-scale livelihoods, climate change adaptation, etc.

Contribute to Section administration and communication

• Maintains up to date corporate and administrative procedures including training data for all activities undertaken.
• Contributes where applicable to Programme, Divisional and Corporate publications, such as Fisheries Newsletters, annual reports, Programme reports to RTMCFA and HoF.
• Contributes to peer-reviewed scientific publications that highlight results and/or developments of international interest.

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, pl