The Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Dr Jimmie Rodgers today presented 500 copies of a Guide and information sheets for fishing communities to the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Timor Leste, the Honorable Mariano Assanami Sabino. The materials have been translated into Portuguese for use by government officials, but are also laid out so that they can be prepared in Tetum (the country’s other official language) in the future.
The purpose of these booklets is to assist people working with fishing communities by providing information on species of interest and advice on fisheries management options for them. Each sheet provides information on a species including distribution, habitats and feeding, lifecycle and reproduction, fishing methods and fisheries management options.
The series has been produced by the SciCOFish (Scientific Support for the Management of Coastal and Oceanic Fisheries in the Pacific Islands Region) project, through which Timor Leste, along with 14 Pacific Island countries, receives support in the management of coastal and oceanic fish resources. A team from SPC has been in the capital Dili this week to follow up on European Union-funded projects in the fisheries and agriculture sectors and to discuss further technical assistance. SPC is keen to strengthen the relationship, and act as a bridge to the country’s Pacific Island neighbours to the East.
‘We do not have a long history of working with Timor Leste and there are some difficulties with language, but I believe SPC has a lot to offer to this wonderful nation,’ said Dr Rodgers at the presentation. ‘You are facing many of the same problems as our Pacific Island members, and we have a lot of experience in providing practical solutions for small island developing countries.’
For more information, please contact Ian Bertram, SPC Coastal Fisheries Science and Management Adviser (ianb@spc.int).
Background information
SPC is a Pacific-based international intergovernmental organisation that assists Pacific Islands countries and territories by delivering a wide range of technical, research, educational and planning services. It has 26 members comprising 22 Pacific Islands countries and territories and four metropolitan members, Australia, France, New Zealand and the United States of America.
CRGA is a committee of SPC’s governing body, the Conference of the Pacific Community, which meets every two years. In years that the Conference does not meet, CRGA is empowered to make decisions on SPC’s work programme and governance issues.
This annual event allows representatives of SPC’s 26 member countries to meet, exchange ideas and make decisions about the future of the organisation.
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