A while ago the great crew of INFOFISH asked me if I could help to organise and moderate a 2 hr webinar on the impact of COVID in the pacific tuna fishery. As I know them well, I said I will agree with two conditions:
we should only have people from the pacific, front liners, young people and equal gender representation as much as possible if possible, and
no private certifications trying to sell us their products
And I loved when they agreed! In fact, I also wanted to pass the role of moderator to one of my pacific colleagues, but they told me I should keep it as I know everyone involved personally, I been to everyone’s house, many have been to mine and we trust each other… which is a very important thing.
If I could, I'll organise it as if we were around a bowl of Kava on a big traditional canoe floating somewhere, just chatting like the friends we are… I’m not one for the over formality and pomposity of some of these events, you still can be totally professional, without having to be stiff. So join us by registering for free!
One of the things I’m excited about is the opportunity of having a small panel chat with front liners in the region, these are the young woman and men at the face of the fishery in the vessels, wharves and factories, in some cases doing the boarding, or remote compliance, dealing with the disruptions in processing, and the logistics of running fishing boats in these strange days
As I insisted many times… Fishing is people, and people in the pacific is families... so I will be trying to make it a relaxed conversation among colleagues on our region, I like to hear not just the "institutional" views but also personal impacts… in fishing people are not part of the jobs, they are their jobs
The keynote speech will be by my good friend Pamela Maru, now the boss at the Ministry of Marine Resources Cook Islands. Pam and I go a long time, when she was still an officer in the Cooks, then she became a powerful engine at FFA, she one of the people that understand the working intricacies of the WCPFC better than anyone. She has been to my place, knows my family (is an honorary godmother to my daughter Kika), I been to her place many times, know her family… shell is one of the people I have the biggest amount of professional and personal respect in the fishing world. I’m totally honoured to have it on board.
Then Dr. Transform Aqorau, will be giving some of his insights… (if you have an interest in Tuna and don't know Transform… then you need to go back to learn bout Tuna in the pacific). I was honoured to illustrate with my pictures his recent book on PNA. Again, we go back a long time. I have been his guest and he is taking good steering on the eNoro project, something that is very close to my heart.
Then is the front liner panel with some of my younger colleagues and friends…
Saurara from Fiji whom I know for over 15 years now since I first trained her and now we are consulting colleagues in many projects, and I have passed her all the opportunities that arrive at my desk on in regards processing, CA. EU market access and so on. She is amazing, we worked together in for a few years in Kiribati, and besides doing a stellar job, she did her MBA, while being a mother two the two great kids she has, I got to also meet her awesome husband that is such a great and supportive guy.
Then is Beau Bigler whom we work a lot in RMI, besides being one the most driven and smarter fisheries officer I work with he is total waterman, so far the only officer I have worked with that we surf, paddle and fish together and also the only one I have cycled to work!
I”m hoping to have also Kikiva “Slota” Tepaia from Rabaul in PNG, one of the few places in the region where boarding still happens, so his insights of working during COVID will be amazing. He is a total character, devoted to his works, and very good photographer, as well.
Finally, I’m hoping to have Cynthia Wickham, who also is family to me! She is part of one of the coolest fishing families in the world, and the fleet manager for NFD In Noro, the place that for me represent what fishing should be in the pacific, she is frontline, right at the wharf while being the mother of a young child. I’m soo looking forwards to her views.
While everyone talks about the lack of observers in the vessels, no many are talking about what is happening to the around 800 observers in the regions that haven’t worked since February! So I wanted to bring that reality to the front… and who better than two former observers that have moved to really senior positions in different institutions
First would be Sifa Fukufuka, Training Coordinator of SPC’s Observer Programme. Sifa was f the 1st generation of observers in the region and a trainer to everyone after him, his view on the observer world, their training and their reality are unique… I’m totally looking forwards to listen to him.
Then is my friend Glen Joseph, who is at the same my boos as the director of the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority and the Chair of the Parties of the Nauru Agreement (PNA). He actually was an observer himself and got to his position based on being trailblazer and someone that is always creating the paths others will follow. He has been a great supporter of my work and my respect for him is up there with Pam and Transform
To finish we have my friend and fellow former fisherman Brett Haywood, that knows harder than anyone the impact that COVID has had in the fresh longline sector… he will be speaking on his role as the Chairman - Pacific Islands Tuna Industry Association, but also the manager of Seaquest a company in Fiji that was ahead of its time with blockchain-based traceability I reported in the past
So yeah a packed agenda to go through, and a time frame that does not make any justice to the capacities and experiences of the people on board
But please join us by clicking here, love to see you having some kava with us.
