Pacific Community-SPC

#OceanScience | Did you know that ocean health is about more than just the environment? Integrated Ocean Management (IOM) in the Pacific takes a holistic approach to ocean management, one that recognises the interconnectedness of #EconomicDevelopment, #Conservation #SocalValues and #CulturalHeritage. From October 28th to November 1st, 2024, Pacific Ocean office focal points are gathering in Nadi, Fiji to discuss collaboration, share learnings and build capacity for #Sustainable Ocean Management. Supported by the European Union in the Pacific, U.S. Department of State and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade the workshop is part of the SPC Pacific Solutions, Integrated Ocean Management Program (PSIOM). PSIOM us working with seven Pacific Countries, to find the right balance ocean uses, including economic development and conservation, through strengthened policies and laws, the integration of traditional knowledge and science to support decision making, and ocean policy implementation.

#OceanScience | This week in Nadi, Fiji, maritime professionals from across the Pacific are working together to enhance the region's maritime safety and inclusivity. Three key events will address challenges and explore opportunities to improve domestic ship safety, empower women in maritime, and strengthen search and rescue operations. The events include: 4th Pacific Domestic Ship Safety Forum (DSSF): With the theme “Collaborating for Domestic Ship Safety in the #BluePacific," this forum will focus on advancing safety standards for domestic vessels across the Pacific. Consultative Meeting for the Development of the Regional Strategy for Pacific Women in Maritime 2025-2030: A crucial initiative to achieve gender equality and empower women to foster a more inclusive and resilient maritime sector. Meeting of the Pacific Search and Rescue (PACSAR) Steering Committee: To foster and advance regional coordination and effectiveness in search and rescue operations. Supported by International Maritime Organization, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, UK in Fiji, and Pacific-Community-SPC, these discussions will play a vital role in shaping the future of Pacific maritime operations.

🌊 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗮 – 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 🌊 From the western side of Tonga, where fishing is essential to her community’s way of life, Melesila's village managed a Special Management Area (SMA) with both protected and fishing zones. But after a devastating tsunami destroyed their SMA, they had to make the tough decision to pause fishing. To support their families, they turned to handicrafts and agriculture, showing incredible resilience. Discover Melesila and her community’s inspiring journey of sacrifice and recovery. 🐟🌍 👉 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆! If you're involved in community-based fisheries management (CBFM) and passionate about sustainable practices, we’d love to hear from you! Click the link below to join the CBFM Practitioners community and share your experiences, insights, and knowledge with fellow practitioners across the Pacific. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g23iqiFW -------------------------------------------------- 🌊 𝗗é𝗰𝗼𝘂𝘃𝗿𝗲𝘇 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗮 𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗮 – 𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲 𝗿é𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 🌊 Originaire de l'ouest de Tonga, où la pêche est essentielle à la vie de sa communauté, le village de Melesila gérait une zone de gestion spéciale (SMA) avec des zones protégées et d'autres ouvertes à la pêche. Mais après un tsunami dévastateur qui a détruit leur SMA, ils ont dû prendre la difficile décision de suspendre la pêche. Pour subvenir aux besoins de leurs familles, ils se sont tournés vers l’artisanat et l'agriculture, faisant preuve d'une résilience incroyable. Découvrez le parcours inspirant de Melesila et sa communauté, marqué par le sacrifice et la reconstruction. 🐟🌍 👉 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘇 𝗹𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘂𝘁é ! Si vous êtes impliqué dans la gestion communautaire des pêches (CBFM) et que vous souhaitez promouvoir des pratiques durables, connectez-vous avec nous ! Cliquez sur le lien ci-dessous pour rejoindre la communauté des praticiens CBFM et partager vos expériences, idées et savoir-faire avec d’autres membres à travers le Pacifique. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g23iqiFW 🤝 European Commission | Government of Sweden Sida | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | USAID #CBFMPractitioner #EchoesOfOceania #Palau #ResourceManagement #CommunityLeadership #TraditionAndFuture

#PacificFisheries | ☝️ 𝗕𝗼𝗺𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 or How can you tell the age of a fish, and why do we need to know?🐟 🔹 Fisheries management needs good understanding of ✅fish age and ✅growth traits. How long a fish is reproductive for is important to understanding ✅how well the stock can be replenished. Estimating fish age from counting otolith rings🔍 is one method, but this can be difficult and can lead to errors. ☝Getting the age estimate wrong for many fish can result in overfishing🎣 if we assume there are more fish of reproductive age than there actually are. We can verify these estimates using bomb radiocarbon (14C) dating. Read about this tool and how it is being used in the new SPC Sclerochronology Lab in Noumea to test estimates of age for tunas, billfishes, and other pelagic fishes. This work will also enhance SPC’s Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme and project partners by addressing questions of age and growth for fishes of insular waters of the SPC member countries. 🔗 https://bit.ly/3YuwMwG Download the SPC Fisheries newsletter👉 https://bit.ly/FNL174

#PacificHealth | 📍 Un atelier de communication de risques s'est tenu la semaine dernière à Futuna, dans le cadre du plan de mise en oeuvre du territoire pour lutter contre la filariose lymphatique. En lire plus ⤵️ Last week in #Futuna, a Risk Communication workshop was held as part of their implementation of a plan to combat lymphatic filariasis. Read more shared by the Agence de Santé de Wallis et Futuna here 👉 https://bit.ly/48qTRVh 🤝 Agence de Santé de Wallis et Futuna European Union Pacific Community-SPC

#PacificProsperity | Day 2 recap of the #UBPP workshop was a call to action across the #Pacific: 🗣️President Hilda Heine of the Republic of the Marshall Islands: "UBPP is about ensuring our young people have viable opportunities to remain in the Pacific and to prosper. It is also about sustainable ocean management while we still have a life-giving ocean to manage. It’s about facing up to the truth about our food systems and prioritising the well-being of our communities. If you’re interested in building a future for our children together, then on behalf of the Pacific leaders across this blue continent, I invite you to join us on this journey". Just like the tide, our efforts are stronger when we work together, and that was yesterday's theme.

#PacificCultures | The VOU Dance Company continues to have an inspiring impact on aspiring dancers in the Pacific region and SPC is proud to support their work through a grant of Euro 179,922 (USD 195,836). The grant was awarded under the ACP-EU Enhancing Capacity for the Sustainability of Cultural and Creative Industries in the Pacific project, implemented by the Pacific Community, with financial contribution from the European Union in the Pacific and support of the Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). The project supports the development of cultural and creative industries in the Pacific. 🗣️ “Dance has the power to make positive change in the world, (particularly) in an age where people are becoming more and more detached from each other by screens and technology. We are separated by differing beliefs and fear, yet we still have that inner human need to connect to others, to have experiences. Experiences that are real. Experiences that are lived. Experiences that are human. In a time of polarisation and division, dance helps us recognise our common humanity, that we are no different from each other, that we are interdependent, and we are one,” VOU Coordinator, Sachiko Soro, says. ☑️ Through grant support, VOU has been able to award scholarships to its Conservatorium of Dance to young people, providing them with life-changing opportunities through study, skills development, training and job opportunities, allowing VOU to train and employ 113 Fijians. A key component of VOU’s vision for the performing arts in Fiji, is advocating for a financially viable and sustainable career pathway for aspiring Fijian artists to make a living. In 2019, VOU established the VOU Hub, a 450-seat theatre located in Nadi that houses the company’s performances, arts and culture activities and hosts local and international visitors. 👉 Learn more about VOU at www.voufiji.com 📸 Photo Captions: 1. Sachiko Miller-Soro, Director at VOU and Project Manager 2. Graduates of the Conservatorium of Dance who were supported via the ACPEU grant 3. Cast of the Flying Fijians Circus during one of their 2024 Fiji tour #PacificPeoples

#PacificAgriculture 🌱 | #DYK? At SPC’s Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees, teams are assigned to taste crops for science! All crops conserved in the genebank are characterised, which means that the plant’s features are carefully described and recorded in a database. 🔍 While sensory evaluations are still being conducted, #CePaCT staff also assess the taste of some of the crops like taro or breadfruit, grading them from poor to excellent 💯 🌏 This helps ensure that we conserve and share the best-tasting, climate-resilient varieties to support food security across the Pacific. #FunFactFriday 📸 Picture: a taro tasting session!

🍃 #PacificAgriculture | A week-long workshop united 400 enthusiastic seed farmers from across the globe in France to share insights on best practices in seed cultivation and sustainable agriculture. Fuatino Fatiaki with SPC’s Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community was one of six representatives in attendance with support from the Pacific Organic Learning Farms Network (POLFN) Project. 🌱 She highlights key takeaways such as, increasing diversity fostering adaptability and resilience by building farmer networks, promoting locally adapted seed production, blending local and commercial seeds, evolving crop varieties through breeding programs, prioritising food sovereignty over food security, and embracing intercultural connections. ℹ️ The POLFN Project is funded through the Kiwa Initiative. The Kiwa Initiative is funded by the European Union in the Pacific AFD - Agence Française de Développement Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade #OrganicAgriculture #SeedFarmers #KiwaInitiative

#PacificProsperity | 🌊 Day 1 of the Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity (#UBPP) workshop kicks off today in Hawaii with over 40 attendees from the region. The convening is setting the foundation for real, lasting change. This isn’t just about discussions—this is about action. As we bring together governments, communities, private sector and partners, we are building solutions that directly impact our ocean and our livelihoods. 🔷 Taking the first step: Let’s embed behaviours that will safeguard our future—reduce waste, champion climate resilience, and support sustainable practices. 🔗 Learn more about UBPP: https://www.spc.int/ubpp