What’s been happening lately at Coastal Fisheries?

April 12, 2016 Matelina Stuart Coastal BDM, Ciguatera, Surveys

The last year has been a busy one for the Coastal Fisheries Section with lots of changes to positions and plenty of new activities.

We completed most of the tasks in our work plan, but had to drop a sea cucumber (beach-der-mer) management plan because we do not yet have enough data to formulate the plan. There were some modifications in roles of staff to accommodate new positions and staff shifts within the department. In addition, two senior staff returned after further studies overseas, resuming their roles in the department. The main tasks achieved centred on collection of data on cases of ciguatera fish poisoning and creel (fishermen’s landings), radio awareness programmes, and outer islands socio-economic surveys and consultations in support of future management. Here are some details on our work over the past year:

Artisanal Tuna: The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) have been assisting Tuvalu with its artisanal tuna data monitoring programme in Tuvalu. These data are collected from eight of the nine atolls of Tuvalu and include information on landing sites, vessel identification and catch data. The data are send in every month from the outer island to Funafuti where they are entered into a regional database.

Creel Surveys: Creel activities have now been much improved. A new effective program has been introduced and is now been practiced by staffs weekly. Surveys now are carried out during early hours of the morning twice a week. A creel data base have also been set up to store and analyse result for these surveys. It’s expected that this program can be further expanded to the outer island next year.

Ciguatera: Over the last past 3 years, there has been substantial amount of information collected from the hospital on ciguatera cases. These were number of patients admitted to the main hospital on Funafuti (servicing a population of 6,200) which are collected on a monthly basis. Over the years, we noticed a significant decline of number of cases compared with 2012 where we had over 40 cases reported by the hospital. In 2015 we recorded 14 cases from January to December. Thirteen of these were male and one female. Some of the most common fishes that were recorded as having caused ciguatera in Funafuti were groupers (gatala), rabbitfishes (maiava), red bass (fagamea), parrotfishes (ulafi), one-spot snapper (taiva), unicorn fishes (ume, manini lakau) and lined surgeonfish (ponelolo). Most of the incidents recorded were from different location inside Funafuti Lagoon, particularly te akau Pukeu, which is a popular fishing ground. In 2012, 75% of the fish that were caught on this reef were found to be highly toxic. Other affected areas included Tepuka reef, Paava, Papaelise, Fatato and other locations around the islet of Fongafale. The public has been warned through several radio awareness programs not to fish or take any suspicious species from the lagoon and also to report any case to the department. A ciguatera database is under construction and procurement of monitoring equipment for are now underway.

Socioeconomic and resource assessment surveys: were carried out on three islands (Funafuti, Nui and Nanumaga). Between August and November, extensive resource assessment surveys were conducted in three islands namely Funafuti, Nui and Nanumaga. The main objective of this activity was to collect habitat and socioeconomic information on each island in order to establish resource profiles for each island. Nui and Nanumaga have not previously been surveyed and the data collected will form a baseline for these islands. Nine of our staff went on a six week mission on where they also undertook surveys in the community. The work was intense and it gave the team a lot of hands-on experience on conducting these types of surveys in the outer islands. Data collected from the surveys have now been entered into a database to be analysed in 2016 and used support the islands in future fishery resource management planning.

Training: Several training workshops were run in 2015. This included under-water visual census (UVC), socio-economic surveys, geographic information systems (GIS), using databases, first aid skills and self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) diver training.

Public Awareness Radio: Radio programs were aired to educate the public and fishermen on fisheries-related topics. These included information on fish aggregating devices (FAD)s, Creel (fishers’ landing) surveys and artisanal tuna data collection.

Outer island consultations: Five of our staff were sent on a consultation mission to the outer islands in August. The main objective of this mission was to contact communities on NAPA II project activities (see below). It was also used as an opportunity to introduce the two NAPA II officers to the community and familiarise them with Kaupule members and fishermen’s associations of each island. Meetings with relevant stakeholders were held to discuss issues related to the implementation of NAPA II project activities. This mission went to all islands except Nukulaelae island, cancelled due to mechanical problems with the vessel chartered. It is expected that the mission to Nukulaelae will be carried out during later NAPA II voyages in 2016.

Other Project funding: Under the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) II project (funded by UNDP/GEF), two new coastal fisheries officers were recruited in April (2015). They will implement the fisheries interventions funded by the project in Tuvalu’s outer islands, which seeks to build resilience to climate change in marine-based livelihoods. Their work will focus on surveys, marine managed areas, training workshops, traditional fishing methods, FADs, modernized canoe-building and seafood processing, all designed to increase food security and resilience of outer island communities.

This year we have even more going on, so watch this space…

Announcing the Tuvalu Fisheries Department Lecture Series (TFDLS) 2016

April 12, 2016 Matelina Stuart Coastal Training

We are now running an in-house lecture series designed to up-skill our staff in many aspects of their work. The series will run throughout the year and will be delivered by our own advisers (Fisheries Adviser FA, and Inshore Fisheries Adviser IFA), the Government’s Human Resources Department (HRD), guest lecturers visiting the country and others as the opportunity arises.

Lectures run each Wednesday throughout the year unless notified otherwise. The lectures are for Fisheries Staff only – at present we are unable to accommodate people from outside the department. Lectures will run for approximately an hour, followed by a session of putting the skills in practice – up until lunchtime. Participants should bring their laptop computer to do the exercises.

L1. 23/3/16: Phylogeny and taxonomy of Fishes – Why use dead names? (IFA)

If you are a fisheries officer, you need to know the official scientific names of the fishes in Tuvalu. No ifs or buts. Although familiar, and what you will use when discussing your work with the public and fishers, Tuvaluan and English common names for fish are not specific enough for fisheries management: we have probably 350 species of reef fishes here. The world needed another way to fully identify all the millions of species on the planet. During this lecture we are going to go through the system of naming used all over the world.

L2. 30/3/16: Professional Writing Made Easy – Really! (IFA)

Writing is all about thinking things through, deciding what you need to say and saying it as clearly as possible. We will discuss what role you play in the equation and how templates can guide you. We will also develop templates for scientific writing, dashboard type reports, fishery profiles and trip reports you are likely to need from day-to-day in your work.

L3. 6/4/16: GOT Core Training: Public Service Induction & Performance Management (HRD)

Public Service Induction: The Induction Program will provide officers with the understanding of why we have a Public Service and how they as an officer contribute to the goals and objectives to provide efficient and effective services to the citizens of Tuvalu. It is designed to be a high-level, overarching introduction to Public Service employment, to ensure all officers have an understanding of the broader context within which the Public Service operates. This program is intended to complement and support existing ministry specific Induction and orientation programs and the General Administration Orders (GAO) awareness sessions. The Office of the Prime Minister developed the Induction Program to provide information on all aspects of the Public Service and to ensure officers understand and meet expected work performance and behaviours.

Performance Management and Appraisal Process: The Performance Management and Appraisal process will provide all Public Servants with information on how the staff performance management and appraisal process is managed and applied across the public service; and who is responsible for what part of the process. The main objective is to ensure all staff have a good understanding of how the performance appraisal process is managed and implemented, and more importantly to improve the performance of the public service to achieve planned outcomes.

L4. 13/4/16: Everything you ever wanted to know about VDS, and were afraid to ask (FA)

The Vessel-Day Scheme (VDS) is the system used by the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) to manage fishing for skipjack in their waters. The VDS is both a conservation tool (intended to ensure sustainable use of the resource) and an economic tool (intended to increase the benefits that resource owners get from the fishery). Tuvalu is a PNA country, and actively participates in the VDS, following its rules in-country and working with other PNA countries to continually improve its performance. This talk will try to explain what the VDS is, how Tuvalu has benefitted from it, and why the future of the scheme is so important to Tuvalu.

L5. 20/4/16: Using Excel – All the Tricks for Organising Data (IFA)

Spreadsheets, formatting as tables, pivot tables, charting and much more. You will learn how to organise data properly so that it can be manipulated, summarised and presented in simple formats such as dashboards. We will cover independent variables, dependent variables and Excel’s built-in functions. As an exercise we will create a killer budget template that will change the way you organise information forever!

L6. 27/4/16: How to Summarise Loads of Data – Part I – Means and Frequencies (IFA)

There are two main types of statistics you are likely to come across as Fisheries Officers. One type is designed to summarise vast amounts of information (Descriptive Stats), while the other is about deciding whether groups of observations or measurements are different from one another or some expected value (Inferential Stats). In this lecture, we are going to cover the most useful descriptive stats you can use in your work. We will look at what these really mean, how to calculate them and how to use them properly.

L7. 4/5/16: From Database to Report – Finding out what Data are Telling Us (IFA)

Once data have been collected from the field and entered into the database for storage and organisations how do we get them back out in ways that make sense? And how do we use them for fisheries? This lecture will cover the use of queries from databases and give you some methods for preparing the outputs for reporting. Although we will use the creel data in this training as an example, the techniques are applicable to all our data collections throughout the department.

L8. 11/5/16: How to Summarise Loads of data – Part II – Introduction to GIS (IFA)

For some fisheries applications, particularly ecosystem approaches, mapping the results of our work is the logical choice. For example, if we want to describe where fishers fished, or where they landed catches, we would probably find it easier to describe in maps than in text or graphs. If we want to describe Ciguatera hotspots on the reef, or where water quality is poor a map is really the only choice. In this lecture we will take a look at Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and how they can be applied to Fisheries problems. We will look at Google Earth (internet permitting) and MapInfo as two possible GIS platforms for our work.

L17. 13/7/16: Old Wives Tales and Ciguatera (IFA)

Everyone talks about Ciguatera, but what do we really know about it? Who are the main researchers and what did they find out? Is it really caused by ship-wrecks, and can we detect it using a coin baked in the fish? What other kinds of seafood poisoning are there? And how do we tell them apart? This lecture will cover the history of ciguatera research, its natural history, methods of detection, how to monitor it, all the different toxins involved and a whole lot more.

Kacific Satellite Broadband a Game-changer for Tuvalu Fisheries?

February 27, 2016 Matelina Stuart Uncategorized Internet, Satellite

Slow to at times non-existent internet speeds are severely hampering the development of the Tuvalu Fisheries Department. Email communications within the country and with the outside world are extremely poor for most of the staff and it is very difficult to research topics, access resources (such as support resources provided by our Regional Technical partners), transfer data and search for and buy much-needed equipment. Communications are many times worse on the outer islands, and communications with outer islands fisheries monitors extremely poor. The Kacific system described below may be just the thing we are looking for to handle Fisheries’ needs for internet, and the Department is eagerly awaiting the start of services in mid 2016.

Singapore-based Kacific Broadband Satellites signed a five-year service agreement in 2014 with Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation (TTC) for the provision of high speed bandwidth throughout the country. Using a single dedicated beam directed from its Ka-band high-throughput satellite (HTS), Kacific will initially provide TTC with 80Mbps of bandwidth capacity, which will be gradually increased to 150Mbps within four years. Currently, the country has less than 20Mbps of capacity.

In early December 2015 Mr Jacques-Samuel Prolon, the General Manager of Kacific Broadband Satellites visited Funafuti and described the plans for the services, which are expected to start in mid 2016. Initially the company will use a partner satellite from Condo-sat to provide services, but that will eventually be replaced by their own satellite focused on the Pacific. The services will start at 50 Mbps (mega-bits per second) in 2016 which is twice the current bandwidth (using Ku-band). By 2018 using Kacific’s own satellite this will be increased to 80 Mbps (Ka-band); followed by an upgrade to 120 Mbps in 2020. The company will guarantee the same price in the first years despite using other equipment than their own. They are currently designing dishes capable of working with both bands (Ku-band and Ka-band). Interestingly, because the Tuvalu islands run in a line from north-west to south-east, the circular focused beam suitable for most Pacific countries will need to be made elliptical to fully encompass all islands in the group.

The technology to be used is relatively new, but has been tested (over 10-15 years and 2 million subscribers) and is working well. It has been deployed in other parts of the world, but is new to the Pacific. This new technology differs from other satellite services because instead of covering a large footprint area, the beam is focused into many smaller footprints avoiding wasting the ‘beam’ on large empty areas of ocean. The footprint map looks like many small circles (500 km wide) focused on human cities, settlements and islands. The signal is 10-15 x more powerful than the broad beam satellite services more commonly in use up till now. This, in turn, allows the beam to give many times greater bandwidth in the focus areas, with faster speeds, a small (70cm wide) dish, and many times cheaper cost for subscribers. This can be installed on any roof top.

The service will cover 20 countries in the Pacific and has been shown to lead to higher penetration of the market (i.e. greater % of subscribers) because the cost to each is much cheaper to access, and subscriptions can be shared (e.g. a group of schools may get their own shared subscription). In a World Bank study it was found that in mature economies 24.3% are subscribers of this kind of service, while in developing economies, this goes up to 86.9% at a 25% price reduction (1). The dish is the only equipment needed, and this can be assembled by either a professional or do-it-yourself in 20 minutes, using a recommended direction and elevation (around 53-59 degrees in Tuvalu). A sound signal is used to complete the alignment. In cases of disasters, communications can be re-established from a suitcase very quickly. The signal would bounce from Tuvalu to 2 gateways (one in Indonesia, and one in Australia) to join the world-wide web. An example was given that USD $5 would provide 2,460 webpages, or download of 1,066 songs, or 17 hours of Skype with video, or 237 hrs of Skype with voice only. The cost of a dish (terminal) is around USD $400, plus a one-off charge for the subscription of around USD 280; so the system can be up and running for around USD $680; with a recurring cost of $390/month for 7-10 Mbps.

References

(1) Taylor, R.L. & Berry-Springer, A. 2014 Driving Demand for Broadband Networks & Services.

Closed: PROP National Project Accountant, Tuvalu (Fri 22nd January 2016)

January 7, 2016 Matelina Stuart Vacancies Jobs, PROP, WB

The Tuvalu Government has received grant financing from the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility to participate in the Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape Program (PROP). The objective of the PROP is to strengthen the management of selected Pacific Island oceanic and coastal fisheries, and the critical habitats upon which they depend. This will provide the basis for sustainable and increased economic benefits from this resource. The PROP comprises four components:

Sustainable management of oceanic fisheries;
Sustainable management of coastal fisheries;
Sustainable financing of the conservation of critical fishery habitats; and
Regional Coordination, Implementation Support and Program Management.

The Tuvalu Fisheries Department (TFD) is the implementing agency for the PROP project in Tuvalu. To support project implementation TFD requires the services of a dynamic, experienced National Project Accountant (NPA) to be responsible for financial management and oversight of this PROP, as well as for other donor-funded fisheries projects implemented by the TFD.

The NPA will be based in Funafuti and will be responsible for undertaking the financial management, recording and reporting aspects of the Tuvalu national component of the PROP, ensuring that all financial transactions and reporting comply with the requirements of the Tuvalu Government and The World Bank. The NPA will also assist with financial management of the New Zealand funded Tuvalu Fishery Support Project (TFSP), help with procurement of goods and services under both the PROP and the TFSP, and support capacity building in financial management and reporting among staff of the TFD.

The role of the NPA will require sustained high-level attention to project financial planning and management, support to procurement exercises, and liaison with relevant Tuvalu government departments, FFA, and other participating PROP countries. The NPA will report through the PROP National Project Coordinator (NPC) to the Director of Fisheries, who has overall responsibility for the Project.

The main tasks of the PROP National Project Accountant are shown in attachment 1. Required qualifications and attributes are in attachment 2. Additional information is shown in attachment 3.

Applications for this position should be sent to the Director, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Natural Resources, Private Mail Bag, Vaiaku, Funafuti, or by e-mail to jobs@tuvalufisheries.tv. Applications should include a cover letter, explaining the applicant’s reasons and motivation for applying for the post, as well as a curriculum vitae which details the applicant’s education, qualifications and experience.

The closing date for applications is Friday 22nd January 2016. Applications received after that time will not be considered.

Download the full advertisement with attachments PROP-TUV Project Accountant TOR 08Jan16.

Closed: PROP National Project Coordinator Tuvalu (8/1/16)

December 14, 2015 Matelina Stuart Vacancies Jobs, Projects

Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape Program (PROP)

Vacancy Announcement for National Project Coordinator: Tuvalu, 8th December 2015

(i) Sustainable management of oceanic fisheries;
(ii) Sustainable management of coastal fisheries;
(iii) Sustainable financing of the conservation of critical fishery habitats; and
(iv) Regional Coordination, Implementation Support and Program Management.

The first four countries to be part of the program are Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Tuvalu and Solomon Islands. The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) has also received grant financing to provide a regional coordination role for program implementation; support to participating countries with financial management and procurement as needed; and implementation of component (iii).

PROP implementation at the national level is anticipated to last approximately six years. Other Pacific Island World Bank member countries are eligible to participate, as all share the transboundary fisheries and fish resources.

The Tuvalu Fisheries Department (TFD) is the implementing agency for the PROP project in Tuvalu. To support project implementation TFD requires the services of a dynamic, experienced National Project Coordinator (NPC) to be responsible for project implementation, management, administration, reporting and monitoring and evaluation functions.

The NPC will be responsible for implementing the national activities of the PROP in Tuvalu and for ensuring that the intended results are achieved. The role of the NPC will require sustained high-level attention to planning and coordination of PROP components and activities, timely procurement of necessary technical assistance (TA), and extensive liaison with relevant Tuvalu government departments, FFA, and other participating PROP countries. The NPC will also be responsible for close management of project finances and effective use of project resources to achieve the project objectives.
The NPC will be the key point of contact across all national stakeholders for the project and will report to the Director of Fisheries, who has overall responsibility for the Project.

The main tasks of the PROP National Project Coordinator are shown in attachment 1. Required qualifications and attributes are in attachment 2. Additional information is shown in attachment 3.

Applications for this position should be sent to the Director, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Natural Resources, Private Mail Bag, Vaiaku, Funafuti, or by e-mail to jobs@tuvalufisheries.tv. Applications should include a cover letter, explaining the applicant’s reasons and motivation for applying for the post, as well as a curriculum vitae which provides details of the applicant’s education, qualifications and experience. The closing date for applications is Friday 8th January 2016. Applications received after that time will not be considered.

Download the full job description: PROP-TUV National Coordinator TOR 08Dec15.

Fisheries Revenues Hit an All-time High

October 15, 2015 Matelina Stuart Uncategorized Revenue

The Government of Tuvalu Monthly Reporting Dashboard for September 2015 shows Fisheries revenues for the country at the highest level ever. The total contribution to the government’s revenues from Fishery licenses now accounts for 49% of all income at a staggering AUD 23.7 million dollars (year to date) (figure left). The value of Fishery licenses now far exceeds (green line) the conservative projected income from licenses shown in the figure right (dotted line).

A year ago, in September 2014, revenues from fishery licenses amounted to under AUD 6.6 millions, or about 16% of total revenue. By December 2014 that climbed to AUD 16 million, or 28% of the total.

The big jump in September this year represents a payment received for the US Tuna Treaty. The Fisheries Department has been working hard to increase the revenue to the government, and we are now seeing the signs of our success.

NAPA2 on the Move

August 11, 2015 Matelina Stuart Coastal, Operations & Development Kaupule, Manaui, NAPA II, NAPA2, Projects

The NAPA2 project is on the move.

Senior Fisheries Officers for the Coastal Fisheries and Operation and Development Sections left Funafuti for the outer islands last night, 10/08/2015, for consultations with all Island Kaupules. They will spend 2 days on each island, so they’ll be back probably in two weeks time. JIAYOU!!!

The second National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA2) supported by UNDP and GEF addresses some of the challenges related to adapting to future impacts of climate change. The project focuses on implementing three priorities areas, namely:

Strengthening of community based conservation programmes on highly vulnerable near-shore marine ecosystems
Adaptation to near-shore coastal shellfish fisheries resources and coral reef ecosystem productivity; and
Strengthening community disaster preparedness and response potential.

Tuvalu hosts 11th FFC Ministerial Meeting in Funafuti

June 28, 2015 Matelina Stuart Uncategorized FFA, Meeting, Ministerial

FFA meeting to set direction on Future for Pacific Fisheries

Sunday 28^th June, Funafuti, TUVALU – Pacific ministers for Fisheries from all corners of the region arrived in Tuvalu’s capital Funafuti on the weekend to join local communities for a traditional Sunday to’onai feast. The family-style feast, hosted by Tuvalu’s Minister for Fisheries, Hon. Elisala Pita has set the tone for a similarly rich discussion at the 11^th Fisheries Ministerial, from 30^th June to 1 July.

Ministers and their fisheries officials will receive reports from Forum Fisheries Agency Director-General James Movick and his executive on standing agenda items covering the FFA Annual Report and administrative matters, but the key focus for this year’s Ministerial meeting will be consideration of a recent review of the Future of Fisheries Report launched by FFA and SPC in April 2010. Five years on from the initial work, Ministers will be re-envisaging and re-invigorating regional agreement and cooperation on shared strategic outcomes and directions for regional fisheries management and development. Discussions on sustainability, increasing fisheries value, industry development, employment and food security will shape a roadmap for Pacific Leaders on the Future of Fisheries.

Given the importance of fisheries for government revenues, income and food security for communities across the Pacific Islands region, and the challenges of managing and sharing diverse fisheries stocks, Fisheries Ministers and Leaders have high-level responsibility and oversight across the key decision-making spaces affecting tuna fisheries and the benefits they provide to FFA members. This adds a political dimension to the high-level technical programs and developments that fisheries officials work through continually.

Read the 2010 FFA/SPC Future of Pacific Fisheries Report
http://www.spc.int/fame/doc/corporate_docs/Future_of_PI_fisheries_Brochure.pdf

ABOUT FFA:

The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) strengthens national capacity and regional solidarity so its 17 members can manage, control and develop their tuna fisheries now and in the future. Based in Honiara, Solomon Islands, FFA’s 17 Pacific Island members are Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Since 1979, FFA has facilitated regional cooperation so that all Pacific countries benefit from the sustainable use of tuna – a multi-billion dollar resource important for many people’s livelihoods in the Pacific.

CONTACT FFA MEDIA: Email: lisa.williams-lahari@ffa.int | Mobile: + 677 7574230

Fifteen New Matailis to Guard Tuvalu’s Fishery Resource

June 10, 2015 Matelina Stuart Uncategorized Observers, Training

Fifteen young men have completed the 2nd National Fishery Observer Training and were awarded with certificates at the graduation ceremony held on Friday afternoon May 29, at the Vaiaku Lagi Hotel.

The new fisheries observers had undergone an intensive training in the past five weeks.

Minister of Fisheries Honourable Elisala Piita congratulated the trainers, trainees and the supporting team for a job well done in carrying out this in-country training for local observers, before closing the training and presenting the certificates.

In his closing and congratulatory remarks, Hon Piita touched on the significance of the programme to Tuvalu. “Observers programme is extremely important for Tuvalu. It is at the heart of the way we monitor the activities of industrial tuna fishing vessels, both inside and outside our fishery waters, and to check on the compliance of those vessels with our laws and regulations.”

“The programme gathers data on fish catches and fish stocks which are used to ensure that fishing is kept at a sustainable levels, and over fishing does not occur.”

Piita said the goal of the programme was to increase the number of local observers to serve on fishing vessels. “Our goal is to increase the size of our observer programme – not only to create employment opportunities but also to provide the technical skills that will be needed for the management and monitoring of our coastal fisheries,” says Piita.

Honourable Piita urges Tuvaluan Observers to take this opportunity seriously, and to carry out their duties and responsibilities conscientiously. He also reminds them that they are ambassadors of Tuvalu, therefore he hopes and expects good conduct from all of them for a positive image of Tuvalu and to make them marketable to fishing vessels in the region for a growth in job opportunities and benefits to our country.

At the graduation ceremony, Director of Fisheries Samasoni Finikaso put emphasis on the new observers as Matailis. He said a Mataili was a woven hat made out of coconut leaves to shield the eyes and make it easier for local fishermen to see new grounds and schools of fish.

“I want to relate what is actually happening right now to the context of Tuvalu. The word Mataili is a Tuvaluan word for a hat made up of coconut leaves and is worn by very skilful fishermen and local navigators to make it easier to locate schools of fish and search for new lands,” Finikaso said. “A ‘Mataili’ was normally worn in the past by our ancestors to improve a person’s eye sight when they scoped far and wide to see schools of fish or the enemies in advance, so that they could prepare them-selves for battle,” he added.

Finikaso said the ceremony proved that the new observers have woven 15 new Matailis for Tuvalu. Now you are ready to set sails for new fishing grounds but always remember that you are the “Matailis” for Tuvalu. Coordinator of the SPC Ob-server Programme Training Siosifa Fukofuka also congratulated the graduates for successfully completing the training. Hon Pita and Mr Finikaso also acknowledged with appreciation the big job done by the Mr Fukofuka in training the new fifteen local observers. The graduation ceremony was rounded off with refreshments provided by the Fisheries department.

By Famomoi Niukena | Reprinted with permission from Fenui – News from Tuvalu – June 1, 2015 Issue.

New Fisheries Building in 2015

May 28, 2015 Matelina Stuart Operations & Development NZAP

The Tuvalu Fisheries Support Programme (TFSP) is a five year support programme which will be run between 1^st July 2014 and 30^th June 2019, and will build on the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)-funded Institutional Strengthening Project (ISP) that ran between 2012-2013. One of the key outputs of the TFSP is the construction of a new Fisheries Department building, including the development of operational structures such as document storage, data management and other systems. The building and systems, along with a Human Resource Development (HRD) plan are seen as necessary steps in improving operational effectiveness, synergies and morale leading to the third long-term outcome noted above of an effective Fisheries Department. The estimated cost of the new Fisheries building is around NZD 3,145,000. The building will accommodate the entire staff and will include all the facilities expected of a modern workplace. It is anticipated this will significantly boost morale and improve work performance and productivity.

The works

The project will demolish a total of 7 buildings currently located on the Fisheries and Agriculture compound. This includes 4 buildings on the ocean side and 3 on the lagoon side of the road. Testing showed that there is no asbestos present. The Public Works Department (PWD) manages building waste recycling in Tuvalu and is likely to be responsible for the re-use of any useful materials derived from the old buildings.

The three buildings removed on the lagoon side of the road will make way for the construction of a new 2-storey building able to provide working spaces for 45 staff. The new building will either incorporate a large cistern for water storage and to add to emergency supplies for the island, or a bank of around 6 large plastic water tanks to service the building needs.