Honiara Summit
Iumi tugeda delivering on SDG 14.4: Achieving Sustainable Fisheries
Session 3: Pacific Islands region response to SDG14.4 (Coordinator: FFA)
Panel 3.1: Pacific Leaders and Sustainable Fisheries
Honourable Jeremiah Manele Prime Minister of Solomon Islands (and Incoming Chair of Pacific Islands Forum)
Keynote
The Honourable Jeremiah Manele was elected as Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands on 2 May 2024. Prior to his appointment, the Hon Prime Minister served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade from 2019-2024 after being re-elected into Parliament for a second time. He also served as Parliamentary Wing Leader of the Democratic Alliance Party during this time. The Hon Prime Minister served as Minister for Development Planning and Aid Coordinator from 2017-2018 and was Leader of the Official Opposition Group in Parliament from 2015-2017. The Hon Prime Minister was first elected to Parliament in 2014 as the Member of Parliament for the Hograno/Kia/Havulei Constituency. He has had a distinguished career as a civil servant serving the Government of the Solomon Islands in various capacities including: as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Development Planning and Aid Coordination from mid 2012-2014; as Secretary to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet from 2008-mid 2012; as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade from 2006-2007; as Deputy Secretary to the Prime Minister, Office of the Prime Minister from 2004-2005 and as Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade in 2003. The Hon Prime Minister also served at the Solomon Islands Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York – first as Counsellor from 1997-2000 and then as Charge d’Affaires from 2001-2002. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade as a Desk Officer in the Protocol Division in 1993. He began his career in the civil service as a Social Science and Economics Teacher at Selwyn College from 1992 to mid 1993. The Hon Prime Minister holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Papua New Guinea and a Certificate in Foreign Service and International Relations from Oxford University.
H. E. Colin Beck
Permanent Secretary, Foreign Affairs, Government of the Solomon Islands
Facilitator
Honorable Elina P. Akinaga
Ministry of Resources and Development, FSM
Honourable Mr. Shane Jones
Minister for Ocean and Fisheries, Government of New Zealand;
Shane Jones is the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Resources, Associate Minister of Finance, and Associate Minister for Energy. Mr Jones entered Parliament in 2005 with the Labour Party and joined New Zealand First as an MP in 2017. Mr Jones was educated at St Stephen’s and has completed degrees at universities in Wellington, Western Australia, and Harvard. He has held business and public sector leadership roles such as Chairman of Sealord, our country’s first Pacific Economic Ambassador, Member of Parliament, and a Minister in government.
Hon. Esa-Sharon Mona Ainu’u Minister for the Ministry of Natural Resources, Niue
Hon. Mona Ainu’u is a dynamic leader and advocate for sustainable development and women’s empowerment. With a background in media, she brings a unique perspective to her role as Minister for the Ministry of Natural Resources. Hon. Ainu’u effectively utilizes her communication skills to raise awareness about environmental issues and promote inclusive policies that ensure equitable access to natural resources for all communities now and in the future. A passionate supporter of women’s leadership, she works to amplify female voices in decision-making processes. Through her commitment to fostering sustainable practices and advancing gender equality, Hon. Ainu’u aims to inspire future generations to engage actively in the stewardship of both the environment and their communities.
Honourable Ms. Alitia Bainivalu
Minister for Fisheries and Forests, Government of the Republic of Fiji
Wednesday 26 February 2025
Panel 3.2: Pacific regional cooperation
Honourable Mr. Nestor Ghiro, Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Government of the Solomon Islands;
Key note
Personal
Date of Birth: 4 September 1972; ï‚· Village: Baro; Home Island: Makira;
Province: Makira / Ulawa Province. Ministry Portfolio
Minister responsible for Fisheries and Marine Resources (2019 to date);
Minister responsible for Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (2014 – 2019). Parliamentary Appointments
Member for Central Makira Constituency (2014 to date);
Chairman, Education and Human Resources Training Committee (22 Dec 2014 to 1 Nov 2017); Member, Parliamentary House Committee (22 Dec 2014 to 1 Nov 2017);
Member, Public Accounts Committee (22 Dec 2014 to 1 Nov 2017).
Education / Qualification
Attended University of the South Pacific (USP). Graduated with Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree;
Attended Waimapuru National Secondary School (1986 – 1991), Makira/ Ulawa Province; Attended Waita Primary School (1979 - 1985), Makira / Ulawa Province. Occupation before entering Parliament
Technical Advisor, Elite Logging Company, (2005 – 2014);
Principal, Tawatana Community High School, (2004 – 2005);
Head of Science Department (HoD), Pawa Provincial Secondary School, (2000 – 2003); Senior Science Teacher, Waimapuru National Secondary School, (1997 – 1999).
Contact Address: Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources P.O Box G2, Honiara Solomon Islands Phone: 39143 Ext 201; Mobile: 7496942 Email: ngiro@fisheries.gov.sb
Facilitator
Dr. Filimon Manoni was appointed the Pacific Ocean Commissioner by the Forum Leaders in February of 2023 after having served three years in the role of Deputy Secretary General at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. He transitioned from that role to the role of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner on August 1, 2023. Dr Manoni initially joined the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in December of 2018 as the International Legal Adviser and was responsible for providing legal and policy advice and analysis on regional issues inclusive of issues connected to Ocean governance. Prior to joining the Forum Secretariat, Dr. Manoni served as the Attorney General for the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, again dealing with both legal and policy work on international issues of national and regional interest. He also served as a Legal Adviser at the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) from 2013 to 2016.
Mr. Baron Waqa
PIFS SG
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Rhea Moss-Christian, Executive Director, Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission;
Dr. Sangaalofa (Sangaa) Clark, Chief Executive Officer, Parties to the Nauru Agreement
Dr. Sangaalofa (Sangaa) Clark is CEO of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) Office. She is from Kiribati and holds a PhD in Mathematical and Computational Modelling. Dr. Clark has worked at the PNA Office since 2010, first as a consultant working mainly on the VDS, and then as Policy Manager before taking the role of CEO. More information can be found here. The PNA Office is based in Majuro, Marshall Islands. Its core business is the operation of the PNA Vessel Day Scheme, which has sustained tuna catches and enabled PNA Pacific Island countries to substantially increase the economic benefits they receive from tuna fishing. Further information can be found on the PNA website.
Noan Pakop
Director-General,Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA)
Mr Noan Pakop was appointed as Director-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) by the Forum Fisheries Committee (FFC) Officials in May 2024 and endorsed by FFC Ministers in July 2024. He officially assumed office in November 2024. A national of Papua New Guinea, Mr Pakop brings over 36 years of experience in fisheries management, regional cooperation, and policy development. He has held key leadership roles, including serving as FFA Director of Fisheries Operations from 2013 to 2018, and Deputy Managing Director of Papua New Guinea’s National Fisheries Authority from 2018 to 2023. His expertise spans international fisheries negotiations, monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS), and sustainable fisheries management. Throughout his career, Mr Pakop has chaired several regional and international fisheries bodies, including the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), INFOFISH, and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission’s (WCPFC) Technical Compliance Committee. His leadership has contributed to the advancement of fisheries governance, combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and securing sustainable fisheries resources for Pacific nations.
Dr Stuart Minchin
Director-General of the Pacific Community (SPC)
Dr Stuart Minchin is the Director-General of the Pacific Community (SPC), the principal scientific and technical organisation serving the Pacific region. Before joining SPC on 23 January 2020, Dr Stuart Minchin served as Chief of the Environmental Geoscience Division at Geoscience Australia, the Australian Government’s centre of expertise for environmental earth science issues and the custodian of national environmental geoscience data, information, and knowledge. He has represented Australia in key international forums and served as the Principal Delegate to both the UN Global Geospatial Information Management Group of Experts (UNGGIM) and the Intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO).
Session 4: Supporting fisheries sustainability through science (Coordinator: SPC/ FAO)
SIG TBC
Keynote
Dr Graham Pilling
Deputy Director of the Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems division at the Pacific Community (SPC)
Facilitator
Graham is currently the Deputy Director of the Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems division at the Pacific Community (SPC) based in Noumea, New Caledonia, leading the Oceanic Fisheries Programme. He has worked on the tuna fisheries within the western and central Pacific Ocean for over 14 years, providing scientific analyses and advice to SPC members and the wider Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission RFMO membership in support of the region’s sustainably exploited tuna fisheries. Prior to SPC, he was the head of the Seas and Oceans Group with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) in Lowestoft UK, and a marine fisheries consultant at MRAG Ltd in London, working on national and international marine and freshwater fisheries issues.
Rhea Moss-Christian, Executive Director, Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission;
Graça Bauleth D'Almeida
Director of Resource Management at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in Namibia
Ms. Graça Bauleth D'Almeida is the Director of Resource Management at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in Namibia and is responsible for providing scientific advice for the sustainable utilization of the living marine resources and the conservation of the marine ecosystem, a position she held since April 2012. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Gettysburg College in 1990 and a Master of Science in Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Sciences from the University of Maryland in 1998, both obtained in the USA. Ms. D'Almeida has served in various scientific capacities for more than 3 decades, and has a deep understanding of ecosystem functioning and issues that impact the sustainable management of marine resources, as well as ocean governance. She speaks five languages, including among others, English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Dr William John HamptonChief Scientist, the Pacific Community (SPC)
John obtained a BSc (Hons) in marine biology from James Cook University of North Queensland in 1977. He worked initially in the Fisheries Division of the Department of Primary Industries in Canberra and subsequently moved to CSIRO in Sydney and later in Hobart. At CSIRO, he worked on southern bluefin tuna stock assessment and obtained a PhD on this subject from the University of NSW. John came to SPC in 1987 as Senior Fisheries Scientist. Initially his work focused on the analysis of tuna tagging data and the planning and implementation of the EU-funded Regional Tuna Tagging Project. After leading the Stock Assessment & Modelling Section of the OFP until 2002, John moved into the OFP leadership position of Deputy Director for Oceanic Fisheries, a position he occupied until late 2019. Since then, John has been Chief Scientist in the FAME Division of SPC, but still with a focus on oceanic fisheries. Apart from programme management duties, John has maintained an active interest in the development and application of the MULTIFAN-CL stock assessment model, tuna tagging experiments and interaction of the environment, including climate change, with the biology and ecology of tunas and their fisheries.
Dr Éva Plagányi
Senior principal research scientist and research group leader based at CSIRO Environment, Australia
Dr Éva Plagányi is a senior principal research scientist and research group leader based at CSIRO Environment, Australia. She is responsible for methods to reliably and effectively manage marine natural resources, as well as to progress towards an ecosystem approach to fisheries management, including developing MICE (Models of Intermediate Complexity for Ecosystem assessment). Her research involves stock assessment modelling, ecosystem modelling including linking catchments and coasts, management strategy evaluation (MSE) and climate change impacts and adaptations. She works closely with traditional owners in Torres Strait on the management of the region’s natural marine resources. She has a dual biological and mathematical background, has published some 130 journal papers and has collaborated broadly internationally.
Session 5: Supporting fisheries sustainability through effective monitoring, control and surveillance (Coordinator: FFA)
Panel 5.1: Challenges and innovations in monitoring control and surveillance regimes
H.E. David Adeang
President of Nauru
Key note
His Excellency David Adeang is the 17th President of the Republic of Nauru. Mr Adeang is the longest serving member of parliament in the current parliament, having launched his political career when he first stood in the 2001 General Elections. He has maintained his seat in parliament since 2001. Mr Adeang also served as the speaker of Parliament in 2004 and 2008 and held a number of cabinet portfolios including minister assisting the president as well as finance and justice.
Dr Pio Manoa
Deputy Director General, Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA)
Facilitator
Pio E. Manoa specialises in international legal matters, including oceans, fisheries, and the Law of the Sea. He has previously served as a legal officer with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, legal adviser and legal counsel to the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), and a lecturer with the University of the South Pacific. In his different roles, he has advised governments, assisted with the preparation of fisheries and related legislation in different regions, and provided technical support in the negotiation of multilateral treaties. He currently serves as the Deputy Director-General for the FFA.
Eugene Pangelinan
Adviser, National Oceanic Resources Management Authority
Dr Christain Ramofafia
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Solomon Islands
Dr Christain Ramofafia currently serves as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, a position he held for more than 10 years. Before taking up the role of Permanent Secretary, Dr Ramofafia worked as a research scientist with WorldFish Centre, an internationally renowned scientific research institution, pioneering tropical sea cucumber research for aquaculture in Solomon Islands. Dr Ramofafia holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours degree from the University of Western Australia and a PhD degree from the University of Sydney, Australia.
Dr P Krishnan
Director, Bay of Bengal Programme, Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO)
Dr. Krishnan is the Director of Bay of Bengal Intergovernmental Organization (BOBP-IGO), a regional fisheries body with Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives as its members. He contributes to strengthening regional cooperation in managing the shared fishery resources with a focus on mainstreaming ecosystem approrach in fisheries managemenmt; combatting IUU fishing and promoting fishers' safety. The key initiatives taken by him include establishment of the Bay of Bengal Stock Assessment Network (BOBSAN) and the BIMSTEC-India Marine Research Network (BIMReN) towards enhancing collaborative research in in the region. A fisheries expert by training, Dr. P. Krishnan served as a scientist for over 20 years in the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under Government of India. He has published over 100 research papers in peer reviewed journals and 25+ policy papers/strategy documents on diverse subjects viz., fisheries resource management, coastal zone management, environmental policy and governance. Dr. Krishnan is a distinguished Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), New Delhi and is a recipient of national recognitioins for his contributions to fisheries research and development.
Panel 5.2: Cooperation to achieve effective MCS on shared stocks and areas beyond national jurisdiction
Hon. Tingika Elikana
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Marine Resources, Government of the Cook Islands
Keynote
Honourable Tingika Elikana LLB, MBA, MP Honourable Tingika Elikana was born and raised on the island of Pukapuka and attended Niua Primary School. He attended Tereora College in 1975. Honourable Tingika Elikana public service career started in 1981 when he joined the Cook Islands Police. During his time in the Police, he was awarded a Government Scholarship to study law at Victoria University of Wellington in Wellington, New Zealand. On his return to the Cook Islands, he moved to the Crown Law Office where he served for some years culminating in his appointment as Solicitor-General for the Cook Islands. After his term as Solicitor-General, he became Secretary of Justice until his resignation from the public service in 2018. Honourable Tingika Elikana holds the following qualifications ï‚· Bachelor of Laws from Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand ï‚· Diploma in Public Sector Management from Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand ï‚· Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji ï‚· Master in Business Administration, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji He was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Constituency of Pukapuka/Nassau following the 2018 general election. He was re-elected in the 2022 general election Prior to his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs & Immigration, Marine Resources, and Parliamentary Services, he serves as Associate Minister for Foreign Affairs & Immigration, Finance, and Justice.
Blaise Kuemlangan, Chief, Development Law Service, FAO
Facilitator
Blaise Kuemlangan is Chief of the Development Law Service (LEGN) of the Legal Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) specialising in international law and fisheries and aquaculture law. As Chief, LEGN, Mr. Kuemlangan manages the delivery of FAO’s legal assistance to Member Nations in the areas of food and agriculture including natural resource management through legal research, making available legal information, providing direct legal advice on implementation of international binding and voluntary instruments including legislative drafting and undertaking legal capacity development. Since joining FAO in 1996, he has provided assistance to countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Central Asia and the Caucasus, Latin America and the Caribbean regions on enhancing fisheries laws and providing support in capacity building in legal aspects of fisheries management including monitoring, control and surveillance and enforcement. Mr. Kuemlangan holds an LLB from the University of Papua New Guinea and an LLM in International and Comparative Law from the Chicago-Kent College of Law of the Illinois Institute of Technology. He has produced several articles and reports and contributed to publications in the area of fisheries and aquaculture law and policy.
Dr David Agnew
Executive Secretary, Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
Dr. Agnew took up the post of Executive Secretary of CCAMLR in April 2018. His previous posts include Science and Standards Director at the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Fisheries Director at MRAG Ltd, Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London, and Data Manager at CCAMLR. He has taken a number of international leadership roles, including Chair of the CCAMLR Scientific Committee, Chair of the MSC Technical Advisory Board and Board member of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation. Dr. Agnew has extensive experience working with global fisheries science and management issues, including stock assessment, ecosystem-based fisheries management and fisheries governance. He has more than 30 years experience working with CCAMLR, is an expert on Antarctic fisheries and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. He is a Fellow of the Marine Biological Association.
Mr Pablo Ortiz, Head of the Fishery Inspection Program Management Department, National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (SERNAPESCA)
Pablo Ortiz is a fishing engineer by profession and currently works as Head of Sub-directorate of Fisheries at SERNAPESCA headquarters in Valparaiso, he has a solid background as a compliance officer of the national and international fishing fleet where he coordinates and supervises the national fisheries plan, satellite monitoring of vessels and international rules RFMO'S for foreign vessels. During the year 2019-2020 he did a secondment as Compliance Manager in SPRFMO, actually he has a responsibility to leading of the IUU sub-working group in APEC before joining Sernapesca he has worked as a scientific observer on fishing vessels and fisherman in artisanal vessels. The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service ( Sernapesca ) is a Chilean public body under the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism, and whose mission is to monitor compliance with fisheries and aquaculture regulations, provide services to facilitate its proper execution and conduct effective health management, in order to contribute to the sustainability of the sector and to the protection of hydrobiological resources and their environment.
Dr Liz Brierley, Assistant Secretary Pacific Maritime, Department of Defence, Australia
Dr Elizabeth (Liz) Brierley completed her PhD in 2005, on the challenges for fisheries management under Australia’s Ocean Policy. Since commencing her public service career in 2004, Dr Brierley has worked across four different portfolio agencies in the Australian Government. This experience has spanned corporate, program and policy roles in the Departments of Fisheries, Environment, Foreign Affairs and Defence, with a particular strength and interest in program delivery and implementation. In 2014-16, Dr Brierley seconded to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat to help establish the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner. Here she helped coordinate Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) agencies and provided technical support to the Pacific Small Island Developing States to develop their negotiating strategy for the international treaty on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction. Back in Australia, Dr Brierley joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as a Fisheries and Oceans Specialist advising on and managing Australia’s aid investments in Pacific fisheries and oceans and in 2019, was promoted to Director. In 2020, Dr Brierley moved to the Department of Defence to work with partners on shaping and enhancing the Pacific Maritime Security Program. Dr Brierley was successful in championing the need for enhanced support for the Program and Australia’s maritime security partners. Dr Brierley was promoted as the inaugural Assistant Secretary of the Pacific Maritime Branch in 2023 supporting maritime security policy and program implementation in the Pacific and Timor-Leste. Dr Brierley lives on a rural property with her husband, two teenage daughters, two horses, two dogs, two sheep and guinea fowl.
Session 6: Supporting coastal fisheries sustainability through management action. (Coordinator: SPC)
Mr Noah Idechong
Keynote
Mr. Noah Idechong recently retired as Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Micronesia & Polynesia Program. His start with TNC began with leading the Regional Pacific Tuna Program. Noah dedicated 47 years to marine resources/fisheries development /management beginning with aquaculture development and administration to coastal fisheries development and tuna management. His work experience began with the government resource agency to NGO to policy making, Palau National Congress. His focus was bringing local knowledge and science together to help management decisions and policy making.
Dr Neville Smith
Director of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems at the Pacific Community SPC
Facilitator
Neville Smith has worked with the Pacific Community (SPC) for nine years, he currently leads SPCs Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems capabilities, and earlier led the fisheries and ecosystems monitoring and analysis science and technical team. SPC is an intergovernmental development organisation whose membership includes all 22 Pacific Island countries and territories. SPCs Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems capabilities include the Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme, the Oceanic Fisheries Programme, and a Directors Office, all working with members to ensure fisheries and aquaculture in Pacific Island countries and territories are managed and developed sustainably through an ecosystems-based approach. With over 30 years of practical experience as a fisher, non-state actor, researcher, and scientist working for government, in fisheries from the Antarctic to equatorial waters, across the recreational, indigenous, subsidence, artisanal and industrial sectors, and on challenges from understanding fish biology, through mitigating protected species bycatch to integrated systems approaches to monitoring fisheries sustainability, he brings a broad strategic systems perspective to marine resources management and conservation. Prior to SPC, Neville worked with New Zealand’s fisheries agency in fisheries science to underpin the management of aquaculture, and recreational, pelagic and Antarctic fisheries, and to understand and mitigate the impacts of fisheries in and on marine ecosystems. Throughout this time has worked extensively across and around the Pacific in a range of regional fisheries and conservation organisations including CCAMLR, CCSBT, ACAP, WCPFC and SPRFMO.
Prof. Alice Joan Ferrer
University of the Philippines Visayas, Division of Social Sciences, Iloilo, Philippines
Dr. Alice Joan G. Ferrer is a Full Professor and UP Scientist from the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV). She is also the current Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs and the head of the Socio-Economics Research and Data Analytics Center at UPV. At the national level, she serves as the founding Executive Director of the National Consortium for Small-Scale Fisheries Research and Development (TBTI Philippines), Deputy National Director of the Economy and Environment Group Philippines, member of the Board of Trustees of the Philippine Economic Society, and Vice-Chair of the Capacity Building Committee of the Philippine National Health Research System. In the region where she lives in the Philippines, she is the Chair of the Regional Ethics Monitoring Board, and the Executive Director of Western Visayas Health R & D Consortium of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development. Her current research projects are on the implementation of Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines in the Philippines, gleaning in the Philippines, patron-client relationship in Philippine fisheries, and developing gender responsive monitoring in nature-based climate solutions aquaculture projects in Southeast Asia. She is also a member of the Technical Working Group for the National Plan of Action on Small-Scale Fisheries in the Philippines. She is also the current Constitution Coordinator of the Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section of the Asian Fisheries Society. Her researches cover areas in health economics, fisheries and aquaculture social sciences, policy analysis, gender, governance, climate smart agriculture, among others. She also serves as Associate Editor of Asian Fisheries Science and a member of the Editorial Board of The Philippine Fisheries Journal and Review of Women’s Studies.
Dr Melita Samoilys
Director of CORDIO East Africa, Mombasa, Kenya
Dr. Melita Samoilys is a Director of CORDIO East Africa, a non-government marine research and conservation organisation, based in Mombasa, Kenya working throughout the western Indian Ocean. She works on coral reefs, artisanal fisheries, marine protected areas, community-based conservation and vulnerable species protection. She is Co-Chair (Snappers), Vice Chair (Africa Sharks) and member (Groupers & Wrasses) of three IUCN Species Specialist Groups. Exploring conservation approaches that are rights-based and improve resilience to climate change for both ecosystems and coastal communities informs her work. She has contributed to marine protected areas and fisheries policy development in four east African countries, Djibouti and Sudan in the Red Sea, and in Australia, Philippines and Solomon Islands. Melita was born in Tanzania, educated in Uganda, UK and Australia and is a permanent resident of Kenya. Her MSc and PhD were from Queensland University and James Cook University in Australia. She is Adjunct Academic Staff at Pwani University, Kenya, and a Senior Research Associate at the University of Oxford.
Dr Joeli Veitayaki
Blue Prosperity Fiji Strategic Adviser, Fiji
Dr. Joeli Veitayaki is the Blue Prosperity Fiji Strategic Adviser. He is part of the Fiji Government led partnership with the Waitt Institute of the USA that is working on the articulation of marine spatial planning, blue economy and sustainable fisheries. He was a former Head of the University of the South Pacific’s (USP) School of Marine Studies, a Co-Chair of the Korea-South Pacific Fisheries Forum (KOSOPFF) and was a member of the Panel of Experts for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. Joeli founded the Lomani Gau network, a community based sustainable rural development initiative in Gau Island Fiji that collaborates with local communities in Fiji and the Pacific Islands, where natural resources are owned and managed by indigenous communities.
Mele Ikatonga Tauati
Small-Scale Fisheries Officer, Fisheries & Aquaculture Division, FAO, Rome
Ms. Mele Tauati was born and raised in the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific. She holds a BSc in Marine Science from the University of the South Pacific (USP), Fiji, and a MSc in Tropical Marine Ecology and Fisheries Biology from James Cook University, Australia. Mele has over 15 years of work experience in coastal and small-scale fisheries, mostly in the Pacific region and more recently in some parts of Africa and Asia. In 2006, she began her working career at the Tonga Ministry of Fisheries where she was directly engaged in the development and initial roll-out of Tonga’s community-based fisheries Special Management Area (SMA) program with fishing communities. Mele joined the Samoa Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in 2014 as a Senior Fisheries Officer and undertook various coastal fisheries management and monitoring programs in Samoa. She then joined FAO in 2017 at its Sub-regional Office for the Pacific Islands in Samoa where she worked for 6 years implementing projects and initiatives in support of community-based fisheries management, coastal fisheries and sustainable aquaculture in the Pacific. Mele moved to FAO HQ in 2023 and continues to support FAO’s work towards sustainable small-scale fisheries at local, national, regional and global levels, particularly through the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines).
Dr. Jeremy Prince
Founder, Biospherics Pty Ltd, Perth, Western Australia
Dr Jeremy Prince has more than 40 years of experience in the field, is internationally recognised for his practical expertise with assessing and managing small scale, data-poor fisheries. An independent consultant living between bases in Western Australia and southern New Zealand, Dr Prince has experience with artisanal fishing communities in Europe, Africa, North and South America, and the Pacific and Indian Ocean islands. In the Pacific he has worked with communities in Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji. Dr Prince is a co-inventor of a new methodology for data-poor fisheries assessment called length-based spawning potential ratio assessment (LBSPR); which has been hailed by stock assessment experts as a ‘global game-changer’ with ‘potential to address the issue of food security in fisheries, and assess the previously un-assessable 90% of world fisheries’. The LBSPR technique turns stock assessment into a process fishing communities can do for themselves, and a communication tool for facilitating community-based management. Since being published in 2015, LBSPR has been cited by >400 publications, and applied to stocks in every ocean, and around every continent (except Antarctica). A recently released FAO technical manual recommends its applicability to the world’s major freshwater fisheries in South America and South-East Asia. The LBSPR monitoring, analysis, assessment and community facilitation tools developed for the Pacific, by Dr Prince with support from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, are freely available from http://biospherics.com.au and the LBSPR assessment software from http://barefootecologist.com.au
Keobel Sakuma
Interim Deputy Director, Micronesia & Polynesia Chapter, TNC
Mr. Keobel Sakuma is the Interim Deputy Director for The Nature Conservancy’s Micronesia & Polynesia Chapter. Mr. Sakuma manages, coordinates and supports The Nature Conservancy’s conservation and sustainable fisheries strategies at the national and regional level in Micronesia and Polynesia. Keobel also serves as a trusted advisor and team member for the Micronesia & Polynesia high profile conservation strategies including but not limited to Marine Spatial Planning, Project Finance for Permanence, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Protected Areas. Prior to his position with TNC, Keobel worked with Palau President Tommy E. Remengesau Jr. as Press Secretary and then as Special Assistant to the President to pilot projects such as the acquisition of a Fiber Optic Cable for Palau as well as the initiative to create the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. Keobel also served as Executive Director of the Palau National Marine Sanctuary from 2015 to 2018. Keobel currently serves on the chairman on the boards of the Belau Submarine Cable Corporation and the Palau International Coral Reef Center.
Watisoni Lalavanua
Community-Based Fisheries Adviser, FAME, Pacific Community (SPC)
Mr. Watisoni Lalavanua is from Fiji and serves as the Community-Based Fisheries Adviser at the Pacific Community (SPC). Before joining SPC in 2019, he worked in Fiji, focusing on coastal community-based fisheries management. Soni has a strong interest in fisheries management, particularly local community-driven approaches. With over 10 years of experience working at the community, national, and regional levels—engaging multiple stakeholders—he led a regional initiative in 2021 that resulted in the endorsement of the Pacific Framework for Action on Scaling-up CBFM. His engagement at the Fifth Regional Fisheries Ministers Meeting last year contributed to the decision by Fisheries Ministers to extend the Pacific CBFM Scaling-up Framework for another five years (until 2030). That same year, Pacific Leaders at the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting welcomed this extension, reinforcing their commitment to strengthening coastal fisheries management through community-based approaches in the Pacific region.