Name: Marino Wichman
Country: Cook Islands
Describe your work at FAME?
Nine women are amongst the first 16 Pacific Islanders to have a Micro-Qualification in Maintaining Seafood Safety and Quality through scholarships offered by the University of the South Pacific (USP) under the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) Programme.
The 16 awardees went through a two-week vigorous hands-on practical and theory assessment to equip them with necessary skills to improve seafood safety and quality from ‘hook to plate’, which ended today.
Suva, Fiji – The Government of Fiji has been an active advocate of the conservation and management of sharks and rays.
SUVA, Fiji - Twenty-seven fisheries enforcement officials will in nine days’ time be able to understand practical ways to conduct fish market inspections, interpret fisheries legislation and take part in a moot court exercise on evidence gathering and presenting witnesses to curb illegal fishing practices in the Pacific Ocean.
The officers from nine Pacific Island countries, of which 13 are women, will be part of this face-to-face competency-based assessment (CBA), a culmination of online delivered cohorts for the past six months.
A glimpse into the lagoon’s inner workings
From the amazing journey of mullet, the giant clams’ team spirit, the size limits as a golden rule, the smart mesh for nets, or the privacy needed by groupers during their breeding season, the five animated videos in the first season of the Fisher’s Tales series give audiences a glimpse into the lagoon’s inner workings. These two-minute videos revealed the characteristics of several species’ groups, while highlighting sustainable practices to ensure that fishing can continue for a long time to come.
As with many other reptiles, the sex of a marine turtle embryo is determined by the temperature of the nest in which the eggs incubate. Warmer sand temperatures (>29°C) produce mostly female hatchlings, whilst cooler temperatures produce predominately males (<29°C). Scientists are concerned that due to human induced climate change, there will be an increase in female hatchlings, known as feminisation, leading to a decline in overall population due to the lack of male production.
Healthy coastal ecosystems, particularly coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass habitats, are critical in underpinning coastal fisheries, food security and vital ecosystem services that provide significant additional benefits to Pacific coastal communities and economies. These ecosystem services include shoreline protection, maintenance of water quality, support for reef and nearshore tourism activities, and resilience to the impacts of climate change.
“Vanuatu is blessed with a diverse and productive marine environment, and our marine species, such as fish, turtles and seabirds are part of our cultural heritage,” said Esline Garaebiti, Director General, Ministry of Climate Change, Meteorology and Geo-hazard, Environment, Energy and Disaster Management at the launch of a new initiative to protect our marine species.