The Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (FAME) Division is one the Pacific Community’s (SPC)’s oldest Divisions, supporting fisheries management and sustainable development in the Pacific for over 60 years.
FAME provides relevant scientific and technical services enabling the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) to sustainably manage their fisheries and aquaculture resources for economic growth, livelihoods, food security and environmental conservation . FAME also, aims to work for the wellbeing, preservation of traditional environmental knowledge of women and men and cultural identities that are embedded in fishing practices.
FAME is composed of two programmes: the Oceanic Fisheries Programme (OFP) and the Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme (CFAP). Working with all 22 PICTs, FAME has strong partnerships with regional, sub-regional and national entities working in the marine and aquaculture sectors. FAME has over 100 staff, based in New Caledonia, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands.
The Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme (CFAP) aims to ensure that inshore and nearshore fisheries and aquaculture in PICTs are managed and developed sustainably. The Programme assists governments and administrations to develop scientifically informed and socially advancing coastal fisheries management systems and policies (national and community-based) that empower community driven and locally contextualised solutions. It provides a regional support for sustainable aquaculture, including planning, research, development and trade , for Pacific Island governments, the private sector and other stakeholders. It assists in developing sustainable nearshore fisheries in PICTs for food security and economic growth by assisting to identify diverse and sustainable livelihoods for fishing communities and scaling up community-based fisheries management.
CFAP’s assistance - from planning to implementation - is guided by a people-centred approach allowing a holistic work style that differentiates and balances social, environmental, and economic needs of women, men, youths, and other marginalised groups. Moreover, human rights principles such as the right to food, gender equality or the right to participation are promoted as fundamental principles that enable coastal fishers to have a stronger say in the sustainable management of their marine resources. Reducing poverty and inequality gaps in coastal communities is pursuit by CFAP through its overarching objective to create more equal benefits for all.
The goal of the Oceanic Fisheries Programme (OFP) is to ensure fisheries that exploit the region’s resources of tuna, billfish and related oceanic species are managed for biological, economic, and ecological sustainability using the best available scientific information. In pursuing this goal, the OFP provides scientific support and advice for the management of fisheries for tuna and associated species, with a strong focus on stock assessment and modelling, fisheries and ecosystem monitoring and analysis and data management. This includes providing advice on the potential impacts of emerging stressors such as climate change. The OFP works closely with member countries and territories, and regional and sub-regional entities such as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, the Forum Fisheries Agency, and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement.