Fisheries mentoring series in Samoa

Marine resources are the main livelihood for Samoans and one of the threats to these resources is climate change.  Climate practitioners who are helping local communities and Pacific island nations protect, sustainably manage, and develop these resources are Samoa Fisheries officers (Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.  One of the challenges faced by the Fisheries Divisions is staff turnover with limited time to transfer knowledge and skills from experienced staff (transition) to recruits. 

This gave rise to the Fisheries Mentoring Series by the Australia Pacific Climate Alumni Network in collaboration with Samoa’s Fisheries Division to help address the above challenge.  According to a recent article “Factors that assist and constrain the careers of Pacific Island fishery professionals” published in the SPC Fisheries Bulletin, mentoring was the most cited factor that assisted Pacific Island Fishery professionals with their careers.  

The mentoring series was delivered in group sessions and in bilingual (Samoan and English) during the lunch break and based on dates suitable for staff and mentors from April to August 2023.  The mentors selected were based on their great experience in the topics shared by Fisheries staff that they were interested in learning more about or found challenging.  The mentors (listed below) were all former Fisheries staff and coincidentally were all Australian alumni. 

• On the 21^st of April 2023 - Mrs. Joyce Ah Leong, Fisheries Management Adviser for Forum Fisheries Agency talked about Strong Work Ethics 
• On the 9^th of June 2023 - Mr. Ueta Faasili, Manaaki Project Manager for Conservation International shared about Public Speaking 
• On the 30^th of June 2023 - Mr. Yohni Fepuleai, Surveillance Operations Officer for Forum Fisheries Agency talked about Good Time Management 
• On the 25^th of August 2023 - Mrs. Shaunalee Katafono, Co-Founder of Traseable Solutions shared about efficient tools and fisheries opportunities 

The mentoring series created an opportunity for fisheries recruits to learn from former fisheries to strengthen their capacity as fisheries professionals to address challenges that impact their daily work activities.  The success stories of the mentors also inspired the participants in career development opportunities and do their best for positive contributions toward Samoa fisheries overall.  Lastly, it created networking for Samoa Fisheries personnel within Samoa and overseas as well as with the Australia Pacific Climate Alumni Network.