Transcript Day 2 06 UoW SPC Masters

A presentation by
Professor Alistair McIlgorm
Background - SPC
 SPC Stock Assessment Workshops
The OFP-SPC runs annual
regional tuna stock assessment
workshops for fisheries officers
from its member countries and
territories, at its headquarters
in Noumea, New Caledonia.
Annual SPC stock assessment and data
management workshops
The proposed program
• Multi-disciplinary research, education & high level
advice on national & international oceans governance
& law, maritime security & co-operation & ocean
resource management to countries, agencies & clients
in the western Pacific, Indian Ocean & Southern
Ocean region & beyond, in order to help them achieve
sustainable benefits from marine jurisdictions
ANCORS, UoW have a range of courses
ANCORS course offerings
•Currently has 20+ postgraduate PhD and master s research students
•In 2010 ANCORS offered a new Masters in Fisheries Policy in taught delivery
mode. This has appeal to domestic and overseas students (8 enrolments in 2011);
•Discussions (Prof. Tsamenyi & John Hampton) indicated this base could be built on.
•The current units in the Masters Fisheries Policy are shown below:
UoW unit code
Unit Title
CMP 902
Law of the Sea
CMP 915
Fisheries Management and Policy
CMP 916
Fisheries and Development
CMP 914
International Fisheries Law
CMP 917
Fisheries Monitoring, Control and
Surveillance
CMP 918
International Fish Trade
The Vision- Developing ocean fishery
managers
 The vision
 A key recommendation of the 2009 review of the SPC’s Marine Resources
Division (now Division FAME) was that SPC should facilitate longer-term
capacity building opportunities for members, and a recommendation from the
2009 Heads of Fisheries meeting “to seek ways of providing academic
accreditation to several of the regular short courses/workshops that SPC
conducts”.
 Our vision is to create a postgraduate degree programme that brings together
the capacity building efforts of SPC, and FFA, along with the expertise of UoW
in fisheries policy and law.
The Vision- Developing ocean fishery
managers
 The degree would be intended to provide Pacific Islanders who work,
or aspire to work in oceanic/tuna fisheries management in the Pacific,
a broad set of skills that would prepare them for dealing with
management issues across a wide range of disciplines that are crucial
for the management of these fisheries in the Pacific.
 For who? The students would be either from universities, including
those in the region offering undergraduate fisheries training (USP,
UPNG, Uni. Vudal), or staff from Pacific fisheries departments,
regional agencies . The joint program would have the following units.
Masters (UoW and SPC) with oceanic
fisheries management pathway
UoW unit code
Unit Title
Delivery by
Core units (4)
CMP 902
Law of the Sea
UoW
CMP 915 *
Fisheries Management and Policy
UoW
New SPC
Fish Stock Assessment for Managers
SPC
CMP 916 *
Fisheries economics and Development
UoW
CMP 914
International Fisheries Law
UoW
CMP 917* shared
Fisheries Monitoring, Control and
Surveillance and data monitoring
CMP 918
International Fish Trade
New (TBC)
Environment and Climate Change
New
Supervised Research Project
Additional units
UoW/SPC
UoW
UoW/SPC
UoW
Benefits of the jointly delivered program.
 Master Fisheries Policy 6 CMP (existing); SPC involved in delivery of 1/2 units;

Completing units can count towards either a Graduate certificate (4 units), Graduate
diploma (4 units + project) or the Masters degree (8 units including a project);
 This structure enables students to study to as a high a level as they desire, given they will
often be from the workplace and be juggling social and family commitments;
 Envisaged that those currently attending the SPC short courses, Pacific Fisheries
Department and regional organisation staff would be course participants.
 FFA staff are also able to contribute as guest lecturers and could plan for this involvement
in their work/travel plans.
Consultation and discussion
 This is a suitable taught postgraduate training option for the PIs.
 We have discussed the proposal with the SPC and FFA and are
now seeking feedback from the Pacific HoF meeting.
 The proposal comes with some economies, as the existing UoW
Masters in Fisheries Policy would be enlarged to include the
current SPC stock assessment short course.
 The proposed Masters program will be available in 2012 as it
builds on UoW investment in current Master Fisheries Policy.
Funding and releasing students
 A Pacific Island student needs an AUSAID (or other) scholarship for fees,
airfares and living expenses for one year in Australia. Can Pacific Island
fisheries staff easily access such competitive funds?
 Discussion with FFA raised issues in releasing staff for a year of “leave without
pay”, suggesting a six month period (Jan-June) studying in Australia, then six
months with their national WPCFC delegation in the Pacific as “professional
experience” and then return for the second six month of studies in Australia.
 Additional support for those in the workplace, may involve additional costs
above normal scholarship allowances. Fisheries Agencies need to seek ways
to support the cost of staff development.
Feedback issues
1.
We seek“in principle agreement” of the meeting that this joint UoW/SPC initiative is
suited to supply Pacific Island Fisheries agencies with suitably trained staff.
2.
Pacific Island Fisheries Agencies need to assess whether the general AUSAID scholarship
scheme is adequate to meet the need i.e. Are there scholarship places available for
fishery students given other sectors compete for scholarships at the national level?
3.
Are fisheries agencies aware of other external funding sources that can be used to
support potential students in capacity development? For example, trust funds, sponsorships
and project funds earmarked for capacity development. (Is there a need to develop
specific capacity development projects to promote more relevant professional staff
development for the fisheries management area? )
4.
We assume the HoF meeting would like to be the reference point for feedback from the
UoW-SPC initiative?
Thankyou
 To the Heads of Fisheries meeting;
 Mike Batty and SPC for hosting.
 Dr John Hampton (SPC), James Movick FFA, and
Prof. Martin Tsamenyi (UoW).
 P.S. I look forward to informal discussions with PICs on capacity
building needs.