Inland Aquaculture Specialist

**Description**

The **Pacific Community (SPC)** is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The SPC’s **Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (FAME)** capability has been providing scientific and technical expertise to support fisheries management and sustainable development in the Pacific for over 65 years. The goal of SPC FAME is that the fisheries resources of the Pacific region are sustainably managed for economic growth, food security and environmental conservation. In pursuit of this goal, SPC FAME provides scientific and management advice to Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) and regional agencies to support the management of sustainable oceanic fisheries, coastal fisheries, marine ecosystems and aquaculture development. Along with addressing the challenges in the management of the region’s marine resources, there are also significant opportunities to derive greater economic and social benefits from them.

Deriving greater benefits from the tuna fisheries, the development of aquaculture in the region, along with alternative livelihoods in coastal fisheries, hold significant potential. SPC FAME provides technical assistance to support PICTs to maximise these sustainable development opportunities in the marine sector and in some parts of the freshwater sector.

SPC FAME is composed of three programmes: the Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme (CFAP); the Oceanic Fisheries Programme (OFP); and the Marine Ecosystems Programme (MEP). The Director’s Office provides implementation support and strategic direction across the three programmes and cross-cutting projects. Working with all 22 PICTs, SPC FAME has strong partnerships with regional, sub-regional and national entities working in the marine sector. SPC FAME staff are based in New Caledonia, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tonga, with most of the staff being based in New Caledonia.

The role – **Inland Aquaculture Specialist** will provide technical assistance, support and advice to governments, stakeholders, and private sector in planning and implementing inland aquaculture activities (also known as “land-based aquaculture” or “onshore aquaculture”) in the Pacific region.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

**Increase the skills and knowledge base in the SPC region to maximise the return on investments in aquaculture through innovative, profitable, sustainable, inclusive and biosecure approaches**

- Assist PICTs to assess the economic benefit of investments in inland aquaculture.
- Provide technical and advisory support to governments, communities and the private sector to enable sustainable and commercially viable inland aquaculture development.
- Design and implement targeted technical assistance projects in inland aquaculture incorporating aquatic biosecurity, in response to member requests.
- Facilitate the development, adaptation, uptake and transfer of appropriate inland aquaculture technologies between PICTs, including low-cost, climate resilient and energy efficient production systems.

**Improve capacity for strategic policy, planning and administration to establish clear priorities and enable the aquaculture sector to meet current and future needs**

- Provide accurate and timely information on inland aquaculture activities and issues.
- Contribute technical and strategic inputs to the implementation, and periodic review of the Pacific Regional Aquaculture Strategy (PRAS) as it relates to inland aquaculture.
- Provide regional and technical advice upon which to develop policy and regulatory frameworks that enable sustainable inland aquaculture development while safeguarding biosecurity and environmental integrity.
- Ensure participatory processes and stakeholder consultations using socially inclusive and culturally appropriate approaches in the formulation of inland aquaculture components of plans and policies.

**Promote inter-agency networking and cross-sectoral collaboration in aquaculture**

- Maintain links and provide advice or supervisory support (as appropriate), in inland aquaculture to other CROP organisations and PICT educational or research organisations.
- Collaborate with other relevant agencies, external donors and international organisations, such as Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research ACIAR, Food and Agricultural Organisation FAO, World Organisation for Animal Health WOAH, etc.
- Contribute to the design and implementation of joint and co-financed programmes and projects