Enhance women’s contribution
PACIFIC Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) director general Dr Manu Tupou-Roosen applauded the commitment to remove gender barriers in the fisheries sector and enhance women’s contribution to economic development.
This included SeaQuest Fiji’s commitment to the recent first all-female crew initiative which saw eight Fijian women becoming the first-allfemale deck crew on a tuna long-line vessel.
“Seaquest is walking the talk. By partnering with FFA, it’s now in the front line of efforts to create a fisheries sector with less barriers to female employment,” she said.
Dr Tupou-Roosen acknowledged the assistance from the New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
“One of MFAT’s Pacific funding programs includes a gender development component that has financed this collaboration.
“As we know, it is common to see our fisherwomen gleaning our reefs where their contribution to the daily lives of their families and communities are largely invisible.
“It is also common to see our women working in factory lines in tuna processing plants.”
Dr Tupou-Roosen said a significant part of removing gender barriers lies in a willingness to see things through a new lens.
“For instance just because the sector has historically segregated gender roles in fisheries doesn’t mean we should stay this way.
“And just because the harvesting sector has traditionally been a male domain also doesn’t mean we should stay this way.
“Nothing must stop us making changes that not only benefit women, but the fisheries sector as a whole and the communities that rely on them. Nothing must stop us making the invisible visible.”
Dr Tupou-Roosen said the FFA vision was to ensure economic and social benefits were optimised for our people from our valuable tuna resources.
“Given the significant contribution fisheries make to Pacific economies – indeed, the majority contribution in some cases – it’s imperative that we maximise workforce productivity through the advancement of women.
“To lift female participation is to lift the sector’s capacity to maximise economic and social returns, with flow-on advantages for national infrastructure, for education and for social well-being.”
Dr Tupou-Roosen said the all-female crew launch wasn’t just about policies and economics but also “a very human story”.
“To read about the lives and career goals of Seaka II’s female crew members is to be inspired.”
Seaquest Fiji chief executive officer Brett Haywood, said the initiative was the fruition of a vision he had 25 years ago.
Seaka II.