Introduction
UNCED and its Agenda 21 recognized that the lack
or shortage of national capacity is one of the main
impediments to the sustainable development of
fisheries. Capacity-building is needed to improve
inter alia the qualifications of manpower (e.g.
fishers as well as scientific advisers or fishery
administrators), the technology and the
institutions (including laws and regulations,
organizations and processes). Training and
extension are two important elements of
capacity-building. Training for the fishery sector
is no less a continuous process than in any other
sectors, nor is the basic need for training any
different. This applies to developed and developing
countries alike. However, specific requirements
differ greatly within the fishery sector and the
opportunities as well as standards of training are
often not yet consistent with the actual needs,
particularly in many developing countries.
This is partly due to the fact that the scope of
training needs for the wide range of disciplines in
the fisheries sector is not always clearly defined.
A contributory factor in this respect is inadequate
manpower planning programmes and in many cases the
numbers of persons involved in the post-harvest and
culture sectors are not known, and data on those
employed in capture fisheries could still be
improved.
Furthermore, for those employed in the fisheries
sector, standards of education, training and
certification are generally set by administrations
or by international organizations which may not
have executive responsibilities for fisheries. This
means that a high degree of cooperation between
government ministries or departments, and between
international organizations is required in order to
address fisheries-related subjects and such
cooperation is not readily achieved in all cases.
Consequently, there is still concern that fishery
education and training needs might not be
adequately catered for in some countries.
The need to address problems associated with
education and training in fisheries is not new. The
FAO Committee on Fisheries has always given a high
priority to training, as demonstrated by the
establishment of a Sub-Committee on Training and
Education at its Second Session in April 1967, the
priorities at that time being reflected in the
Fisheries Department's Regular and Field
Programmes.
However, the development of technology in
subsequent years led to greater demand for applied
courses at technical and professional levels, to
develop self-reliance in fisheries management and
development. This was particularly so in the
mid-1970s when the discussions at the United
Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea resulted
in global acceptance in 1982 of the coastal States'
authority to manage fisheries within their extended
economic zones (EEZs).
The FAO World Conference on Fisheries Management
and Development, Rome, 1984, acknowledged that
training was, and would continue to be, an
essential part of all Programmes of Action and a
prerequisite for further development, in order to
sustain the fishing industry. It noted that general
and applied education programmes would have to be
improved in many cases in order to obtain maximum
benefits from training.
Principles and guidelines
The principles and guidelines with respected to
training which were embodied in the Strategy for
Fisheries Management and development adopted by the
Conference have also been applied to the Regular
and Field Programmes on a national, as well as
regional, basis:
(i) Training programmes should be elaborated
within the context of overall national fisheries
development plans and management policies.
(ii) Training programmes should be based upon
clearly defined needs and realistic assessments of
existing trained or experienced manpower and
current technology. Training should be categorized
as to subject and target recipients. Governments
should also determine which programmes might be
undertaken using local resources and which ones
need regional and extraregional expertise.
(iii) While the major responsibility for basic
training remains at the national level, external
financial and technical assistance is often
required to strengthen national training capacities
and to provide supplementary training, particularly
for higher-level personnel and in specialized
skills.
(iv) Because of the increased emphasis on policy
formulation and the design and implementation of
management schemes, training programmes should be
organized for high-level administrators responsible
for the fisheries sector. Training of mid-level
personnel is equally important for implementation
of development plans. Facilities should be
maintained for continuous professional
training.
(vi) Efforts should be made to establish
post-graduate courses and to develop improved
training materials. To that effect, close
cooperation at national level between fisheries
research and academic institutions active in marine
sciences and at international level among the
appropriate UN organizations should be
encouraged.
(vii) Particular attention should be given to
the training of extension staff and training
specialists and of senior and intermediate-level
key staff of various disciplines, who can
contribute to training and assist in bringing about
a multiplier effect.
(ix) Improved training techniques and
methodologies need to be developed and special
training equipment and simple materials should be
prepared to meet the needs of illiterate and
semi-literate people. In this respect, efforts to
raise the general educational level in fishing
communities are important. Institutional and
on-the-job training of both deep-sea fishing crews
and artisanal fishers should be enhanced.The use of
fishery cooperatives for training purposes should
also be encouraged.
(x) Particular attention should be paid to the
design and monitoring of on-the-job training
programmes for selected fishing communities.
Attention should be given to the training of local
fishers and fisheries administrators in basic
resource management, in environmental protection,
in the operation and management of fishers'
organizations, and in activities associated with
social development.
(xi) Governments should endeavour to provide
incentives to ensure that those trained in
fisheries are effectively deployed and retained
within the fisheries sector.
(xiii) Training programmes should be regularly
reviewed to ensure their effectiveness and
relevance to needs.
(xiv) The transfer of technology should be
promoted through pilot projects and assistance in
building necessary infrastructure, product
development and marketing.
(xv) Encouragement must be given to the
education of consumers to that they can take fuller
advantage of the nutritional benefits of fishery
products, particularly in regions where there is no
tradition of consumption. Such training should
include instruction in ways of preparing fish
products.
Fishery training in FAO
Whereas the Organization has a general policy
directed towards training programmes, the Fisheries
Department has a high degree of autonomy with
respect to training in fisheries. Nevertheless,
close liaison is maintained through an
Inter-departmental Working Group on Training
allowing the Department to share central resources
and to draw on the expertise of others. Through
inter-agency committees and working groups, the
interests of fisheries can be also be represented
and such arrangements exist with the International
Maritime Organization (IMO), UNESCO, the
International Labour Organization (ILO), the World
Health Organization (WHO), and the International
Hydrographic Organization (IHO).
Formal arrangements are also in force with
international and regional bodies on matters of
fishery-related technology and its transfer,
pertinent examples of these being:
- Statutory FAO regional fishery bodies and
their working groups
- International Council for the Exploration of
the Sea (ICES)
- International Centre for Living Aquatic
Resources Management (ICLARM)
- Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre
(SEAFDEC)
- Organización Latinoamerica de
Desarrollo Pesquero (OLDEPESCA)
- Network of Intergovernmental Organizations
for Marketing Information and Technical Advisory
Services for Fishery Products INFOFISH,
INFOPECHE, INFOPESCA, INFOSAMAK, EASTFISH.
Less formal arrangements exist with institutions
and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as
:
- Asian Fisheries Society
- National Resources Institute (NRI),
University of Greenwich
- Marine Institute, Memorial University of
Newfoundland
At present training assistance is provided to
countries in need through the FAO Technical
Cooperation Programme (TCP), regional projects
funded from extra-budgetary sources such as the
DFID-funded Sustainable Fisheries Livelihood
Programme, or inter-regional projects funded from
extra-budgetary sources such as FISHCODE
(Norway).
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