The Summer Academy of the CAPFISH project / by Francisco Blaha

The past few weeks have been intense for me while working on the PSM side in Tuvalu. Since Sunday, I have participated in a series of lectures at the summer academy of the CAPFISH project, organised by the World Maritime University (a UN University) and supported by the Korea Maritime Institute here in Suva, Fiji.

 Education is one of the most powerful tools for empowering people, changing attitudes, and solving complex problems. Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing presents a multifaceted international governance and sustainability challenge that must be addressed from various specialist angles.

 Solving this problem in the real world requires coordination, a holistic understanding of the issue, and the dissemination of knowledge to developing country actors who need it most and can effect change in their communities and institutions.

 Through a series of educational workshops, the CAPFISH Project shares the expertise of UN specialized agencies. It imparts both academic and practical knowledge to maritime professionals from across the developing world. CAPFISH is a transdisciplinary initiative integrating science, economics, marine policy, ocean governance, law and regulation, maritime technology and operations, safety at sea, societal factors, human rights, and compliance monitoring and enforcement.

 CAPFISH aligns with SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) and SDG 4 (Quality Education) to tackle the challenges posed by IUU fishing, which affects the achievement of SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

 My role has involved being a regional facilitator, providing thematic and expert suggestions for the lectures, as well as teaching various topics that I have engaged with over the last few years, including:

  1. - Quantification of IUU Fishing in the Pacific Islands Region and the Adjacent High Seas

  2. - Official and Private Certifications in Fisheries in the WCPO

  3. - Human Rights at Sea: A Fisher’s Perspective

  4. - Examples of Cooperation on IUU Fishing: the FFA PSM Framework and the ePSM Tool

  5. - The Challenges Surrounding a Regional CDS as a Compliance and Trade Tool.

It is an absolute honour to be entrusted with supporting the team at the World Maritime University and collaborating as a lecturer in the various areas of my work.

The academy lasts two weeks at the beautiful Novotel in Lami, near Suva. Additionally, this will be my last travel job for the year.