A pathway to grow Samoa's fisheries sector has been unveiled by the Tautai Samoa Association with partners Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The Tautai Samoa Association Roadmap 2023-2026 was launched on Thursday morning in Apia as part of a collaboration between the Tautai Samoa Association, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (M.A.F.), and the UN agency FAO. 

The roadmap was made possible with funding support from the FAO through Phase 2 of the mapping and characterisation of fishers and fish workers organisations in selected Pacific island countries. This project has been implemented in nine Pacific Island countries including Samoa.

The Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, La’auli Leuatea Schmidt said this was the result of the ministry's collective effort to create a brighter future for local fisher associations.

He said fishing has played a vital role in the last hundred years in developing Samoa and is one area that he is continuing to develop for the betterment of the country and its economy. 

The FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Pacific Islands, Xiangjun Yao said this was to ensure food security and economic prosperity of the nation.

“The activities and interventions undertaken through this project are well aligned with the United Nations target of family farming with support through security and sustainable small-scale raw fishing activities,” said Ms. Yao

This project started back in 2019 with data collection of fisher associations and cooperatives of participating island countries. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project moved to Phase 2 in 2022.

“I am so happy to announce that we have completed an important milestone of phase two which is the development and launching of the Tautai Samoa Association Roadmap.”

She added that the association and its members are part of Samoa’s long-standing fishing fleet and the new report will help pave the pathway for the association into the future

Tautai Samoa Association Roadmap describes the intent of the association to sustainably manage and develop its activities for the welfare of its members as well as to provide food security and economic growth for Samoa. 

The roadmap highlighted building the capacity and knowledge of its members, strengthening market access, ensuring internal funding and stability and viability of the association, developing financial sustainability and marketing the association’s brand and identity.

It also highlighted the need for effective collaboration and coordination with the Government and key stakeholders and for promotion purposes. 

Tautai Samoa Association aims to implement the roadmap in order to achieve its overall goal which is, to maintain and strengthen the continuing viability of Samoa’s domestic fishing sector, and to provide long-term economic, social, ecological, and food security benefits to Samoa.

The M.A.F. has been closely involved in the development of this roadmap with the association. The Tautai Samoa said it looks forward to advancing its association with the implementation of its roadmap in collaboration with the M.A.F. and its key stakeholders.  

Fish and fishing are important to Samoa, both economically and socially. Over 30 per cent of all exports of the country consisted of fishery products. About a quarter of all households received some income from fishing. Total fisheries production was estimated at about 8,700 tonnes in 2015, the bulk of which came from capture fisheries.

The production from freshwater aquaculture ponds amounted to 13 tonnes of Nile tilapia. Per capita consumption of fish and fisheries products amounted to 48.5 kg/year in 2013, accounting for about 24 per cent of animal protein.

In 2015 a total of 21 long liners, most under 12 meters LOA were reported along with 53 bottom trolling vessels under 12 meters LOA. In the same year, 18 women and 68 men were reported as full-time aquaculture employees. During the same period, 440 men were reported to work in deep-sea fisheries. In total, an estimated 10,000-plus people have been identified to participate in subsistence fisheries.