Secretariat of the Pacific Community
1st SPC Heads of Fisheries Meeting
(Noumea, New Caledonia, 9–13 August 1999)
Background Paper 8
Original: English
Post-harvest Fisheries Development Project
Needs Assessment and Strategic Approach
CSPOD-USP03
University of the South Pacific
Suva, Fiji
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CSPOD-USP03
Post-harvest Fisheries Development Project
Needs Assessment and Strategic Approach
1.
Introduction
The Post-harvest Fisheries Development Project (PHFDP), funded by the Canadian government
through the Canada-South Pacific Ocean Development Program (CSPOD-P) and is being implemented
through the University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Marine Studies Program (MSP). In this work USP
will collaborate with other regional, national and village-level partners. The PHFDP covers all USP
countries (Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands,
Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu) plus Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia.
The overall goal is to improve the use of inshore and nearshore fisheries resources important to local
food security in Pacific Island Nations. A secondary goal is to increase the competence and capacity at
USP to support future post-harvest fisheries development efforts in the region
The PHFDP aims to improve the quality of fisheries products in domestic markets, improve food
security and standard of living of small-scale fishers, and reduce waste and seafood-related illnesses.
A two-phased approach was devised, wherein the initial phase would serve to assess needs, identify
potential partners and develop an implementation strategy, before core project activities proceeded.
The first phase began in March 1999 with a needs assessment and strategy development component
conducted by a Canadian consultant, Dr Irene Novaczek1. Project implementation began in June 1999
and will run for 2.5 years until the end of 2001.
2.
Needs Assessment
2.1
Needs Assessment Process
A PHF advisory committee (Table 1) of people having regional fisheries expertise was established.
These committee members were asked for general regional information and leads on resources and
contacts. The committee was also advised of the proposed needs assessment workplan and provided
feedback via email.
Table 1. Membership of advisory committee for the fisheries post-harvest development project.
Name
Affiliation
Patricia Tuara
Community Fisheries Advisor, SPC
Lindsay Chapman
Fisheries Development Advisor, SPC
Lyn Lambeth
Community Fisheries Specialist, SPC
Michel Blanc
Fisheries Education and Training Advisor, SPC
Tim Adams
Director, Marine Resources Division, SPC
Masanami Izumi
Fisheries Officer, FAO
Robert Gillett
Fisheries Consultant, Gillett Preston & Assoc.
Ken MacKay
CCSPOD Program Co-ordinator, Forum Secretariat
Robin South
Director, Marine Studies Program, USP
Bill Aalbesberg
Director, Institute of Applied Science, USP
A review of some of the literature pertaining to post-harvest fisheries activities and previous
development projects was undertaken. Structured and semi-structured interview and survey
1
The full Needs Assessment and Strategy Development report is available from Tony Chamberlain, Marine Studies Program,
USP, PO Box 1168, Suva, Fiji. Tel (679) 212876, Fax (679) 301490, email [email protected]
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instruments for gathering data from fisheries staff, fishing families, fish retailers and processors were
developed. These were tested in Suva Market, Fiji and revised in consultation with Tony Chamberlain
and advisory committee members.
Due to time and financial constraints could travel to all the USP countries plus FSM and Palau was not
feasible and travel was limited to countries with reasonably convenient flight schedules. Visits were
made to Solomon Islands (23 - 28 March), Vanuatu (28 March - 3 April), Samoa (1 - 10 May), Tonga
(10 - 15 May) and Kiribati (18 - 27 May).
Fisheries staff questionnaires were performed as personal in-country interviews where possible, i.e. in
Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati. The questionnaires were faxed out to
other Fisheries departments and followed up with personal interviews of Heads of Departments when
they met for the FFC meeting in Samoa in May. In the end, the only country for which there was no
response to the questionnaire was FSM.
Structured interviews of fishing families were conducted in fishing villages within or close to the
national capitals of Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati. Fishing families were
also interviewed in rural communities in Fiji and Kiribati. In total, 16 market site visits were
conducted and 65 fishers, fish traders and others from rural coastal communities were interviewed
(Table 2). In addition, informal or semi-structured interviews were conducted with 125 educators,
fisheries researchers, funding agency staff, NGO staff involved in coastal community work, Credit
Union staff, church leaders, Dept. of Education curriculum developers, Rural Training Center staff,
women’s’ organisation leaders, medical doctors, and health statisticians (Table 2).
Table 2 Respondents in needs assessment surveys. Country abbreviations as follows: So = Solomon
Islands, Va = Vanuatu, Fi = Fiji, Co = Cook Islands, To = Tonga, Sa = Samoa, Tk = Tokelau, Ni =
Niue, Tu = Tuvalu, Ki = Kiribati, MI = Marshall Islands, Pa = Palau, Na = Nauru
Respondent type
Market & retail outlet
survey
Fishers and rural
villagers
Fish traders (may also
be fishers)
Fisheries staff
Researchers, regional
organisations
NGO, CU, Church,
theatre
Training centers,
USP, Dept. Education
Medical personnel,
health statisticians
Municipal authorities,
health inspectors
Other government
staff & miscellaneous
Total # persons
Total # interviews &
site visits
Instrument
Observation
Number of persons interviewed & market site visits
in each country
(Other includes Tk, Co, Ni, Tu, MI, Pa, Na)
So Va FJ Sa To Ki Other
Total
3
3
3
1
3
3
16
Semi-structured &
informal interview
Semi-structured &
informal interview
Structured &
informal interview
Informal interview
7
4
6
1
3
8
29
6
2
7
4
7
10
36
3
1
6
3
6
5
8
32
4
1
2
6
2
1
16
Informal interview
6
8
3
2
2
1
22
Informal interview
4
4
4
6
3
3
24
Informal interview
2
3
2
2
1
4
14
Informal interview
2
2
1
2
7
1
1
2
5
1
10
34
29
24
20
24
20
25
23
40
33
190
161
Informal interview
10
10
33
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At the end of each trip within the region, interview notes were transferred to computer files and
forwarded to advisory committee members for their information. Summaries outlining key post-
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harvest issues, potential partners and project activities were drawn up for each country. These were
also forwarded to the advisory committee for comment. Advice from Tony Chamberlain and advisory
committee members was considered during the preparation of the final report on regional needs and the
strategic plan for project activities.
MSP/USP is limited in its ability to deliver holistic PHF development programming in coastal
communities, so potential working partners were sought out as well as regional expertise that might be
incorporated into the project through attachments.
After needs for curriculum materials were identified, these contacts were followed up with requests for
information about specific requirements. Where potential NGO partners were uncovered, follow-up
was similarly conducted via fax and email to encourage these organistations to work with others
having similar goals and training needs, to develop formal workplans and requests for assistance from
our project. In some cases, potential partners were provided with tools for assessing needs in their own
project areas. For instance, structured questionnaires for urban cold-chain fish handlers and for
medical personnel dealing with seafood-related illness were developed for the Fiji Fisheries staff.
Input was provided to the Fijian NGO SPACHEE to allow them to assess post-harvest training and
information needs in their project areas. Needs assessment questionnaires were prepared for the
Solomon Islands Fisheries Division, Solomon Islands Development Trust, The Nature Conservancy,
VRDTCA, and Vanuatu Presbyterian Church to help these potential partners gather information from
their rurally based extension staff. Information from these partners will be coming in over the course
of this year (1999). This work will be taken over by the Project Coordinator, Debbie Singh.
2.2
Limitations of the needs assessment
Despite best efforts, limited time meant that sample sizes were small. Fisher and fish trader interviews
in particular can only be considered as partial ground-truthing for information gleaned from the
potential project partner organistations. In no particular area can the needs assessment be considered
to have been comprehensive, nor do the sampled areas necessarily reflect needs in other parts of the
country or the larger sub-region. Nevertheless, sufficient information was retrieved to allow for
planning of project activities which will address real and serious needs in several countries in the
region. Given the limited project funding, it would not be appropriate to spend more time on a
comprehensive assessment that would, in any case, simply reveal more issues that we are not capable
of addressing.
2.3
Key Issues Identified
The needs assessment revealed a suite of basic issues that are common across most of the Pacific
Island Nations. These include problems at every level of the consumer chain, i.e. fish harvesting,
transportation, retailing, processing and consumption. Key issues that need to be addressed include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
improper use of ice and freezers
poor handling of marine products
lack of public awareness of fish poisoning and how to avoid it
poor hygiene practices
limited value-added processing
a shortage of options for preservation of fish where freezers and chillers are not available.
These are nested in larger issues of food security for urban and rural households, limited infrastructure
and cultural resistance to change.
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3.
Strategy
3.1
Project Components
The needs assessment suggests that a multi-dimensional response is appropriate. Project activities will
therefore include
1. development of curricula for primary and secondary schools, rural training centers and fisheries
colleges
2. development and delivery of media for a public awareness campaign on proper fish handling
3. research into new food sources, appropriate technologies for fish preservation and value-added
processing at household and community levels
4. development and delivery of training materials for workshops targeting fishers and fish traders.
The emphasis will be on the first two elements, as these are needed to change the consumer and
regulatory climates and provide incentives for fishers and fish traders to take training information
seriously. Research and development will support awareness campaign information needs as well as
existing post-harvest development projects. Training will similarly be concentrated on addressing
needs of existing projects and supporting entrepreneurs who have already shown a degree of
commitment or ability. However, there will be flexibility to accommodate requests from assistance for
new business or new product development where competent partners are in place to provide the
necessary ancillary training and support.
3.1.1 Thematic Area 1: Curriculum development
A specialised form of public awareness media is school curriculum. During the needs assessment,
curriculum needs were identified in a number of different levels in the education system of the Pacific
Islands, i.e.:
• fisheries curricula for primary and secondary schools,
• fisheries curricula for rural training centers
• post-harvest curricula for fisheries schools
It is within the project’s capacity to address these needs. Key topics to be developed are hygiene,
spoilage, safe fish handling and processing and preservation options. Materials should be modular and
include teacher guides as well as student activity guides. Every effort should be made to design
illustrations, tables etc which can be used in more than one curriculum module and also in public
awareness media, workshop guides etc. The project will need to consolidate communications with
Depts. of Education.
3.1.2 Thematic Area 2: Awareness Campaigning
Overall goals of the public awareness campaign should be:
• To make use of existing resources and develop new media for delivering messages to the public.
• To raise public awareness of the benefits of eating fresh fish, dangers in eating stale fish, ways to
ascertain freshness, and techniques for keeping fresh and frozen fish in prime condition.
• To have regular mass media coverage of post-harvest fishery issues and activities.
Compared to some of the training options, public awareness activities could be more cost-effective,
reach a larger audience and pose fewer risks. Some have the potential to be regional in coverage;
others could only be implemented in selected countries, or could only be piloted owing to budget
limitations. Proposed project activities are:
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3.1.2.1 Mass media and public awareness
Development of mass media and public awareness tools to promote consumer awareness of hygiene,
safe fish handling and health issues related to fish consumption. These media would have appropriate
ethnic and gender-balanced images and be in local languages. They would be distributed for use by
NGO’s, government departments, educators, health practitioners, training centers and USP centers.
Media concepts to consider include
• Poster Targeting fishers promoting quick! cool! clean ! with attractive figure on poster (healthy
fishers, cartoon characters etc).
• Poster Targeting consumers: Safe shopper’s Guide for Healthy fish vs deadly fish (i.e. contrast skin
colour, gill color, gill sliminess, flesh firmness, scales intactness, eye color & shape, gut out, gut
color, smell.) Good fish - enjoy it! Poor fish - Don’t buy it!
• Poster Targeting retailers: Cool & clean for higher profits and happy customers
• Game concept: Snakes & ladders type where rotten fish indicators send you back, creative use of
processing moves you forward. Or develop card game (slimy gills - miss a turn). Incorporate
comic/poster character images.
• Comic / skit / puppet concept: Adventures of the Rotten Gang in Seafood land: Slimy Sid, Rabid
Rod and Smelly Sue against “Ice” Kool (reggae character) and his friends Clean Kate and Fast
Freddie. The moral is that without Kate and Freddie to make sure that “Ice” is in the right place at
the right time, his efforts fail to keep the Rotten Gang in check. Use rap idiom or reggae beat. Rap
jingle for radio? Musical/dancing ad for TV - people dressed as the comic characters?
• Brochures on following topics (distribute via city councils, fisheries, NGO’s, RTC’s etc.):
• list of fish most likely to be problematic (ciguatera, histamine, food poisoning etc.)
• Steps for avoiding problems i.e. extra care for spear fish not on ice or gut-shot; parrot fish
and trevally. Avoid blast-fished, poison-fished, undersized, berried lobster etc. Stop
buying fish from area where toxic outbreak; inform customers of inherently toxic fish
(puffers); safe handling to avoid histamines.
• Proper use of ice
• Gutting and gilling
• Fish spoilage
• Histamine
• Ciguatera
• Proper use of freezers
• icebox building, smokers& dryers etc.
3.1.2.2 Mass media campaign
Conscious promotion of the lessons learned in the needs assessment and of project activities through
use of press releases and cultivation of mass media linkages. USP centers will assist. Project
coordinator will get media personalities interested and involved in delivering seafood safety messages
to 3 target audiences: fishers, retailers and consumers. Media contacts need to be educated on the key
issues. Coordinator will feed the media press releases, photos, radio clips, videos and interviews at
regular intervals. Media will be invited to attend open house at USP to view prototype technologies.
The USP school science competition, is another opportunity for mass media work.
3.1.2.3 Pacific Safe Seafood Celebration
This will be the final attempt to generate public awareness and will involve encouraging partner
organisations to sponsor and promote some activity i.e. essay competitions, coloring contest for small
children, village festivals, beach fish barbecues. At USP there will be a final open house at the
appropriate technology site, with lots of smoked fish.
3.1.2.4 Dubbing SPC Videos
Dub SPC fish handling video(s) into SI pidgin, Bislama, Fijian, i-Kiribati, Samoan, Tongan etc.
Reproduce and distribute to NGO’s, Rural Training Centers, health inspectors and Fisheries
departments.
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3.1.2.5 USP school science competition.
Include fisheries topics in this year’s USP science poster competition, and find ways to inject fish
themes into future school outreach programs. Use the science competition as a hook for mass media
releases. Persons at USP Centers and Fisheries Departments will be in charge of the in-country media
contact work. Take the opportunity to inform the public of the existence of the Tropical Seafood
course offered by USP Centers. Also to highlight the need for fisheries curriculum in schools and
better fish handling practices. In addition, the poster competition will generate artwork and slogans for
use in developing posters and other media.
3.1.2.6 TV media development
Develop awareness media targeting urban retailers and consumers. Build on existing successes e.g.
Lobsterman in Tonga, nutritional awareness program in Samoa and community broadcasting in Fiji.
3.1.2.7 Radio for public education and awareness
Develop a series of brief radio scripts on fish handling and processing, including interviews and skits.
Provide information targeting teachers, school children, women and fishers in outer island
communities. Work with identified partners to refine topics and determine delivery style appropriate to
their situation. Arrange for scripts to be translated and broadcast. Draft scripts and pre-test on USP
students from a range of countries. Recruit actors to perform scripts in English, to be recorded at USP
media center. If possible, use USP students as resource persons to record scripts in a variety of
languages. Distribute to partners capable of translating and broadcasting the material.
3.1.3 Thematic Area 3 : Research & Development
3.1.3.1 Design, construction, testing and promotion of prototype appropriate
technologies for fish handling, storage and preservation.
The objective of this exercise is to build, test, document and promote fish dryers, fish smokers,
flyproof storage cabinets, ice boxes and slurry bags and fresh fish display structures which are cost
effective and made as far as possible from cheap, local materials. These prototypes and their
documentation would be used as public education and training resources.
Project staff will start by researching a range of potential prototype designs, then selecting several for
construction. All labour and material costs, construction steps, any difficulties etc. will be
documented. Staff will test prototypes systematically and document performance, fuel efficiency,
product quality, product shelf-life and stability etc. as appropriate. Where necessary, prototypes will
be modified to achieve better performance, reduce costs and substitute local materials.
Other information detailed for each prototype will include operating instructions, performance limits,
potential modifications.
Staff will host several open days to exhibit and promote appropriate technologies to fisheries and
health staff, NGO’s, city councils, USP students and staff, educators, and mass media. The project will
facilitate or fund the building of selected prototypes at the Centre for Appropriate Technology and
Development and other suitable locations. The prototypes will be used as training resources for the
CETC fisheries training module in September 1999. USP seafood technology class project work will
incorporate testing and demonstration of prototypes for seafood processing.
Prototype information will be distributed to partners who express need or interest, including Vanuatu
Cultural Center, Vanuatu Presbyterian Church, Vanuatu Credit Union League, regional Fisheries
Divisions, etc.. Where possible and desirable, staff will identify ways of translating these materials
into local languages.
Document all demands for prototype information and tours. Follow up with selected open house
participants to evaluate impact of exposure to prototype technologies. Develop survey instruments for
assessing how many recipients use the manuals, for what purposes and with what effect. Administer
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surveys annually, through personal contact whenever possible. Compile project reports from any
projects where the manuals have been used.
3.1.3.2 Seaweed R&D
To encourage exploitation underutilized seaweed resources that could improve regional food security,
Irene Novaczek will develop training workshops for rural women and men in identifying and preparing
edible and medicinal marine plants not currently exploited. This will have the most chance of success
in communities where seaweed is already an accepted food, where families experience occasional or
chronic lack of vegetables, and/or in communities engaged in seaweed farming but unaware of the
edibility of their crop. Working at the USP seaweed herbarium, Irene will develop training materials
and workshop outlines for transfer to NGO, government and regional organistation trainers. One
regional train-the-trainer workshop will involve selected partners, including SPC, SPACHEE, SIDT,
Samoa Fisheries Extension Project, Atoll Seaweed Co., Kiribati Dept. Fisheries, Tonga Telefood
Project, Women and Fisheries, Vanuatu Cultural Center Women’s Project and CETC.
Impact on trainee knowledge will be evaluated by pre- and post-training tests. Trainee performance
will be monitored over 6 months, and then the impact will be evaluated in terms of the amount of
seaweed training performed or planned for in coastal communities in the region.
3.1.3.3 Marine Product Development
There is a need among certain project facilitators to research techniques for producing new commercial
products from marine resources that are currently marketed fresh or used only for home consumption.
This is part of a more complex process involving test marketing as well as thorough cost-benefit
analysis, business development planning, development of packaging and marketing channels, etc. The
project will assist the OIFP in Kiribati and the Dept. Fisheries Telefood project in Tonga by providing
opportunities for staff to come to USP for focused research and training in product development and
use of processing technologies.
3.1.3.4 Fish Poisoning
Negotiations have been started with FAO to provide funding for research by Suliana Vi in Tonga on
incidences of various types of fish poisoning. Suliana has already performed research on Tongatapu
and has been working with the health ministry in Tonga to improve fish poisoning data collection
standards. The project will support her efforts and try to expand her work to include Fiji by bringing
her on attachment to USP to do focused research and to give seminars to fisheries and health
authorities to discuss and promote better data gathering.
3.1.4 Thematic Area 4: Skills training
3.1.4.1 Training options and approaches
In terms of skill training, this can be of several types:
• Improve existing fresh handling, storage and presentation by training urban cool chain fishers and
sellers. This is perhaps the easiest option and may have the best potential for success, as it builds
on existing entrepreneurial talent rather than seeking to develop new talent. The end-products do
not change but only improve in quality, so consumer resistance should not be an issue. Also,
proximity of project staff to urban markets having significant cool-chain problems allows us to
cost-effectively pilot training materials that could then be offered to other partners for use in other
urban centers. The main challenge is how to develop incentives to encourage fishers and vendors to
institute new and improved procedures. These incentives could include increased price or public
awards for quality, demonstrably reduced losses from spoilage or new regulatory requirements, all
of which can be supported through public awareness campaigning.
• Improve existing process, technique, technology &/or recipes for traditionally processed species by
training existing processors. Like the previous approach, this focuses on entrepreneurs already
having some success, and helps them to improve their processed product. Opportunities for this
type of intervention are limited in Melanesia, where processing is relatively rare, but there is scope
for such work especially in Micronesia. Although our project has limited ability to deliver
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community-level training, we can produce training materials for use by other partners already
working in coastal communities. One concept to be explored and developed is to introduce
HACCP style evaluations of artisanal processing to identify hazards and encourage people to find
solutions. This approach could be implemented regionally through introduction of training
modules in community training centers. In this case the intervention seeks to assist persons already
engaged in some sort of fish processing or trading but it does not proscribe any particular technical
solution to existing problems.
• Introduce new technology or new techniques for producing existing products in more clean,
efficient or cost-effective ways. An example of this type of intervention would be introduction of
covered solar dryers into communities where open air drying is currently practiced, or introduction
of modified smokers for smoked fish producers. Such a substitution must be proven to provide
direct benefits at minimal cost to the producers. We can develop, test and document appropriate
technologies and provide this information to other partners who have the capacity for delivery to
local communities.
• Introduce new technology for preserving fish and shellfish at home for family consumption. This
could involve development of prototype smokers or dryers from cheap local materials and making
them available to existing NGO projects where there is a demonstrated need and to training
programs such as the CETC where participants may be relatively willing to adopt a new
technology.
• Identify and transfer new methods/technologies/recipes for processing underutilized fisheries
species, waste and bycatch. Like the previous option, these, if on a commercial level, requires a
series of challenging interventions as well as competent partner organistations and is also
dependent on the bycatch and reject fish being landed.
The following cold-chain training activities are recommended. In addition there are several partners
(Vanuatu Presbyterian church, TNC) who have indicated interest in training in fish preservation but
have yet to report on results of local needs assessments.
1. Cool Chain Training pilot programs in Nauru and Fiji
Through an attachment, Gabriel Titili, the project will focus on fresh fish retailers and their related
artisanal fisher providers to upgrade the cool chain to urban seafood consumers. The trainer will work
at all links in the chain to kick start a positive feedback cycle. The main goals are to reduce waste and
improve hygiene and profitability of urban retailers, allowing them to provide financial incentives (i.e.
more income) to their regular suppliers in the artisanal sector.
The resource person will develop and deliver a basic training package for geographically linked
retailers and their suppliers at the new market in Nauru, and then in selected locations in Fiji. Training
materials will cover gutting at sea; building and using ice boxes, good handling practices, efficient use
of ice, proper storage and retail presentation.
3.2
Strengthening USP
The strategy for optimizing USP strengths and project effectiveness is as follows:
1. Integrate project with Tony Chamberlain’s work, Seafood Science course delivery and the USP
Center’s mandate for outreach and continuing education.
2. Build on staff capacities in curriculum development and media by concentrating initially on
developing modules for use in schools and training centers and media for public awareness
campaigns.
3. Train staff in use of media and in participatory monitoring and evaluation.
4. Develop an on-campus prototype display area where students, under the direction of the project
technician and/or a specialist attachment, can build and test various low-tech fish handling and
processing facilities as part of their course work.
5. Using regional attachments as resource persons, perform a series of pilot projects to test alternative
approaches to post-harvest fisheries development.
6. Develop contacts with and make use of USP Centers, USP Dept. Technology, IMR, USP Media
Center, and the Curriculum Development and Continuing Education Programs of the Institute of
Education.
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7. Build on new and existing linkages with other regional and international organistations to
coordinate efforts and maximize value for dollars spent. Keep lines of communication open so as to
encourage coordination and collaboration.
8. Augment project funding by exploring potential for accessing funds from the FAO and Canada
Fund.
9. Whenever possible, develop text and illustrations suitable for multiple use i.e. in curricula, training
materials and public awareness media.
10. Build in national organistations as project partners at every opportunity, to assist with the
translation and dissemination of the training and information media.
11. Develop links with mass media to maximize public recognition of post-harvest issues and of this
project.
3.2.1 Increasing USP capacity through attachments and networking
In order to generate the greatest regional benefit, attachments should involve sending USP staff out for
training or bringing other regional resource persons in to share skills and information with USP staff.
If we can keep transportation costs down by using regional talent, more of the attachment budget can
be used to fund materials, media development and small training sessions so that optimal benefit is
derived from each attachment. In cases where regional capacity is lacking, Canadian attachments will
be used to transfer skills and information to regional counterparts.
3.2.2 Organistations and individuals that can help deliver training and
awareness
During the needs assessment a number of possible partners were identified who have ongoing projects
where post-harvest training and information needs exist. In other cases, organisations were looking for
post-harvest fisheries expertise in order to advance an idea or project. In addition, there are
organisations which have come to our attention but not yet been contacted, but which could be useful
partner.
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