Monrovia, Liberia – Under a partnership with Duke University, FAO, and Conservation International (CI), Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences (DoFAS) at the University of Liberia (UL) have revealed the conduct of a small-scale fisheries (SSF) training workshop titled: “Development of a Small-scale Fisheries Training Curriculum for Future Leaders-Adopting the Illuminating Hidden Harvests Global Approach for Assessments, Analysis, and Monitoring of Small-scale Fisheries”.
The Fisheries Workshop, scheduled for Tuesday 10–12 September 2024, will take place at the Royal Grand Hotel in Monrovia and is meant to assist faculty and staff of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Program (FASP) at the Ul, NaFAA, and NGOs engaged in the Liberian fisheries sector. NaFAA press release dated September 9, 2024.
Based on the Illuminating Hidden Harvests (IHH) global approach, the workshop overall aim is to identify key elements for and support the development of a Small-scale Fisheries (SSF) curriculum, for FASP to use to train students and practitioners in the country’s fisheries and the wider region, to more effectively manage SSF and communicate their importance to policy-makers increasing visibility and support. Drawing on pertinent parts from current SSF curricula and training materials, including major approaches to the IHH research, this curriculum would concentrate on gathering, evaluating, and distributing SSF data and information.
Simultaneously, on September 12, 2024, the UL Capitol Hill campus will host a “Panel Discussion” on “appreciating evidence-based fisheries management and the role of academia for sustainable fisheries management” to increase awareness of DoFAS’s vital contribution in the science to support NaFAA’s fisheries management function in Liberia.
The DoFAS faculty, NaFAA’s research and statistics section, cooperative management associations (CMAs), Liberia Artisanal Fishers are the intended group and beneficiaries. Association (LAFA), and NGOs currently engaged in the SSF sector in Liberia (including organizations implementing donor-funded fisheries projects). The expected final beneficiary is DoFAS.