Transcript
COLIN TUKUITONGA: The Pacific Ocean Science Centre is really an effort on our part to try to strengthen and improve our scientific work on oceans broadly.
We already have programs within SPC but scattered right around the organisation. For example the tuna stock assessment and fisheries in one division, martime boundaries somewhere else, deep sea minerals somewhere else and geohazards and so on, and the first phase is really to try to bring it all those together and consolidate it all into a centre if you like and a network across SPC as the first phase. When we say centre, we aren't talking about building a new building but bringing all these various activities better together in a better coordinated way with a view to then adding to it over time to try and collect, collate and share scientific information in support of SDG 14. I think you know there was a high level meeting in New York in June around the oceans SDG and this is our effort as the scientific technical agency in support of our members as well as the ocean commissioners and the work of SPREP and so on. It's really a way to strengthen and better coordinate efforts and scientific activity and create an area of excellence around ocean science.
SARA VUI-TALITU: Is it also a platform perhaps to bring in outside scientists to contribute to the work in the region?
CT: Yes that's right and over time we see it as a global centre if you like where scientists from all over the world can spend time here whether its a month or six months to a year and do various scientific activities but initially for us it is really about getting our own activities into order and improving what we provide in terms of scientific information to members and other stakeholders and a strong part of this of course will be research around all areas of ocean science.
SV: What's been the reaction to the news?
CT: Well generally positive. We had the tenth conference last week along with the celebration of 70 years of SPC work in the region and we had a number of Pacific leaders and ministers and stakeholders in town with a general level of support if you like. Usual caution not to duplicate things but it is never going to be that way because we see it very much as supplementing and supporting the work for example the work at the Forum or the work SPREP does in the marine environment so it’s really about getting everyone working together on it and overall it had a good level of support.
SV: What are the key priorities do you think around oceans - is it around better management of coastal fisheries or better surveillance?
CT: Well firstly, tuna is of course a big one for us and we've been doing this work for several decades now and this clearly needs to be a key priority for us and to continue to improve the way we continue to monitor and report on tuna stock and better management of tuna is a key one and then scientific advice to members is to give pluses and minuses on feasibility of deep sea mineral mining and trying to complete maritime boundaries for Pacific Island members in particular. Coastal erosion management, geohazards mapping for tsunami warnings and sea level rise - that kind of thing. It's really all about SPC - and all the current activities and just trying to better manage them.
