Fish handling training pilot in Radefasu village, Malaita Province

In Solomon Islands, and many Pacific Island countries, fish and other aquatic foods are essential as a source of nutrition and income. Domestic small-scale fish trade is central to island food systems and community economies. However, while these systems can be effective at distributing this nutritious food, there remain opportunities to improve aquatic food safety and reduce loss and waste.

Past efforts to improve post-harvest fish handling in Solomon Islands have often been irregular, reliant on outdated materials, and implemented by trainers with differing levels of skills, confidence, and financial and material resources. At the request of the Solomon Islands Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR), we – a consortium of partners, including Solomon Islands National University, MFMR, WorldFish and the University of Wollongong – are working to develop new fish handling training resources suited to island food system contexts, such as those in Solomon Islands.

In mid-June from 10-13, we had the opportunity to pilot the draft fish handling training resources at a four-day workshop in Radefasu village in Malaita Province. The training was delivered by Solomon Islands National University to 20 fishers and fish vendors, with observers from the MFMR, Malaita Provincial Fisheries, Kastom Gaden Association, WorldFish and University of Wollongong.

Topics covered included hygiene, spoilage, cold chain, smoking fish and tuna bottling. Both participants and observers were highly engaged and provided valuable reflections and feedback on how to improve the training materials, workshop structure and delivery. The training package is now being revised and will be finalised in the coming months.  

This pilot workshop was co-financed through the Fish Innovation project, funded by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and the CGIAR Science Program on Food Frontiers and Security AoW4 on Island Food Systems.