About The Samoan Fisheries Project
In 2010, in partnership with the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) in Samoa, Sytel became a financial sponsor to the village of Lepuia’i on Manono Island, next to the Samoan mainland.
Sytel concluded its sponsorship at the start of 2017, having achieved the aims originally set.
We wish all the Lepuia’i villagers success for the future and would like to thank them for the effort they shown during this project.
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Aims of the fisheries project
With this sponsorship, Sytel built a relationship with the Lepuia’i villagers which encouraged them to invest in fisheries conservation and development for the benefit of their village and also other communities on Manono Island. We saw a direct connection between our sponsorship and the conservation and development activities undertaken by the villagers, who set up a local bank account for the purpose.
The project demonstrated how a targeted local sponsorship can keep any and all administrative overheads to a minimum. We hoped to inspire other companies like ourselves to offer aid to developing nations by adopting a similar model.
With Sytel’s support, the Lepuia’i villagers re-established and strengthened their marine fish reserve area as a way to regenerate fisheries resources and build capacity, providing both security and local income. They encouraged active participation of the whole community, and built awareness of the sustainable management and development of their marine resources.
The programme
The villagers with guidance from MAF tackled several priority areas:
- Marking the boundaries of the fish reserve area and mapping the area using GPS coordinates
- Managing the restocking of giant clams and trochus in the reserve area
- Surveying for other potential marine species for farming (sea urchin/ tapumiti, sea grapes)
Accountability
Ongoing monitoring and management was conducted by both the Village Fisheries Committee and the Samoan Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, who were jointly responsible for managing the activities and ensuring that the sponsorship funds were spent appropriately in line with the declared aims and goals.
Sytel made occasional visits to further develop the relationship.