Towards building a fisheries workforce equipped to protect and improve marine resources management in Liberia

This paper summarizes the outcomes of the recent Illuminating Hidden Harvests (IHH) Small-scale (SSF) Training Workshop and Panel Discussion, an event focused on the development of a comprehensive curriculum for SSF for use by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences (DoFAS) at the University of Liberia (UL). Organized with the support of the Liberia Sustainable Management of Fisheries Project funded by the World Bank through the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), Duke University, FAO, and Conservation International (CI), this workshop aimed to enhance Liberia’s capacity on sustainable fisheries management by building a robust SSF curriculum within DoFAS. Participants explored key challenges facing the SSF sector in Liberia, including gaps in data collection, policy alignment, and the integration of local knowledge into fisheries management practices. The workshop produced a proposed curriculum outline that addresses critical areas, such as evidence-based management, human rights, and sustainable resource use. The potential elements of the curriculum adopted at the workshop include: definitions and characterization matrix of SSF, human rights-based approach to SSF, understanding the societal importance of SSF, governance of SSF, economic viability of SSF, role of gender in SSF, climate change effects on SSF, and SSF interactions with large-scale fisheries. The recommendations which emerged from the workshop are that: (i) DoFAS at the UL and NaFAA, in partnership with Duke University, FAO, CI and other relevant stakeholders, develop and implement this SSF curriculum with a strong emphasis on sustainable practices, evidence-based decision-making, and community engagement, and (ii) ongoing collaboration between academia, government, and local communities to support policy formulation and the sustainable growth of Liberia’s SSF sector be encouraged. This initiative marks a significant step toward building a fisheries workforce equipped to protect and enhance Liberia’s marine resources.