Sea Cucumber Specialist

Organizational Setting

The FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (SAP), operating under the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP), leads and supports the development and implementation of strategies and programmes that promote sustainable food systems, agriculture, fisheries, and rural development across the Pacific region.

Sea cucumbers are an economically important fisheries commodity harvested by both industrial and small-scale fisheries and traded internationally as processed bêche-de-mer (trepang), primarily for markets in East Asia. Since the 1980s, increasing global demand has resulted in widespread overexploitation and depletion of high-value species. In response, Isostichopus fuscus was listed in CITES Appendix III in 2003, followed by the inclusion of three Holothuria species, the genus Thelenota spp., and Holothuria lessoni in CITES Appendix II at CoP18, CoP19, and CoP20, respectively.

The Pacific region hosts several of these CITES-listed species. Accordingly, CITES Parties, including FAO Members in the Pacific, are required to ensure that international trade complies with the Convention through the issuance of Legal Acquisition Findings (LAFs) and Non-Detriment Findings (NDFs). Imports from non-CITES Parties are also expected to be accompanied by comparable documentation.

Despite ongoing management initiatives, sea cucumber fisheries continue to face governance challenges, including declining stocks, fragmented institutional responsibilities, and limited coordination between fisheries authorities and CITES Management and Scientific Authorities. Recent assessments have highlighted the need for stronger collaboration among national institutions and regional organizations, including FAO, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Pacific Community (SPC), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), to strengthen conservation and promote sustainable use.

This TCP project will promote a collaborative regional approach involving national fisheries and CITES authorities, regional organizations, technical experts, and key stakeholders. The project has four objectives:

•    Strengthen the knowledge base and management systems for CITES-listed sea cucumber species by identifying technical support needs and updating stock assessments and draft Non-Detriment Findings (NDFs) in Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu.
•    Promote policy coherence by strengthening collaboration between fisheries and CITES authorities and supporting community-based management through coordinated national and regional actions.
•    Enhance regional capacity by improving the availability, quality, and uptake of tools, guidance, and training materials for the sustainable management and trade of sea cucumbers.
•    Facilitate regional knowledge exchange by promoting collaboration and sharing of experiences among FAO, SPREP, SPC, and Pacific CITES Parties to strengthen implementation of the Convention and sustainable fisheries management.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall guidance of the FAO Subregional Coordinator for the Pacific and the direct supervision of the Lead Technical Officer of project TCP/SAP/4102, the Sea Cucumber Specialist will perform following tasks.

Technical focus

Provide technical leadership and advisory support for the sustainable management, stock assessment, and CITES implementation of sea cucumber fisheries in the Pacific. The role focuses on supporting the development of Non-Detriment Findings (NDFs), strengthening national and regional capacity, facilitating collaboration between fisheries and CITES authorities, and contributing to sustainable trade and conservation of CITES-listed sea cucumber species through evidence-based management and regional knowledge exchange.

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Lead and support the effective implementation and timely delivery of project activities and outputs
•    Develop and implement a workplan aligned with the workplan of the contracted service provider to ensure the effective delivery of specialized technical inputs under the project. 
•    Monitor and support the implementation and delivery of activities under the Letter of Agreement (LoA). 
•    Support procurement and logistics arrangements with the FAO-SAP Operations team
•    Responsible for alignment and collaboration with relevant regional agencies (SPREP/ SPC)
•    Support national agencies to compile available information to inform the making of NDFs
•    Facilitate national workshops with national CITES Authorities to complete draft NDFs (supported by TCP service provider)
•    Update or develop a regional training guide and reference manual for stock assessment targeting identified country needs (with support of TCP service provider)
•    Contribute technical inputs to a regional workshop (delivered by TCP service provider)
•    Contribute to information documents and side events relevant to CITES meetings (developed by service provider)
•    Prepare mission reports and other relevant documentation as required by FAO.
•    Perform any other related duties as required for the successful implementation of the project.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Advanced university degree from an institution recognised by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in fisheries or a related discipline. Consultants with a bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
•    At least five (5) years of relevant experience in small scale fisheries and/ or closely related fields.
•    Working knowledge (level C) of English.

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•    Efficiency, competence and integrity as well as negotiating skills, tact and diplomacy are essential.
•    Able to work with multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural project partners at regional and international level
•    Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities, with experience liaising between diverse project stakeholders
•    Demonstrated effective writing and critical analysis skills

Selection criteria

•    Practical experience in the Pacific context.