SAMOA, September 23 - Lau Susuga ile Fa’afeagaiaga, lau Susuga Laloua Tui, Ekalesia Asofitu
Tutoatasi, Salelologa
Lau Afioga i le Minisita Lagolago o Fa’atoaga ma Faigafaiva, lau Afioga Maiava
Fuimaono Tito Asafo,
Lau Susuga i le Ta’ita’i o le Fa’alapotopotoga o Taumafa ma Fa’atoaga a le
Lalolagi (FAO) i totonu o le Pasefika, lau Susuga Fata Filipo Tuivavalagi,
Le autautai a Samoa, ma le paia ma le mamalu o Sui o Afioaga, ma le ma’ave
eseese ua ofaga potopoto mai lenei taeao.

Fa’amalo le soifua maua ma le lagi e mamā, fa’amalo le folau ma le tauata’i.

I le ava ma le fa’aaloalo e tatau ai, oute fa’atalofa ma ofo alofa atu ai i lo outou
paia ma lo outou mamalu, afifio mai ma tatala mai a’ao, se’i o tatou patipatia
fa’atasi le fa’amanatuina o le “tāua o faigafaiva i aloalo ma a’au lata mai aemaise
o le fa’a-fa’atoagaina o i’a ma figota i le sami ma le vai magalo, e pei ona lauiloa
ai o le “International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture.”

Ma ua alagatatau ai ona o tatou omai fa’atasi, o le autautai e fagotaina le aloalo
ma a’au, o le autautai o lo’o fa’aaogaina alia, o le autautai o lo’o fa’a-fa’atoagaina

i’a ma figota i le sami ma le vai magalo, o lō outou sao tele lea i le maua ai o
taumafa tatau mo le soifua maloloina, aemaise o tamaoaiga mo tatou tagata ma
atina’e ai faigafaiva i lo tatou atunu’u.

Ua alagatatau ai fo’i ona o tatou fa’amanatuina i le nofoaga lenei o le maketi o
i’a, o le nofoaga e mapu uma mai iai le autautai, o outou o lo’o fagotaina tai e lua
aua se manuia o o tatou aiga aemaise o si o tatou atunu’u.

E pei ona silafia, o faigafaiva nei i aloalo ma a’au lata mai, aemaise o le fa’a-
fa’atoagaina o i’a ma figota, e matuai tāua lava i le atina’e o le tamaoaiga o
Samoa. Ma e lagona le fa’agaeetia o le loto ma le agaga ona ua mafai ona tatou
fa’amanatuina lenei tausaga fa’apitoa e pei ona iai fo’i isi atunu’u o le Pasefika
ma le lalolagi.

Ae ‘aua fo’i nei galo, o nei faigafaiva e feagai pea ma fa’afitauli e pei ona o tatou
māitauina i le tele o taimi, e iai le soona fagotaina o i’a ma figota, fa’aaogāina o
faigafaiva lē talafeagai (fanai’a ma ava niukini), fa’alavelave fa’a-le-natura (afā
ma galu malolosi), ia ma suiga ma’ale’ale o le tau.

A fa’atusatusa fo’i i faigafaiva i ogasami loloto, o faigafaiva nei ile aloalo e
maitauina le laitiiti, e pei ona iai faigafaiva e fa’aaogāina ai paopao ma va’a alia.
E laitiiti fo’i le faitau aofa’i o i’a ma figota e maua mai ai. A o le tāua o nei
faigafaiva i le soifuaga ma le tamaoaiga o ō tatou tagata, e maualuga tele e tusa
ma le $70 miliona tala e maua i le tausaga. E pei lava ona iai le ‘anavatau o
lenei tausaga fa’apitoa: “E LAITITI i le mātau, ae TELĒ lona aoga”.
O lea ua tatau ai ona ‘aua nei o tatou manatu fa’atauva’a ma tu’umaualaloina le
tāua o lou sao, o oe o le tautai o le gataifale i le atina’eina o faigaifaiva i Samoa.

Ae, avea ia lo’u leo e fai ma sui o le tatou Malo, e fa’afetaia ai le
Fa’alapotopotoga o Taumafa ma Fa’atoaga o le Lalolagi (FAO), mo la outou
lagolagosua ua mafai ai ona fa’atino nei fa’amoemoega uma e le gata i Upolu, ae
ua mafai foi ona aumaia ma faatino i si o tatou Motu tele nei i Salafai.

E fia fa’aleoina fo’i le agaga o le fa’afetai i Sui o Afioaga, o ē o lo’o galueaina
faigafaiva i so’o se matātā ma le autautai i le gataifale ma vai magalo, fa’amalo le
fai o le faiva, malo le atia’e, fa’afetai tele mo lo outou sao taua ia Samoa ma ona
atina’e. Tautuana ia tatou fa’atino faigafaiva ma le tatau ina ia fa’atumauina ai le
lelei o nei puna’oa mai Le Atua Silisili Ese mo tupulaga nei ma a taeao o Samoa.

Fa’afetai fo’i i paaga uma a le tatou Matagaluega ma e na fesoasoani mai.

Manuteleina fuafuaga uma o lenei aso.

Soifua ma ia Manuia.

____________________________________________

Pastor Laloua Tui – Seventh Day Adventist, Salelologa,
Afioga Maiava Fuimaono Tito Asafo, Associate Minister of Agriculture and
Fisheries,
Susuga Fata Filipo Tuivavalagi, FAO Representative,
Our Fisher Folks,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

It gives me great pleasure to give the keynote remarks for the celebration of the
International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, and who better to
celebrate it with, but with our local fishers and fish farmers in Samoa, who work
so hard to help provide healthy and nutritional food, and income for our local
communities. And where to better celebrate it, but here at our local fish market,
where most of our local fishers gather to sell their catches of the day.

As we all know, small-scale fisheries and aquaculture are important to the
livelihoods of our people, and I am therefore very pleased that Samoa is able to
join these celebrations with other fishing communities around the world.

We are reminded that our fisheries and aquaculture will always remain an
important contributor to our sustainable economic and social development,
especially in our local communities. We are also reminded that, especially for
coastal fisheries, we must continue to help address the challenges faced such as
overfishing and destructive fishing, pollution, natural disasters and climate
change impacts.

When we compare small-scale fisheries and aquaculture to large oceanic
fisheries such as tuna fisheries, the former is often considered much smaller in
scale. Our canoes and alias are smaller, our catches are also smaller in volume.
Yet, the value that small-scale fisheries and aquaculture contribute to food
security and daily livelihoods here in Samoa is by far higher in economic value at
around $70 million tala annually, and therefore the slogan for International Year
of Small-scale Fisheries and Aquaculture, which is, “SMALL in Scale, BIG in
Value”, is very true. We therefore must not undermine the value of this fishery in
our communities and we must continue to work closely with our local small-scale
fishers and fish farmers.

To our local community representatives, local fishers, fish workers and fish
farmers here today, thank you for your preparations and for joining us to make
this event today worthwhile. Remember that your roles are very important to
Samoa, not only providing healthy seafood on our plates, but also ensuring that
you fish safely and fish wisely, so that our children can also reap the benefits
from our fishery resources in the future.

On behalf of the Government of Samoa, I would like to take this opportunity to
acknowledge with much gratitude the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) Sub-regional Office for the Pacific, for helping Samoa
celebrate this important international event with our local communities, local
fishers and fish farmers. A special thank you to Mr Fata Filipo, for your support
towards today’s event, and for your ongoing support in helping Samoa ensure
sustainable fisheries as an important source of livelihoods in our communities.

I also would like to thank all our other partners present here today, for availing
your time to celebrate with us this very important event. The Ministry will continue
working together with you all in developing and promoting fisheries and
aquaculture for the betterment of Samoa.

God Bless and Soifua!