I arrived to be part of a team of five people in 2008, and that has grown to nine by 2013, but the nature of our project funding means that there are always changes in the team and 2013 has been no exception.

In January Dr Carola Kirchner joined the team from Namibia where she was the lead stock assessment scientist, to work supporting the needs of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement. This position has been funded through the Pew Charitable Trusts and the World Bank and over the two years of the project Carola will be driving the development of Harvest Control Rules (HCRs) and supporting the development of bioeconomic models for the purse seine fishery.

In May Dr Sam McKechnie joined us from the University of Auckland where he completed his PhD on coho salmon dynamics. Sam joined our team of WCPFC-funded scientists and his specific role over the next three years involves implementing recommendations from the recent independent review of the bigeye stock assessment.

We have also had a couple of losses in 2013, Nick Davies, one of our WCPFC assessment scientists, and lead on the development of MULTIFAN-CL returned to New Zealand, but has remained working under contract during 2013 and we hope to have him onboard again in 2014. Dr Tim Adams, our SciCOFish funded National Scientist leaves the team to take up the role of Director of Fisheries Management at the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency. We were fortunate to have somebody of Tim’s skills and experience in the office, even if only for a short time, but it is good to know that he is still in the region.

Recruitment of a replacement for Nick and Tim is currently underway, and with the help of some new funding from the New Zealand Aid Programme, we hope to recruit two national Scientists so the team will be a little bigger come 2014.

Dr Shelton Harley, Principal Fisheries Scientist in the Stock Assessment and Modelling Section