The Pacific Community Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (SPC FAME) supports fisheries management and sustainable development in the Pacific through the provision of scientific and technical expertise to the region, to individual Pacific Island Countries and Territories and to regional bodies. 

This evaluation assessed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) support to SPC FAME against four questions in relation to: 

• appropriateness and effectiveness of the funding
• strengths and weaknesses of the funding mechanism
• complementarity of the funding with other donor support to SPC FAME
• support for gender equity and social inclusion. 

The evaluation used a mixed-methods approach comprising document review and analysis and consultation with key stakeholders identified with DFAT and SPC FAME.

Key findings identify that DFAT’s funding support has contributed, wholly or partially, to delivering on a range of key result areas in SPC FAME’s business plan which directly contribute to ensuring Pacific fisheries and aquaculture resources are resilient and managed sustainably. This demonstrates that DFAT’s program funding support to SPC FAME is effective in achieving results for the region. The programme funding mechanism provides several advantages over the other available funding mechanisms due to its flexibility.

The evaluation recommends DFAT Pacific Fisheries and Maritime Section explore opportunities for closer linkages and coordination with DFAT’s Pacific Regional Organisations and Governance team and with other relevant areas of DFAT to promote synergies across DFAT’s programme and project funding in cross-cutting issues such as climate change and GESI. The evaluation also highlighted that DFAT could consider additional support to SPC FAME to address climate change impacts on fisheries in the region in the context of DFAT’s broader climate change funding to the Pacific.