By Toky Rasoloarimanana
“For the members”—that’s what is behind the photo. Thirty people standing shoulder to shoulder in Nadi, Fiji, wearing the same grey shirts, smiling, holding a hand over their hearts. It might look like a typical group photo at the end of a training workshop. But behind each of those smiles is a story of learning, connection, and a shared purpose.
The R-Assistance Workshop (RAW) was created not just to teach software or coding, but to support the people behind fisheries data across the Pacific. When Pacific Island countries said, we need more tools, more confidence, more skills to manage and share our data, the response wasn’t a conference or a policy paper. It was this: a five-day, hands-on workshop built around R and RStudio, two powerful tools that can help turn raw data into maps, tables, and graphs that tell the story of their national and regional tuna fisheries.
But RAW2025 was about more than just tools. It was about people.
Participants came from 16 Pacific Island countries and territories. Some travelled on the Pacific Community’s (SPC) funding. Others are self-funded, a clear sign of just how valuable and needed this training has become.
Each day in the workshop, participants learnt how to take their own national fisheries data, verify it, structure it, and visualise it in ways that support better reporting and decision-making. For many, it was their first time computer coding. There were moments of confusion, frustration, and then, a breakthrough: A map that finally made sense. A successful plot that came to life with colour and clarity.
And just as important, they weren’t learning alone. They were supported by a group of dedicated SPC staff, nicknamed the "R Rangers", who walked them through every step with patience, humour, and heart. These trainers came from different teams across SPC, but they shared a common mission: to empower the people who hold the region’s data in their hands.
The workshop also teamed up with the Tuna Data Workshop team to make sure what was being taught could feed directly into real-world tasks, like preparing Annual Catch Estimates or national reports to the WCPFC*. The learning had immediate, practical value.
So, when this photo was taken—everyone gathered on the steps outside, hand over heart—it wasn’t just a photo. It was a quiet celebration. Of showing up. Of learning something new. Of being part of something bigger.
RAW2025 is for the members. For the fisheries officers and data analysts across the Pacific who work, often behind the scenes, to make sure decisions about the ocean are based on the best information available.
And as one participant said at the end: “I came here not knowing what R even was. I’m leaving with new skills, new confidence, and new friends.”
That’s what this photo really shows. And that’s what RAW is all about.
*The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is the regional fisheries management organisation responsible for the conservation and sustainable use of tuna and other highly migratory fish stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. It brings together Pacific Island countries, distant water fishing nations, and other stakeholders to manage one of the world’s largest and most valuable tuna fisheries. The Pacific Community (SPC) serves as the Commission’s main scientific provider, delivering essential data, stock assessments, and scientific advice to support decision-making.
