Dr. Salome V. Taufa is the Programme Adviser – Economics (Resource Economist), at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) since March 2019. She is also the team leader for the Fisheries team at the Secretariat, which is a part of the Economics Team. Fisheries is one of the key priorities identified by the Forum Leaders in 2015 with a focus on increasing economic returns from fisheries. The Fisheries Team works closely with other regional organizations including the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement Office (PNAO) to ensure increased economic returns from our fisheries resources. As part of the Economics Team, Dr. Taufa supports the implementation of the Forum Economic Ministers decisions including leading the development of the Pacific Roadmap for Economic Development in support of the implementation of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Prior to joining PIFS, Dr. Taufa was a Lecturer of Ocean Resource Management at The University of the South Pacific (USP) and the head of the Economics Division of the Ministry of Fisheries in Tonga.
She has worked for over 15 years in the area of fisheries and oceans with a focus on ocean and fisheries policy and management.