About oneFish

With an overall focus on fisheries research and development, the oneFish Community Directory comprises an open-access, interactive internet portal in which knowledge of many types is referenced, linked to or uploaded, including news, events, jobs, documents, projects, websites and multimedia. Online discussions are either archived or hosted in oneFish and polls can be initiated. Knowledge is added manually by members and editors, or `captured' electronically from originators' systems. A number of individual experts, institutes, and projects manage topics and virtual offices within oneFish.

oneFish permits the rapid dissemination and integration of information specific to a wide range of topics. It provides an enabling environment for developing partnerships, identifying contacts and enhancing networking and communication within and between diverse stakeholder groups. In addition to encouraging online discussion and holistic debate, topic-specific current events and news items can be highlighted. more...

oneFish facilitates the participatory approach to information management. It achieves this through encouraging subject specialists to manage their own topic areas and interact with others. Topic Editors play a key role in ensuring that the content of oneFish remains dynamic, relevant and of the highest possible quality.  Whilst oneFish is an open participatory system, user access to specific topics can be controlled. The facility to create groups of members, and for topic editors to set permission levels for their respective topics, provides topic editors with effective management tools to enable them to control the development of their topic(s). more...

FIPIS - Fisheries Project Information System. One of the primary objectives in the development of oneFish has been to regenerate and make available online the Fisheries Project Information System - FIPIS. All of the original c.5500 FIPIS project records were imported into oneFish and this laid the foundation for the import of post-1995 project records from donor agencies and other organizations. Work continues on enhancing and updating existing project data in collaboration with respective donors and especially with AiDA - Accessible Information on Development Activities. more...

oneFish provides an open-access environment whereby individual researchers, as well as research institutes and organizations, can publish their research output directly on the web, and link their research results to other relevant information in oneFish. Information submitted is reviewed by the respective subject specialist topic editor before being accepted. Organizations can set up their own institutional topic or virtual office in oneFish where they can submit, organise and manage their institutional research output. more...

oneFish began as a sub-project of SIFAR - the Support unit for International Fisheries and Aquatic Research - as part of its mandate to: foster more responsive research; encourage knowledge-based decision-making for policy; stimulate holistic debate; and improve information-sharing. As such, significant donor funding has been utilised for the development of oneFish. The following donors have contributed to the development of oneFish: Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA); European Union; Department for International Development (DfID), UK; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN); Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA); International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada; Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); World Bank.

Following the conclusion of the second phase of the SIFAR Project in July 2004 the continued operation (content management and maintenance/development) of oneFish has been successively funded by: the UK Department for International Development (DfID); the Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD); and the World Bank, with ongoing in-kind support from FAO. The project is currently managed within the Fisheries Resources Division (FIRM) of the FAO Fisheries Department. The Project Supervisor is Dr Serge Garcia, Director of FIR.

Chief Editor and Information Manager
Joan Baron Varley has a First Class Honours Degree in Information and Library Studies from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and more than 25 years experience in the library and information sector, working for 21 years at the University of Portsmouth, the last 11 years managing the library and information resources at the Centre for the Economics and Management of Aquatic Resources (CEMARE). Joan has been actively involved in various aquatic networks including the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) network of coordinating centres; the International Association of Aquatic and Marine Science Libraries and Information Centers (IAMSLIC); and the European Association of Aquatic Science Libraries and Information Centres (EURASLIC), serving as President of EURASLIC from 2000 - 2004. Following involvement in several smaller FAO projects, Joan joined the oneFish Team in December 1999 during the early stages of development of the CDS system as Chief Editor and Information Manager of oneFish.

Volunteer Editors
oneFish is a Community Directory and supporting the work of the Chief Editor are the numerous Volunteer Editors who manage specialist subject topics or the virtual office topics maintained by various groups, projects and organizations. Their contribution to the management and development of oneFish is crucial to the ongoing success and sustainability of the system.

Donor Representatives
oneFish is a donor funded initiative and their advice is regularly sought on the overall direction and development of both content and services.

Community Directory Server (CDS) Software

The CDS Software which underlies oneFish is based on original specifications and html mockups devised and designed by Greg Searle of the WorldTree Corporation, whilst under contract to SIFAR in 1999. Many individuals had an input during these early design stages, but the primary influence was the SIFAR Executive Secretary at that time, Tim Bostock. The CDS Software has been developed by the AFI Department of WAICENT - the World Agricultural Information Centre, at FAO.