South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation

  • Home
  • About SPRFMO
  • Meetings
  • Measures
  • Science
  • Data
  • Cooperation
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Member login

Home > News » Archive News » Remembering Robin

News

  • Current News

  • Archive News

Latest Headlines
  • Vacancy: NPFC Compliance Manager
  • Vacancy: NAFO Executive Secretary
  • UN-The Nippon Foundation Strategic Fellowship Programme
  • 10th SPRFMO Annual Meeting (COMM10)
  • Vacancy: CCSBT Executive Secretary
  • FAO RSN Magazine n.20 "Beyond COVID-19"
  • Introducing new SPRFMO Data Manager
  • Vacancy: CCAMLR Data and Information Systems Manager
  • Full Report of the SPRFMO SC9 available
  • Job opening: Executive Director of the NPAFC
  • Vacancy: NPFC Executive Secretary
  • COMM9 Meeting Report now available
  • Vacancy: SPRFMO Data Manager
  • Award presented to Dr Jim Ianelli
  • 9th SPRFMO Annual Meeting
  • SPRFMO Welcomes new Compliance Manager
  • SPRFMO in the time of Covid-19
  • SPRFMO SC8 meeting was held virtually
  • SIOFA SC Chairperson Vacancy
  • FAO RSN Magazine n.19 "Chronicles from the Secretariats"
  • Changes in the SPRFMO Secretariat
  • ABNJ Dialogue Workshop Summary
  • Vacancy: SPRFMO Executive Secretary
  • NY Times Article on Management of Squid
  • FAO Global Assessment of COVID-19 Impacts on Fisheries Management
  • Vacancy: SPRFMO Compliance Manager
  • FAO Technical Paper 651
  • 8th Annual SPRFMO Meeting
  • Request for Proposal for NPFC VMS
  • Job Opportunity at CCAMLR
  • New VMS and Compliance Manager
  • Successful SC7 - Reports available
  • 7th meeting of the Scientific Committee
  • FAO International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability
  • SPRFMO-FIRMS Partnership Agreement signed
  • 2nd Meeting of the Parties PSMA
  • SPRFMO Executive Secretary at ICSP14
  • Habitat Monitoring WG first meeting
  • Ambassador of Peru visits the SPRFMO Secretariat
  • RSN Newsletter now a Magazine
  • Deep Seas Fisheries Rights Based Management Workshop
  • SPRFMO Participation at STRONG High Seas Project ABNJ Workshop
  • OECD reports on IUU fishing
  • SPRFMO-CCAMLR Arrangement signed
  • Call for Proposals Observer Programme Accreditation Evaluator
  • SPRFMO-REDPESCA INDNR LAC Memorandum of Understanding
  • SPRFMO-CPPS Memorandum of Understanding
  • 7th Commission Meeting, The Hague, The Netherlands
  • Report of the SPRFMO Performance Review
  • Innovation in the Decision-Making Process of the RFMO's
  • 6th SC meeting (SC6)
  • 6th Global Fisheries Enforcement Training Workshop (GFETW)
  • Vacancy/Call of Interest Announcements
  • New SPRFMO Executive Secretary
  • 6th SC workshop - Jack mackerel assessment
  • How Smart Science Stopped a Pacific Fishery's Collapse
  • 6th Commission Meeting, Lima, Peru
  • VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: SPRFMO EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
  • 5th SC meeting in China
  • SPRFMO-SC 3rd workshop (Deep Water)
  • Jack mackerel WS 2017
  • IT Manager Job Vacancy
  • USA becomes a Full Member of SPRFMO
  • 5th Commission Meeting
  • 4th Scientific Committee
  • Accounting and Office Administrator
  • VMS - Call for Proposals
  • 4th Commission Meeting
  • Bienvenido, Peru
  • Our Ocean 2015 Conference in Chile
  • 3rd Scientific Committee concluded
  • Bienvenido, Ecuador
  • Law of the Sea Tribunal Advisory Opinion
  • 20th Anniversary of UNFSA
  • Remembering Robin
  • 2015 SPRFMO IUU List
  • 3rd Commission Meeting
  • 2nd Scientific Committee Meeting
  • SPRFMO Domain
  • 2nd Commission Meeting
  • Republic of Vanuatu
  • 1st Scientific Committee Meeting
  • Recruitment of an Executive Secretary
  • Russian Federation accepts Recommendations
  • Review Panel Findings
  • People's Republic of China's Approval
  • Establishment of Review Panel
  • New Employee
  • Objection to CMM 1.01
  • Website Updates
  • 1st Commission Meeting Report
  • Registration for 1st Commission Meeting
  • Convention to enter into Force
  • Registration for SWG and D&IWG available
  • Chilean Ratification
  • Russian Federation Approval
  • 11th SWG and 10th D&IWG
  • Korean Ratification
  • Australian Ratification
  • 3rd Session of the Preparatory Conference
  • European Union Approval
  • Australian BFIA
  • 10th SWG and 9th D&IWG Meeting
  • The Russian Federation and the Republic of Cuba Sign Convention at Cali Meeting
  • Colombia: Information for Delegates
  • Status of Convention
  • Preparatory Conference
  • Registrations Open for PrepCon 1
  • First session of the Preparatory Conference
  • Signature of Convention
  • Adoption of the SPRFMO Convention Text
  • 8th Meeting Registration
  • 8th Meeting Accommodation
  • 8th Meeting
  • Latest Postings
  • Website Upgrade
  • Interim Secretariat Executive Secretary announced
  • Interim Secretariat Executive Secretary recruitment
  • Third International Meeting
  • Chair's second draft text distributed
  • Report of the Second International Meeting
  • Report of the First International Meeting
  • Chile commits to South Pacific Fisheries Management
  • South Pacific Fisheries to be protected
  • Australia moves to protect deep ocean habitats

Current News

  /  

Archive News

2015-03-18

The SPRFMO community is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Robin Allen

Remembering Robin

Robin Leslie Allen, 1943 to 2015

by Gordon Neil (Chairperson of the Commission), Osvaldo Urrutia (Vice-Chairperson of the Commission)
and Johanne Fischer (Executive Secretary)

Robin Allen small

 The SPRFMO community is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Robin Allen on 18 March 2015 in Blenheim, New Zealand.

Robin served as the interim Executive Secretary of the Organisation since 2007 and played a significant role in the negotiations of the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery Resources in the South Pacific Ocean. He combined extensive knowledge and experience with a gentle, modest and kind personality; traits that gained him the respect and affection of his peers, many of whom regarded him as a good friend rather than just a good colleague.

Tributes from friends and colleagues

Dr. Robin Allen was born in 1947 in New Zealand. With an educational background in mathematics and statistics, he earned his Ph.D. in zoology in Canada, followed by a distinguished career as a fishery scientist in New Zealand culminating in his appointment as Assistant Director-General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) and Group Director of the MAF Fisheries Policy. Robin always had a keen interest in international fisheries management which led him to work for the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, located in La Jolla, California, USA, for five years from 1976 to 1981. However, it wasn’t until 1995, when Robin’s international career really took off with his assignment as the IATTC Assistant Director. He was elected Director of IATTC in 1999 and stayed on for two full terms, until 2007, after which he accepted the position as Interim Executive Secretary of the SPRFMO. His highly relevant experience with Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) and, in particular, the duties and responsibilities of their secretariats was invaluable when it came to establishing the new SPRFMO Secretariat and the requisite data management, finance administration and communications capabilities.  

Robin was looking forward to his next “profession” as a wine farmer in New Zealand. His passing was unexpected, after a short and severe illness. 

With Robin's passing, the SPRFMO Parties and the Secretariat have lost a valued friend and mentor, who even after retiring did not lose contact and was always available to give sound advice and encouragement when needed. He will be sorely missed.

Back to top
  • Home /
  • Site Map /
  • /
  • Send Feedback