CAOPA-FENACOPECI’s meeting on the role of women in the contribution of small scale fisheries to food security and World Fisheries Day : CFFA’s report

On the occasion of the World Fisheries Day, held on the 21st of November 2012 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the African Confederation of Small Scale Fisheries Professional organizations (CAOPA) and the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives in Ivory Coast (FENACOPECI) organized a meeting with experts and women representatives of the small scale fishery sector of 16 African countries on the following topic: “Improving the contribution of artisanal fisheries to food security: The role of women”.

This workshop was organized from the 18th until the 21st of November 2012 in Grand-Bassam, Ivory Coast, with the support and collaboration of CFFA, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC), Pain pour le Monde, International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ISCF) and Journalists network for sustainable fisheries in West Africa (REJOPRAO)

During these three days, participants made some field visits (aquaculture site and landing/processing site) and proceeded to debates and exchanges which allowed to elaborate recommendations to include in the Voluntary guidelines for sustainable small scale fisheries, in the framework of the consultation process, directed by FAO. The Abidjan Declaration, which was read on the World Fisheries Day was also written on the basis on the work from the working groups.

On November the 22nd, a meeting was organized by ICSF in order to improve the work on FAO voluntary guidelines.

See the full report and the Abidjan Declaration.

Food security and small scale fisheries : the network of journalists for responsible and sustainable fisheries in West Africa promotes women’s voice

On the occasion of the meeting organized by CAOPA in Ivory Coast on the role of women in small scale fisheries and the contribution to food security, the network of journalists for responsible and sustainable fisheries in West Africa (Réseau des journalistes pour une pêche responsable et durable en Afrique de l’Ouest – REJOPRAO), published a news bulletin on CAOPA’s women, ‘La poissonnière d’Abidjan’, in two volumes.

Since few years, the Rejoprao joins CAOPA in its meetings in order to ensure a certain visibility of its major activities, thanks to the writing of articles by members of the network who are invited to take part to the events. In practical terms, CAOPA gets the members of the network to come to the meetings (World fisheries day, Mbour forum, sub-regional workshops, etc.). On the occasion of this workshop in Ivory Coast, CAOPA and its partners invited four members of Rejoprao in order to have a cover by the media of the event: two francophone journalists (Senegal and Mauritania), one Portuguese-speaking journalist (Cape-Verde) and one Anglophone journalist (Gambia). In return, Rejoprao had to propose to CAOPA an accurate work program. That is how Rejoprao came up with the idea of a bulletin, entitled ‘La poissonière d’Abidjan’ in reference to women fishworkers and the capital city of Ivory Coast where the meeting was held.

The journalists dealt with the major events and themes of the meeting, keeping in mind the necessity to provide an accurate debrief of the discussions. They therefore chose the subjects freely. They followed the field visits, the debates and could interact with the actors and actresses. A press conference was also held on the 18th of November, at the end of the two days of work. The edition work was done away. That was an innovation. The journalists on site wrote and send their articles to an occasional editor-in-chief, who was not attending the workshop, who was in charge of editing the texts and carrying out the set-up of the bulletin.

The bulletin is spread out through a mailing list and also put online on the website of Rejoprao. During the COFI in July 2012, a bulletin was edited both in French and English but unfortunately, they only did a French version this time.

For Rejoprao, this process should lead to the production of a periodical magazine on fisheries.

Information gathered thanks to the contribution of Maïga Inoussa and on the website of Rejoprao : http://rejoprao.blog4ever.com/blog/...

See the two bulletins in joint document (in French) here and here. 

Small scale fisheries take priority in the discussions on the CFP reform

On the 22nd of November 2012, MEPs supported an initiative on small-scale and coastal fishing tabled by MEP João Ferreira, member of the PECH Committee. According to this resolution, small-scale fisheries are in a critical situation because the resource crisis has a greater impact on these small-sized businesses, which currently represent about three quarters of the EU fishing fleet (65 000 boats). A recent European Parliament study showed that small-scale fleets create about 55 % of all jobs on board fishing vessels, while producing just 27 % of the total value of the landings. Employment has declined by 10 to 30 % between 2000 and 2010. The Parliament asks for a fisheries policy that takes account of the specific characteristics of the small-scale fleets. This includes relative high job creation, and mostly fishing with passive gear. The few female workers in fisheries are generally employed in the small-scale segment. In its resolution the Parliaments asks for specific measures for preferential access to fish resources, fleet management, public aid, and market measures.

In its proposals for the CFP reform, the Commission confirms the importance of the small-scale fisheries in Europe. They are likely to benefit the most from a reformed fisheries policy based on a clear and time-bound obligation to manage stocks at MSY levels and to eliminate discards. The reform package contains an increased the number of measures that are specifically useful for small-scale fisheries, in particular access to funding under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). Small-scale vessels can also expect a higher aid intensity (75 % instead of 50 %) under the EMFF. As for the financial allocation of funds to Member States, the share of small-scale fleets in the wider national fleet is an important parameter for increasing the financial allocation. The European Parliament’s resolution will further boost the profile of small-scale fisheries during the next debates on the CFP reform.

Sources : Press release : http://ec.europa.eu/information_soc... Study on the subject by the EU Parliament : http://www.europarl.europa.eu/commi...

African Women Fishworkers conference on fish and food security

Around sixty women artisanal fishworkers from 16 African countries are expected in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, this Sunday 18 November, for a three day conference organised by the African Confederation of Artisanal Fishing Organisations, CAOPA, with the collaboration and support of its partners SSNC, EED, ICSF, REJOPRAO and CFFA. This Conference aims at gathering women’s views and putting forward their proposals on how to improve the contribution of fisheries to food security in Africa. The Conference will be introduced by a video message from Olivier de Schutter, the United Nations Special rapporteur on the Right to Food, addressed to the women participants. The participants proposals will feed into in a series of processes affecting the future of African small scale fishing communities, in particular the FAO process for developing international guidelines for securing sustainable small scale fisheries. The results of the conference will also be presented during the celebration of the World Fisheries day, in Abidjan, on November 21st 2012.

Participating countries: Tunisia, Mauritania, Sénégal, Cape verde, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Mali, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Congo, Gabon, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso

Future common fisheries policy in Africa: outlook from CAOPA

CAOPA answered a questionnaire on an assessment of the fishery sector in the ECOWAS region, proposed by AU regarding the process of a definition of a common fisheries policy, the subject of which being “Contribution of the African confederation of artisanal fishing organizations”, on the 24th of August 2012. The following questionnaire identifies the main strategic issues for capture fisheries and aquaculture in the region and the main challenges and opportunities for these sectors, such as maintaining coastal communities livelihoods, food security and concerted management of the coastal area/fisheries co-management. The lack of transparency in policies is a key issue, since it threatens the exploitation of resources. Indeed, “transparency in this regard must become the rule and must be the basis for an informed participation of the stakeholders, in particular artisanal fishing communities. Greater transparency is also an important tool in the fight against IUU fishing, which is thriving when the opacity and corruption reign”. Besides, an analysis on the current human and institutional capacities in the region is proposed. The strengths and weaknesses, challenges and opportunities for the sectors, namely marine fisheries, inland fisheries and aquaculture in the region are highlighted: “Strategies and policies should also be developed to enable artisanal fisheries, which currently target mainly coastal resources, often overfished, to develop offshore artisanal fisheries, for example for tuna species, so that our countries can derive more benefits from offshore fisheries”. An examination of the level of the existing cooperation between the regional economic communities and regional fisheries organizations in the region is provided and some propositions to strengthen cooperation and collaboration are made. Moreover, “Artisanal fisheries professionals must be recognized as primary stakeholder by decision makers”. The role of civil society and media is also stressed to be important in the management process. The fact that there are weaknesses in the implementation of the Code of conduct of the FAO for responsible fishing and other relevant documents in the region or the country is also emphasized. At last, some cross border issues in the management of fisheries and the environment in the region are indicated.

The role of women in the contribution of small scale fisheries to food security, meeting organized by CAOPA and FENACOPECI ahead of the world fisheries day in Abidjan

At the occasion of the World Fisheries Day, which will be held on the 21st of November 2012 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, CAOPA will organize a 3 day meeting, together with FENACOPECI (Fédération Nationale des Coopératives de Pêche de Côte d’Ivoire), on the following topic: “Improving the contribution of artisanal fisheries to food security: The role of women” from the 18th to the 21st of November 2012. Around 40 professionals, mostly women from artisanal fishing organisations that are member of CAOPA (14 African countries) and representatives of international institutions will be invited to dialogue with professionals on how to improve the contribution of artisanal fisheries to food security, in particular at the level of the activities of women in the sector (FAO, ECOWAS, African Union, SRFC, COMHAFAT, APPEL). In African countries, including those of CAOPA members, women play an important role in fisheries, especially in the small-scale sector. However, many difficulties prevent their role to be enhanced and to generate real value added to fish products. The aim of the meeting is to make a thorough diagnosis of the obstacles to improving the contribution of artisanal fisheries to food security, in particular the obstacles encountered by women in the sector, identify actions needed, set priorities and make recommendations for the removal of these obstacles and establish the basis for a dialogue with the international and regional institutions with the potential to support these actions.

Small pelagics exploitation in West Africa: Side event at COFI

CAOPA (African Confederation of Artisanal Fishing organisations) and CFFA (Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements) participated at the FAO Committee on Fisheries in July 2012 (click here for the report).

Together, they organised a side event on the exploitation of small pelagics in West Africa, and the sustainability and food security issues arising (click here for report and presentations)

The meeting started with a statement by Gaoussou Gueye (General secretary CAOPA), highlighting the importance of small pelagics for West African fishing communities and their demands to FAO and its members, which included:

 To document better the impacts of the various types of exploitation of small pelagics on food security;

 To recommend to states and regional fisheries organizations to consider the role of small pelagics in the ecosystems and in food security of developing countries populations when they are to make decisions for managing these resources and allocating access to these resources;

 To support initiatives and efforts that will contribute to establish a concerted management of small pelagic resources in West Africa;

 To support efforts by fishing communities to actively contribute to the management of these resources in a concerted and sustainable way;

 To support an aquaculture based on species that do not require feed made from wild fish, that answers the demands of local and regional markets, and that is not contributing to the unsustainable exploitation of small pelagics stocks.

This statement was followed by an analysis of the main developments affecting small pelagics exploitation in West Africa and policy issues arising, by Dr Andre Standing, from (TransparentSea / CFFA). Some recent developments (2010-2012) which can have a negative impact on food security in West Africa, were examined:

  The return of former Soviet Union ‘super trawlers’ to Senegal;

  The new fisheries agreement between Chinese Poly Hondone Company and Mauritania;

  The expansion of fishing and fish trade by Pacific Andes group in West Africa.

Various factors influencing expanding investments and industrial fishing in West Africa’s small-pelagics were presented:

  Links with industrial aquaculture (production of fish oil and fish meal);

  Overcapitalization and decreasing profitability of global Distant water fishing fleets targeting small pelagic;

  The growth of China’s overseas fishing sector.

A final presentation was made by Brian O’Riordan (ICSF), on the main factors that have affected the small pelagic exploitation by super trawlers in South Pacific, based on a case study of the over-exploited jack mackerel, and the implications it may have for West Africa, with the arrival of these fleets in the region.

Industrial fisheries destroy livelihood of northern and southern fishermen

At the fisheries conference of northern German states in Kiel last week, the development associations Protestant Development Service (EED) and Fair Oceans demanded from German ministers to press the EU to ensure sustainable fishing of European fishermen outside of European waters. “It is not acceptable that the recent proposals for a European fisheries reform lack solutions for the improvement of the situation for local fishermen,” says Andrea Müller-Frank from EED.

“More and more foreign trawlers are active in Senegalese waters. Licenses are attributed without consideration for environmental and social consequences. Many industrial trawlers illegally enter the zones reserved for small fisheries. This is how we small fishermen are deprived of our livelihood,” says Gaoussou Gueyse, secretary general of the West African Fisheries Federation. “Future EU fisheries agreements have to promote the development of our fisheries sector and not only deplete our fish stocks,” adds Gueye.

Since nowadays more than half of all European fisheries imports come from developing countries, Germany’s responsibility for the fisheries sector in target countries is growing. “The ministries assembled in Kiel have to push for an EU fisheries reform that reduces European dependency on imports and reestablishes fish stocks in the North Sea and Baltic Sea in an environmentally sustainable way,” says Fair Oceans’ Kai Kaschinski. Source: www.eed.de

Second Mbour Fisheries Forum

About 300 small-scale fishing professionals are due to meet on July 4th at the David Boila Centre in Mbour, for the forum on "Who owns the fish?", according to a press release of the APS.

Gathered into the Artisanal Fishing Professionals’ Coalition of Mbour (CPPAM), these actors will discuss two topics: "Food security in fisheries, in particular in the case of small pelagics" and "Participative surveillance".

Participants will come from Mbour and from various Senegalese fishing communities, including Kayar, Ngaparou, Joal, Foundiougne, Djiffer, Yène, Ndayane, Lompoul, Fass Boye, Saint-Louis, etc.

This meeting will be the second forum organized by the CPPAM, after the one of July 2010, focussed on the themes of good governance, financing issues in artisanal fisheries, and value addition of catches.

ADE/SAB

Allocution de bienvenue de Gaoussou Gueye

CAOPA’s contribution to the first NEPAD/FAO consultation meeting

The first Stakeholder Consultation Meeting jointly organised by NEPAD (The New Partnership for Africa’s Development) and the FAO in support of the implementation of the FAO Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa will take place on 10-12 May 2011 in Midrand, South Africa. It will bring together participants from regional fisheries organisations, regional economic communities, donors as well as civil society. The three-day event will consist of a one-day plenary session and two days of consultation in working groups.

The aim is to strengthen and accelerate the fisheries and aquaculture sector in terms of their governance, management and adaptability to climate change. By doing this, the participants will address the rising importance of fisheries in meeting the MDG objectives; and the sector’s crucial role in economic development and poverty alleviation in Africa, in line with the CAADP targets.

The CAOPA (The African Confederation of Small-scale Fisheries Professional Organizations) will participate to the event, and has drafted a series of recommendations for African governments and for international, regional and national institutions. These include that:

 Access to resources should be conditional to sustainability criteria; 
 Priority should be given to local fleets, especially small-scale fisheries; 
 Fisheries agreements should be concluded on a scientific basis while respecting the precautionary approach; 
 Priority should be given to fishing for human consumption; Effective participation of local actors in co-management plans should be promoted by policy frameworks; 
 Decision-makers should be engaged in an integrated coastal planning strategy; 
 Parties of fisheries agreements should reinforce their actions towards a real partnership in order to develop efficient management systems and to avoid overexploitation; 
 Value-adding activities should be promoted by structural actions in order to give SSF priority access to markets; 
 International fish trade should be fair and equitable; 
 Standards and regulations should be introduced in a way that allows producers to comply with them; 
 A permanent participation mechanism should be established in order to inform and involve small-scale fisheries professionals.

The CAOPA also stresses that small-scale fisheries professional organizations should be strengthened by:

 Setting up an appropriate deliberative process in order to confront ideas and interests and take coherent and legitimate decisions; 
 Defining ways to formally identify and integrate actors; 
 Establishing an appropriate information sharing system; 
 Building capacity by education and awareness raising; 
 Making fishing communities aware of climate change impacts and how to mitigate related risks.

The full document is available here in French.

Réunion FAO/NEPAD: Recommandations de la CAOPA

Who should have the right to fish?

"Who should have the right to fish?" A question from the Greens in the European Parliament", new GREENS-EFA leaflet on the CFP reform.

Maria Damanaki’s letter on discards

In her letter dated February 15 2011, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki thanks the members of the OCEAN2012 coalition for their position on eliminating discards by EU fishing activities in EU and third country waters.

World Social Forum in Dakar

CAOPA and CFFA participated to various events at the World Social Forum, held in Dakar from 7 to 10 February. One event was organised by the European parliament Green Group, on sea grabbing, where a study on fishing joint ventures in West Africa, undertaken by EED/CAOPA/CFFA was presented. The study is available here with the presentation of Sid’Ahmed Sidi Mohamed Abeid, Chairman of CAOPA, on the consequences of foreign direct investment (FDI) on small-scale fishing communities in Africa.

Étude Sociétés Mixtes

Présentation IDE

The other event was co-organised by EED and CAOPA on fisheries and food security. The event was broadcasted live on the internet thanks to the "World Social Forum Extended" system. Gaoussou Gueye, Secretary general of CAOPA, gave a presentation entitled "Small pelagics artisanal fisheries: a food safety net for Africa".

Présentation petits pélagiques

Echoes from COFI 29

The twenty-ninth session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI 29) was held in Rome, 31 January to 4 February 2011.

CFFA and other support NGOs facilitated the attendance of many small-scale fisheries representatives from around the world in order to defend their interests and voice their concerns to national delegations officials and intergovernmental organizations, including on the item 10 of the session’s agenda on the creation of an international instrument for small-scale fisheries.

At this occasion, CFFA’s African partners, from which many are now members of the African Confederation of Small-scale Fisheries Professional Organizations (CAOPA) reiterated the principles and recommendations of the Banjul Civil Society Declaration drafted in September 2010 during the first Conference of African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture. The AU (African Union) and NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) have recognized the importance of this declaration that will be taken into consideration in their work.

In view of the important role played by small-scale fisheries the Committee approved the development of a new international instrument on small-scale fisheries to complement the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF), drawing on relevant existing instruments. The Committee agreed that the new instrument could take the form of an international guidelines, be voluntary in nature, address both inland and marine fisheries and focus on the needs of developing countries. The Committee recommended that all stakeholders be associated, as appropriate, with its development.

CAOPA and EED at the World Social Forum

The event "Fisheries and food security", co-organized by EED and CAOPA (African Confederation of Small-scale Fisheries Professional Organizations) will be held today at 12.00 GMT in the framework of the World Social Forum in Dakar. To follow the debates online: Chat et videostream ; Audiostream in French ;Audiostream in English.

CAOPA’s new booklet

The African Confederation of Small-scale Fisheries Professional Organizations has just published its first introductory booklet, at the occasion of the 29th session of the FAO COFI (31 January to 4 February 2011 in Rome, Italy) and the World Social Forum 2011 (6 to 11 February 2011 in Dakar, Senegal). The booklet is available here.

Experts: Denmark supports harmful EU fisheries in Africa

Reports conclude that the EU’s fisheries agreements with developing countries are socially, environmentally and economically harmful. By Michael Rothenborg, Politiken, 7 December 2010

“The EU gives us development aid with one hand, but takes away at least the same amount of money by over-fishing our oceans with the other “. Professor Ahmed Mahmoud Cherif is a former chief negotiator for Mauritania and has helped to conclude several fisheries agreements with the EU. Today he regrets having done so, and has therefore become president of the Mauritanian NGO, Pechecops.

A suffering population “Mauritania’s government is given millions to let Spanish and other European vessels fish for octopus, squid and other profitable species. But it is a short-sighted strategy and will not benefit the Mauritanian population. The people suffer because the overfishing of the European vessels leaves fewer fish for them to fish, and because the local fishing industry will lose jobs because of this, ” says Ahmed Mahmoud Cherif. He is in Denmark to participate in conference on the issue of overfishing. The conference that is to be held in the Danish parliament today has been organized by the Democracy in Europe (DEO) and the Danish Fishing Network. They point to reports from among others the UN and the World Bank, that indicate that fishing agreements with developing countries do more harm than good.

Read the full article in Danish. Or contact cp(at)afpl.dk for more information in English.

Second ACP Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers Council

Vassen Kauppaymuthoo, chairman of the Mauritian NGO Kalipso, participated in the second ACP Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers Council on behalf of CFFA, in Seychelles from 22 to 25 November 2010. That gave the occasion to make the Ministers and ACP officials aware of the point of view and proposals of the African civil society on the future of fisheries, voiced in September through the Banjul Declaration adopted by African civil society organizations in margin of the Conference of African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture, in which Kalipso and CFFA participated.

The presence of CFFA as observer at the ACP Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers Council allowed artisanal fisheries to gain better visibility, showed their potential and raised the issues that need to be addressed by decision makers in order to ensure artisanal fisheries a sustainable future. However, Vassen Kauppaymuthoo deplores “the impression of some kind of duplication of efforts at the level of these various institutions, because too few bonds are made between these different ministerial meetings and what is actually discussed inside”.

Furthermore, he highlights that “aquaculture was mentioned several times during the Ministers Council, and presented as the panacea to face the collapse of wild fish stocks. But one should not forget that industrial aquaculture development in coastal areas leads to the privatization of the public maritime domain, sometimes jeopardizing the existence of coastal communities living there and provoking a lot of damages and pollutions to the coastal environment: the list of countries that have faced ecological disasters linked to industrial aquaculture is evergrowing. ACP countries cannot neglect these aspects and intensive aquaculture in sensitive tropical ecosystems like Maurice or Seychelles should be proscribed”.

Documents of the ACP Ministers Council are viewable on:http://www.acpsec.org/en/fisheries/2010/resolution_fisheries2_en.pdfhttp://www.acpsec.org/en/jpa_kinshasa/fisheries_press_statementENG_seychelles2010.htmlhttp://www.acpsec.org/en/fisheries/2010/report_short_en.pdf