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. 

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.

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.

Securing transparency in African Marine Fisheries

Over 60 participants from 16 African countries and from 4 countries in the European Union gathered in Mbour, Senegal’s second most important fishing town, to attend a 3 day Conference on Transparency in the Maritime Fisheries Sector in Africa. The event was hosted and organized by the African Confederation of Professional Artisanal Fisheries Organizations (CAOPA) in collaboration with TransparentSea, the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements (CFFA) and the West Africa Rural Foundation (WARF). This Conference followed the celebration of the World Fisheries Day, also organised by CAOPA, where the FAO Voluntary guidelines for sustainable small scale fisheries were discussed.

Participants to the Conference included fishermen leaders, leaders from the post-harvest sector including women fish processors and traders, civil society organizations, and local authorities. Also present were members of the West African Journalists’ Network for Responsible Fisheries (REJOPRAO), Seafood Choices Alliance Seafood Champion award winners in 2010.

Participants shared and learned about how massive investments being made in aid projects for the development of artisanal fisheries are not benefitting fishing communities, and where transparency is lacking on where the aid monies end up. So too massive flows of speculative transnational capital are being invested in industrial fishing operations in African waters.

The conference underlined how transparency is an emerging issue in fisheries, an issue highlighted by the FAO in its State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture Report for 2010, and being taken account of by the World Bank and other major donors which are beginning to adopt transparency programmes.

Amongst other issues, Conference participants called for Standards and Principles for transparency in fisheries to be developed and adopted. These would include making information available in local languages using simplified terminology; setting time limits for processing and responding to requests for information; making information readily accessible in the form that best suits the country where it is disseminated; and ensuring proper participation and prior informed consent in policy making and implementation.

Contribution by Brian O’Riordan, ICSF Belgium Office Secretary

For more information read the Conference report

VG SSF Guidelines and Civil Society:https://sites.google.com/site/small... 

Information on VG SSF Process:http://www.fao.org/fishery/ssf/guid... 

The Benefits and Limits of Transparency

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

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.