Spcsrp | Sub regional Fisheries Commission

The project overall objective is to:

• Promote the joint implementation of responsible fishing practices especially by contributing to reducing illegal, undeclared and unregulated fishing and its efforts on the marine environment and also on the economic viability of the sector in the SRFC member states,

The specific objectives are:

1. Contribute to strengthening operational activities through the planning and implementation of operational activities with a typical regional monitoring, control and surveillance side.
2. Contribute to strengthening the institutions and their capacities in the area of sub regional cooperation as regards monitoring, control and surveillance.

For objective specific 1:

• The national surveillance structures are strengthened and efficiently involved in the sub regional surveillance programme implementation.

1. Update the inventory and assessment of technical means in the sub region.
2. Facilitate the operationalisation of the MCS means necessary for the project activities
3. Make operational the radio communication network between the states and SOCU

• The surveillance databases for the monitoring of the vessels and fishing activities are improved at national and regional levels.
  
  1. Improve the management and data analysis softwares used by SOCU.
  2. Strengthen the capacities if the staff to manage those databases.
  3. Ensure the data are coherently used by countries as a result of MCS operations.
  4. Support the setting up of national registers for industrial fishing vessels.
  5. Contribute to the setting up of the sub regional register for industrial fishing vessels.

• A joint regional programme between the member states and the SRFC is implemented by the SRFC through SOCU
  
  1. Plan the implementation of surveillance operations at regional level.
  2. Implement joint MCS operations at regional level
  3. Support bilateral or multilateral surveillance operations
  4. Monitoring, assessment and valorization of the operations’ results.

For objective specific 2:

• The national and regional human capacities in the area of MCS are strengthened.
  
  1. Organise courses and exchange between staff trained in MCS techniques
  2. Train sub regional observers (CMA & CMM) in the MCS techniques
  3. Organise the continuing training of heads of MCS national structures and of SOCU staff, especially in the area of planning and programming of MCS activities.
  4. Organise information workshops for the executives in charge of the management of fisheries in general and in direct relationship with the planning of the MCS activities.

• An overall logical framework that includes all MCS activities is designed in relation to the policies and national management plans.
  
  1. Make an analytical inventory of national management plans in relations to the MCS aspect
  2. Conduct through seminaries and technical documents a thinking on the developments to be expected and promoted in order to make coherent the developments in the area of planning and all MCS activities
  3. Propose a logical framework which is in line with the short and medium term developments monitored by the SRFC member states and particularly for the purpose of planning activities at regional level.
  4. Contribute after approval of the management plan for each fishery, to making compliant the national and regional MCS activities (national IUU plans).

• National annual plans for the programming of MCS activities are designed in line with the national plans.
  
  1. Support as much as necessary the national institutions in charge of MCS activities in the design of their programming.
  2. Organise a joint annual programming meeting of MCS activities.
  3. Define the national strategy which is compliant with the results of the coordination meetings.
  4. Prepare the annual plans for the programming of MCS regional activities

• The SRFC institutional capacities are strengthened in order to facilitate the implementation of the SAP particularly its MCS component.
  
  1. Contribute to the harmonization of the legislation in force in the SRFC in relation to MCS activities, through the expertise and technical workshops (revision of the conventions, laws, and other texts that apply to the fishing activity stakeholders).
  2. Study and encourage the setting up of conditions and technical and legal protocols for making operational the sub regional register.
  3. Study the arrangements and prerequisites necessary for the extension of MCS activities to artisanal fishing.
  4. Develop performance indicators for MCS activities and promote their use in the framework of the definition of new activities.
  5. Act at the level of the strengthening of information, communication and awareness raising as regards SCS and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in relation to the partner institutions operating in this area.
  6. Organisation of big conference opened to the public at large to raise awareness and present the interest, the means, prospects and results obtained in the area of MCS and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing at the level of the SRFC.