Spcsrp | Sub regional Fisheries Commission

The seven SRFC member countries are aware that owing to the regional nature of their fisheries resources, the similarity of their fisheries, and the weakness of their means, none of them alone can resolve satisfactorily the problems posed by the rationalization of their fisheries and the conservation of fishery resources in their EEZs. Also, these countries have decided to strengthen their cooperation at sub-regional level, particularly through the implementation of the first Regional Support Programme for the Promotion of Responsible Fishing, the Protection and Conservation of the Marine Environment.
Consequently, with the support of FAO, as part of the AFR/O13/Lux Project (with its institutional component GCP/INT/722/Lux), the SRFC managed to improve the fisheries control system in the sub-region and prepare a Strategic Action Plan (SAP).
However, the implementation of PAS is essentially based on the support projects promoted through components that constitute the foundations of the Regional Support Programme for the Promotion of Responsible Fishing in the SRFC zone that will be used to implement the SAP. Therefore, this project intends to propose a framework for intervention in the form of measures and projects that will allow the SRFC members countries to strengthen their cooperation in the joint and responsible management of fisheries resources.

The overall objective of the project is:

• Supporting the SRFC in the implementation of the regional support programme for the promotion of responsible fishing, the conservation of the marine environment in the SRFC zone.

The specific objectives are the following ones:

• Prepare common support project files for the setting up of the first SAP programme – in close collaboration with the experts of the sub region and interested donors;
• Organize discussions and roundtables with partners/donors. At this level it will consist in working:

1. In close collaboration with donors who have already shown some interest in supporting the SAP and some elements of the first programme;
2. with other potential donors to secure co-funding or complementary financial supports ;

• Organize workshops for the improvement of the capacities of the SRFC member states heads of national management organisations, monitoring and surveillance (SCS) and applied research institutions – in the area of technical and strategic planning including participate actively in the design of projects;
• Contribute to strengthening the institutions and sub regional cooperation tools in the area of fisheries management by designing and testing at full size the new common tool which is the fisheries observatory. The observatory is considered an essential tool from its database and information viewpoint which helps strengthens the information exchange networks and the regional supervision using sectorial indicators.

The project expected results will help strengthen the institutions and the regional fisheries management cooperation tools and to develop the first programme components. It will also help make the projects documents available to donors for the sake of ensuring the effectiveness of the first programme including the technical files in order to provide some technical and financial support to the SRFC.

• Results 1 – The implementation conditions of the first programme and of the technical project files are designed; the roe and responsibilities of the SRFC members states, of the SRFC bodies and of the other stakeholders involved in the implementation of the first programme are specified and made operational.
• Results 2 – Strengthened Capacities in the area of fisheries management planning through the organisation of appropriate training workshops and the setting up of monitoring and information tools. These tools out of which we can quote the regional fisheries observatory are considered by the member states as essential elements for the good implementation of the projects.