Strengthening Fisheries Management in ACP Countries

ACP Fish II

Strengthening Fisheries Management in ACP Countries

Report of the Regional Needs Assessment Workshop

for Eastern Africa

December 1st and 2nd, 2009

Hotel Africana, Kampala, Uganda.

Prepared by

John Purvis

Regional Manager for Eastern Africa

Regional Facilitation Unit – Eastern Africa

December 2009

Contents page

1.Opening of the Workshop

2.Workshop objectives and adoption of programme

3.Presentation of the ACP Fish 2 programme

4.Regional fisheries management initiatives

5.National fisheries management status

6.Reports of working groups

7.Summary and way forward

8.Closing

Annex 1 Programme

Annex 2 Opening ceremony

Annex 3 Welcome address Department of Fisheries Resources, Uganda

Annex 4 Remarks – ACP Fish project

Annex 5 Address by European Union Delegation

Annex 6 Keynote address: Minister of State for Fisheries

Annex 7 List of participants

Annex 8 Working Group output: Inland

Annex 9 Working Group output: Marine

1. Opening of the Workshop

Dr Rhoda Tumwebaze, Assistant Commissioner for Fisheries, Uganda began the Opening Ceremony (Annex 2), welcomed participants to Uganda and to the workshop (see full address in Annex 3). She stressed the importance of the workshop and called on participants to be active and engaged. Dr Tumwebaze recognised the problems facing many fish stocks in the region and thanked ACP Fish for selecting Uganda to host the workshop and also for establishing the Regional Facilitation Unit eastern Africa (RFU - EA) in Kampala. Mr Philippe Cacaud made a few remarks on behalf of the ACP Fish 2 Co-ordination Unit in Brussels (see Annex 4 for the remarks). Mr Cacaud stated that the workshop marks the start of regional implementation and the purpose is to assess and identify the needs of Eastern Africa ACP countries to strengthen fisheries management and begin the process of identifying areas to be supported by the ACP Fish 2 project. He further explained that the specific objective of the Programme is to strengthen fisheries sectoral policy development and implementation in ACP countries and as such will operate in five areas. Results in the policy and legislative framework provides the cornerstone of the project on which all other activities rest. Other important result areas are: supporting the fight against illegal fishing and trading; improving research strategies in the region particularly as a supporting component to fish policy development; strengthening the framework for private sector trade and investment in the fisheries sector and; improving the communication and use of information for fisheries management. Mr Cacaud closed his remarks by stressing that ACP Fish 2 is a demand-driven project requiring action from ACP states to work with partners and actively request support through the development of programmes and projects.

The European Union Delegation was represented by Mr Jose Soler, Head of Operations in Uganda. He began by stressing that fisheries had played an important role in the European integration process and as such the EU was in a strong position to offer support to the ACP states in this field (Annex 5). Mr Soler noted that the project is operational from June 2009 to November 2013 and will focus on the broad governance issues related to fisheries and on the policies, institutions and processes that underpin them. Noting that one of the strengths of the project was the regional level of implementation he stressed the need to restrain national interests in the interests of regional economic and social development. Mr Soler took the opportunity to highlight the dangers of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing to the sustainability of the resource and hoped the project would be successful in reducing such destructive practices. The Head of Operations closed his remarks by calling for participants to be inventive and focused in identifying activities to address specific needs and inviting the Honorable Minister to give the keynote address.

Honorable Minister Fred Mukisa, Minister of State for Fisheries welcomed all participants to Uganda and delivered his keynote address (Annex 6). Hon. Mukisa thanked the Co-ordinating Unit in Brussels for honouring Uganda with the Regional Facilitation Unit – eastern Africa and pledged the full support of the Ministry and the entire government of Uganda in the implementation of project activities. The Minister continued to advise participants to critically analyse their fisheries policies and processes in order that the sector could support the eastern Africa region in achievement of goals in terms of sustainable fisheries management and also in the wider efforts to alleviate poverty and bring food security to the people of the region. Hon Mukisa outlined the active role that Uganda plays in the management of the Lake Victoria through the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO) and stressed his wish to see similar bodies established on other shared lakes of which Uganda is a riparian state. He emphasised the importance of regional and international fish trade to the fisheries sector of eastern Africa and hoped the project would support activities in this area whilst not forgetting targeted research which has an important role to play. He wished participants good deliberations and declared the Workshop open.

Participants identified Dr Rhoda Tumwebaze, Assistant Commissioner for Fisheries, Uganda as the Chair of the first session. Participants introduced themselves and the technical component of the workshop commenced (see full Participants list in Annex 7).

2. Workshop objectives and adoption of programme

The Regional Manager for the Eastern Africa RFU, John Purvis, started the session with a short presentation outlining the workshop objectives for the 2 days as follows:

1. Project outline and mechanisms are described to major target beneficiaries
2. Existing fisheries management systems, institutional & legal framework, issues and ongoing initiatives/projects (regional & national institutions) are outlined
3. Preliminary needs assessment at Regional and national level conducted – to identify and prioritise activities for support under ACP Fish 2

The programme (Annex 1) for the meeting had been developed to meet these objectives and the Regional Manager outlined the session plan. Participants agreed with the objectives and programme for the meeting.

3. Presentation of the ACP Fish 2 programme

John Purvis (Regional Manager, EA-RFU) presented the ACP Fish 2 project outline to participants. He explained that ACP Fish 1 had been implemented between 1997 and 2001 and was largely focused on research and the development of a database. The planning for ACP Fish 2 had been ongoing since 2001 and implementation was finally beginning now. The specific objective (purpose) is to strengthen fisheries sectoral policy development and implementation in ACP countries. The five components of the programme were elaborated as:

1. Improved Fisheries Policies and management plans at regional and national levels
2. Reinforced control and enforcement capabilities
3. Reinforced national and regional research strategies and initiatives
4. Developed business supportive regulatory frameworks and private sector investment
5. Increased knowledge-sharing on fisheries management and trade at regional level

The Regional manager continued to explain the type of support available for participating countries as

• Technical support to fisheries policies and management plans

• Short term TA to support specific activities

• Medium-long term TA to support institutional capacity building

• Training activities and courses

• Facilitation of workshops

The countries covered by the RFU – EA were listed: Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Regional bodies included the LVFO, COMESA, IOTC, EAC, SWIOFC. Furthermore the role of the RFU and the CU were outlined. He explained that the bulk of the funds would be channelled through the agreed work plans but there would be small amount of funds available for specific unplanned requests. Specific issues for Regional Fisheries Bodies were addressed in the final slide.

Plenary discussions on the presentation followed and the following points were noted:

1. The project is demand-driven – being able to respond to requests included in the workplans and in some cases, to non-planned specific requests.
2. This workshop will be followed by a period of further consultations and a second workshop (provisionally scheduled) in April 2010 to further examine and agree work-plans
3. Whilst the scope of the project is very broad the key terms for implementation must be: targeted intervention, high impact and addressing priority needs
4. There is a danger that other donors and national administrations will assume (wrongly) that the ACP Fish Project is providing support in all areas of fisheries to all beneficiary countries. It must be clarified at the earliest possible time that ACP fish is only supporting these specific areas in specific countries (some regional) so that donors are not discouraged from providing complementary support to fisheries.
5. Funds are limited – €30 million over 4 years in more than 70 ACP states – actions must be targeted and we must ensure partners do not think everything is being funded in fisheries administrations.

The Session was closed by the Chairman and the meeting adjourned.

4. Regional fisheries management initiatives

The afternoon session was Chaired by Charles Byarugaba, Principal Fisheries Economist, Fisheries Division, Tanzania.

Carol Kirema-Mukasa, Senior Economist from the LVFO made a presentation on the work of the LVFO in the region. Ms Mukasa outlined the history of the LVFO with its establishment through a convention of 1994 under the EAC then comprising of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda with the objectives of fostering cooperation amongst the Partner States through harmonisation of national measures and developing and adopting conservation and management measures for the sustainable utilisation of the living resources of Lake Victoria. The LVFO have developed programmes on key areas of fisheries management including: Co-management; Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS); Resource and Socio-economic research and Monitoring; Information exchange and dissemination; Capacity building – Human resource & Infrastructure and: aquaculture research and development. Key regional level accomplishments in recent years had been the development of a Fisheries Management Plan for Lake Victoria, establishment of over 1000 Beach Management Units (fisheries co-management institutions) across the lake in three countries, regional plans of action against IUU fishing and for the management of fishing capacity and an Aquaculture development strategy.

Whilst noting that much had been achieved, the Senior Economist noted that there were particular needs for support in the following areas: Finalising the harmonisation of fisheries policies and legislations in relation to Lake Victoria; Strengthening institutional development and capacity of BMUs and other co-management structures; Developing a sustainable funding system for fisheries management and resource monitoring; Promoting private sector investment in fisheries and aquaculture; Strengthening capacity in management information systems; Increasing public awareness of socio-economic issues within the fisheries sector of Lake Victoria and sustaining regional and international trade in fish and fishery products.

Gerard Domingue, Compliance Officer, IOTC, outlined the functions of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), which is an intergovernmental organisation currently consisting of 28 members and three non-contracting cooperating parties (CPCs). The CPCs consist of both coastal countries of the Indian Ocean and distant water fishing nations that have traditionally operated in the Indian Ocean. The IOTC is mandated to manage tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean and the adjacent Seas.

It was noted that the Secretariat of the IOTC, which is based in the Seychelles, provides support to the member countries in a variety of ways. This ranges from being the repository of information relating to fishing vessels and fishing activities in the Area, to assisting members in fulfilling their responsibilities to the Commission. The meeting was informed that the Commission adopts at its annual meeting pertinent conservation and management measures that are expected to be implemented by the CPCs and that the level of the effectiveness of the Commission may be gauged by the level of compliance of CPCs to the suite of conservation and management measures adopted by the Commission thus far.

The Secretariat has always been very active in following the different initiatives, at both the regional and global levels, that are compatible with the objectives of the Commission, to ensure that the interest of the IOTC members are captured. In line with this objective, the IOTC is being represented at this ACP Fish II Programme meeting to assist its member States represented at the meeting to identify areas where the activities of the Programme would consolidate on efforts already underway to assist some of these countries to improve their level of compliance to conservation and management measures adopted by the IOTC.

5. National fisheries management status

Roseline Okwach, Chief Fisheries Officer, Kenya made a comprehensive presentation on the status of fisheries management in Kenyan waters – marine and inland. Although the Fisheries Policy has recently been put in place, there is still a lot of work to be done in order to operationalise the Kenya Oceans and Fisheries Service as the responsible body for management of fisheries nationwide. The final draft of the Fisheries Bill is complete but further stakeholder consultation is required and a range of Regulations need to be developed. A series of initiatives in all areas was noted but the presentation ended with a call for action and support, as much work was still required in all areas of available for funding under the ACP Fish 2.

Ali Salad Sabriye, Director of Research, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Somalia explained that there is no existing Fisheries Policy document for Somalia and furthermore the existing legislation dates from 1982 and requires substantial review and re-working. Policy instruments and legislation are required in most areas where potential support could be provided and especially there is a need to improve the capacity of the officers involved in fisheries management.

Principal Fisheries Economist, Charles Byarugaba, of the Fisheries Development Division, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Tanzania provided an overview of the status of fisheries management in his country. Whilst there exists an overall Fisheries Sector Policy and Strategy statement (1997) this is under review to incorporate new developments in the sector. Co-management arrangements (through BMUs) were being developed across inland and marine fisheries but substantial works is still required in these areas to operationalise fully the institutional structures. As a number of shared water-bodies exist in Tanzanian territory, they are involved in a range of bilateral and multilateral fisheries management arrangements and bodies particularly on Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Nyasa and the Indian Ocean.

Sammy Mahmoud, the Director of Integrated Coastal Area Management Division, presented on behalf of the Ministry of Marine Resources, Eritrea. He outlined the role of the Ministry and particularly the recently established Integrated Coastal Area Management Division located within the Ministry. Although many important policy instruments were in place, some needed review and amendment to ensure they remained effective in the light of changing circumstances and this particularly applied in the area of MCS in fighting illegal fishing. Capacity building in most areas of fisheries management was an urgent need. Support was required in the areas of international and regional trade in fish and fishery products.

Mr Serafina Aloma Francis, Deputy Director for Fisheries Technology, Ministry of Animal Resources provided an overview of fisheries management in southern Sudan. He explained that the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) formulates policies for fisheries which are in turn implemented by states. The fisheries policy document was prepared in 2006, is still in the process of approval and will be updated before passing. The presenter noted that implementation of national plans was poor due to lack of funding but important activities are required in fish farms and in supporting fisheries co-operatives especially. There are three donor funded projects in the southern states, some of these work with fishers. Improvement of fish handling, fishing gear manufacture are areas where specific training is required as is the more general training to improve capacity in the fisheries private sector (for fishers) and the public sector (the regulators).

Fishery Officer Hussein Abegaz from the Agricultural Extension Directorate in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ethiopia outlined the status of fisheries management in Ethiopia. The presenter explained that although fisheries existed in all water-bodies in the country the level of exploitation was very uneven. The vast majority of fish is consumed locally with only a small amount exported under a pilot programme. Considerable progress had been made in recent years in the development of the aquaculture industry: programmes have resulted in ponds stocking tilapia and carp for small pond/subsistence fish farms; whilst in the commercial sector considerable work has been done to bring private business funds into the sector with over US$18 million having been invested to 2009. Additional commercial aquaculture projects are in the pipeline. Given the importance of the sector there is an Aquaculture Development Strategy (2009) but no broad fishery sector policy. There are regulations dealing with fish health and sanitary standards for handling and processing, regulations for licensing and other issues. A number of gaps were identified in the system especially relating to the level of capacity in all areas of fisheries management, low level of stakeholder involvement needs to be addressed, which were exacerbated by lack of financial resources.