First Stakeholder Consultation Meeting of the FAO Programme in support of the implementation of the FAO strategy for fisheries and aquaculture in Africa

NEPAD Agency Senior Fisheries Advisor,
Dr. Sloans Chimatiro

10-12 May 2011. Midrand, South Africa. Organised by FAO and NEPAD, the engagement brought together participants from Regional Fisheries Organisations, Regional Fisheries Bodies, Regional Economic Commissions, donors as well as civil society.

The objectives of the meeting were:

1. To participate and contribute to fisheries and programmes and closely link to existing and emerging regional and sub-regional fisheries organisations;
2. To identify a new programme to support the implementation of the FAO strategy for fisheries and aquaculture in Africa;
3. To support the development and implementation of a Comprehensive African Fisheries Reform Strategy promoted by the Partnership for African Fishereis (PAF) under the NEPAD Action Plan for the Development of African Fisheries and Aquaculture -- as was recommended by the recent Conference of African Ministers of Fishereis & Aquaculture (CAMFA).

According to the outcome discussions, priority should be given to the review of existing information on initiatives, programmes and relevant actors through an information sharing system. In this context, it was agreed to adequately define ways to formally identify and integrate actors and also to share these information. The outcome of the review will also define and prioritise appropriate action plans as well as key partners. Such an information sharing system will help to strengthen effective communication channels for fisheries and aquaculture policies and strategic dialogue in Africa.

The participants stressed the importance of integrating climate change considerations into fishery management plans. NEPAD’s participation and contribution in this regard at the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa, in December 2011, was therefore highly recommended.

The FAO Strategy for Fisheries & Aquaculture in Africa is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).

Vulnerability of national economies to the impacts of climate change on fisheries

The authors of this report (24 pp.- Published online: Feb 4 2009) examined 132 national economies to determine which are the most vulnerable, based on environmental, fisheries, dietary and economic factors.

Two-thirds of the most vulnerable nations are in tropical Africa, where in many countries fish account for more than half of daily animal protein consumption and where research indicates that fish production in both coastal and inland waters is highly sensitive to climate variations.
In coastal regions, climate variations can significantly alter the flow of nutrient-rich waters - known as upwellings - which sustain fish populations that feed millions in sub-Saharan Africa. Meanwhile, in eastern and southern Africa, rising temperatures in freshwater lakes over the last century have already reduced fish stocks. Future climate change is expected to worsen this trend, while also leading to lower water levels due to decreased rain and increased evaporation.

Both coastal and landlocked countries in Africa, including Malawi, Guinea, Senegal and Uganda, four Asian tropical countries - Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan and Yemen - and two countries in South America, Peru and Colombia, were identified as the most economically vulnerable to the effects of global warming on fisheries. Overall, of the 33 countries that were considered highly vulnerable, 19 are already classified by the United Nations as "least developed" due to their particularly poor socioeconomic conditions.

More information
The study: Vulnerability of national economies to the impacts of climate change on fisheries
Related:
Fishing and Climate Change
The Stockholm Environment Institute will carry out the study of climate change impacts and their economic costs for Kenya, which it is hoped will inform decision-making by policy makers in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa. Posted on R4D 30 January 2009

A role for FARA-CGIAR collaboration in the sector of inter african fish trade

Dr. Simon Heck, Senior Policy Adviser, WorldFish Center expains how the need for research in the sector of fisheries has moved beyond fish biologists to incorporate many other disciplines like economists. Too much attention went to understanding African fish markets for export to Europe. He thinks that there is a specific role for FARA-CGIAR collaboration to understand and stimulate inter african fish trade

Sustainable Aquaculture Research Networks in Sub Saharan Africa

The EC funded SARNISSA project aims to link like minded individuals throughout Sub Saharan Africa and beyond for their mutual benefit. Language differences present a particular challenge. English speakers may be unaware of key contacts or unable to access the wealth of information from French-speaking countries and vice versa for French speakers.

The three-year project will strengthen alliances between languages and across borders among experienced and emergent players in the African and wider aquaculture scene that will build on an existing knowledge resource base and exchange platform – The Aquaculture Compendium – - which will be made available throughout the project period to all key project stakeholders who will help provide new materials related to sub Saharan African development.

The project focus is very much on initiating regular communication among stakeholders (researchers, commercial and market sectors, government agencies, NGOs, and others) in order that collaborations can be initiated and nurtured.

Related:

19 September 2008 Workshop on fisheries in west Africa. Fisheries advisors and participants from fisheries/ marine ecosystem programs in West Africa : CSRP, PCRM, PPP - Meeting of European Fisheries Development Advisers Amsterdam

22-26 September 2008 Fourth International Conference of the Pan African Fish and Fisheries Association - African Fish and Fisheries

Climate change will have strong impact on fisheries

10 July 2008, Rome - Temperature and other variations resulting from climate change will have a strong impact on fisheries and aquaculture, with significant food security consequences for certain populations, FAO said this week.

The UN food agency’s note of caution came at the start of a four day scientific symposium on climate change and marine fisheries being held at its Rome headquarters (8-11 July 2008). The event, which involves over 200 experts and policymakers from around the globe, aims to paint a fuller picture of the challenges that climate change poses to marine fisheries and the millions of people who depend on them for food and income.

Reference:

FAO Newsroom Climate change will have strong impact on fisheries

Environmental Newsservice Warmer Oceans Hold Fewer Fish, UN Warns

United Nations Radio FAO warns of the impact of climate change on fisheries

Related:

GIS Portal Streamlines Aquaculture and Fisheries in Africa
FAO used ESRI's GIS technology to create GISFish, a one-stop Internet site for GIS-based resources for aquaculture and inland fisheries in developing countries.

Forum of the WorldFish center - Using ICT in Fisheries & Aquaculture programmes

Looking at fishery data from the past few decades, scientists found that increased mortality due to overfishing had favoured fish that matured smaller and earlier, yet also carried far fewer eggs at their first reproduction. Older data showed that a typical cod caught in Norway might have taken ten years to mature, while the same fish now would only take six years or even less, said Dieckmann.

"The question is not whether such evolution will occur, but how fast fishing practices bring about evolutionary changes and what the consequences will be," scientists wrote in their comment in Science, warning that such evolution may even be irreversible. Read more on Reuters.

From 24th November to 7th December 2007, the WorldFish center is holding an e-consultation on “Using ICT in Fisheries & Aquaculture programmes” at http://www.e-agriculture.org/.

All e-Agriculture Community members are invited to participate. The WorldFish Center is a non-profit organization that focuses on alleviating poverty and hunger by improving fisheries and aquaculture. WorldFish is one of 15 international research centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

In 2006 the FAO commissioned a study into the application of information and communication technology (ICT) in small-scale fisheries. The research found that the full range of ICT tools, from specialist fishing technologies to media technologies and general purpose ICTs, are being used across the different fisheries value chains (marine, inland and aquaculture). A database of 54 Case Studies was developed for the research and a summary of the findings is presented on the http://www.e-agriculture.org/ site to support this discussion.

The Policy Brief provides more detailed case studies and recommendations.

The discussion is also intended to inform the upcoming Global Knowledge II (GK3) conference in Kuala Lumpur (11-13/12/2007). Organised by the Global Knowledge Partnership, GK3 focuses on the uses of ICT in Development (ICT4D).

“GK3 will bring together over 2,000 visionaries, international leaders, practitioners and policy-makers to engage on the theme: Emerging People, Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies.”

FAO is organising a key workshop on e-agriculture where WorldFish will be raising questions from the discussion, as well as the findings from the FAO research.

Future of Fish Farming in Africa

An FAO paper about Fish farming was presented during a high level meeting on the THE ROLE OF AQUACULTURE IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (Rome, 17-24 November 2007).

The FAO paper notes that not only does aquaculture help reduce hunger and malnutrition by providing food rich in protein, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, it also significantly improves food security by creating jobs and raising incomes.

One worrying exception to the aquaculture boom is Africa, the only world region where per capita consumption of fish has dropped and whose share of global aquaculture production is less than one percent. "Africa has the full resource potential for aquaculture growth," FAO's paper said, and should be a "priority region" for aid aimed at promoting aquaculture development.

See also the FAO Aquaculture website

BBC programme on Aqua farms

BBC World Service broadcasts today a major three-part series looking at the global fishing industry. Richard BLACK asks:
















a) How bad the fisheries' crisis really is, and whether we could face a future without commercial fisheries.
b) What would the implications of this be for the ecosystem and communities who rely on fish for food and livelihoods?
c) Is fish farming a viable alternative to declining stocks, or are there more sustainable ways to turn the situation around?
Listen to One Planet