CONTRIBUTION OF FISHERIES INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS TO THE

CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF FISHERIES RESOURCES IN THE EASTERN

CENTRAL AND SOUTH EASTERN ATLANTIC

By Benedict Satia

East-Central and South-Eastern Atlantic

PLAN• Highlight significant aspects in the development

of regional fishery bodies and the Abidjan RSC• Summarize achievements of RFBs and RSC• Evaluate strengths and weaknesses• Discuss efforts to strengthen effectiveness of these

bodies• Look at the future• Conclusion

EVOLUTION OF REGIONAL FISHERY BODIES AND ARRANGEMENTS

Period No. established No. active Area of EmphasisPre-Unclos (1902-1950) 7 6 Scientific researchLaw of the Sea negotiationperiod (1951-1982)

20 13 Advisory

Post-Third Unclos (1982to present)

17 12 Management

TOTAL 44 31

DEFINITION OF A REGIONAL FISHERY BODY

A Regional Fishery Body (RFB) refers to a mechanism through which three or more States or international organizations that are Parties to an international fishery Agreement or Arrangement collectively engaged with each other in the multilateral management of fisheries affairs falling within their area of competence. The RFB undertakes the collection and provision of scientific information and data, serves as a technical and policy forum, and may take decisions pertaining to the development, conservation, management and responsible utilization of the resources.

Eastern-Central and South-Eastern AtlanticRFBs

• The Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF)

• The Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC)

• The Regional Fisheries Committee for the Gulf of Guinea (COREP)

• The Ministerial Conference of Fisheries Cooperation among African States Bordering the Atlantic Ocean (ATLAFCO)

• The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)

• The South-East Atlantic Fisheries Organization (SEAFO)

Eastern-Central and South-Eastern AtlanticMajor Arrangements

• The Economic Community of Central African States

• The Economic Community for Livestock, Meat and Fisheries Resources (CEBEVIRAH), a subsidiary body to the Economic Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC)

• The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

ACHIEVEMENTS2. ICCAT

The Commission has regulatory powers:

• has made recommendations on catch quotas, on the minimum weight of fish, and on the limitation of incidental catches;

• has a scheme for Port Inspection as well as an Infraction Committee;

• adopted resolutions on catch reduction, statistical document programmes, a pilot vessel-monitoring system programme, transhipments and vessel sightings, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, pelagic driftnet fishing, by-catch, longline fishing, catch certifications, and the revision of ICCAT Port Inspection Schemes.

ACHIEVEMENTS

3. COREP

COREP has not yet taken action with regard to statistical improvements, resource evaluation and management.

ACHIEVEMENTS 4. SRFC

• The Commission has shown particular interest in the management of its resources, laying emphasis on monitoring, control and surveillance;

• The SRFC has adopted a number of important rules and regulations on the conservation and control of fishing;

• Member States of the Commission have also concluded a number of additional fishing protocols and agreements on a bilateral or multilateral basis;

• Member countries of the Commission have established, and are operating, maritime surveillance units.

.../..

The Commission has undertaken a series of activities in the area of MCS and in particular Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS);

The Commission’s Strategic plan has been elaborated, which identifies the pivotal place of VMS in the activities of the Commission;

The Commission has also organised a series of workshops, inter alia, on conditions of access, on the establishment of a sub-regional fishing vessels Records/Register and on improvements in fishing agreements;

It has commissioned diagnostic studies of VMS in the region.

ACHIEVEMENTS5. Ministerial Conference

The Conference has contributed in identifying a number of projects which have been executed or are ongoing in the region:

• Improvement of legal framework• Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS)• Application of GIS• Training on various aspects of fisheries, etc.

ACHIEVEMENTS 6. Abidjan Convention

• Produced status reports on national capacity development needs for a number of countries

• Undertaken activities to minimize impacts from municipal and industrial discharges and from waste disposal

• Has given effect to twinning arrangements with other Conventions

• Prioritized effects of pesticides and the use of fertilizers in agriculture, solid waste and marine litter on the oceanic environment.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

STRENGTHS

CECAF: Impartiality, non political nature, support of FAO.

ICCAT: High sense of ownership and accountability, independence of scientific advice, strong regulatory powers, impressive process of setting priorities, and implementation of provisions in recent international instruments.

SRFC: Dynamic secretariat.

WEAKNESSES

Various

STRENGTHENING EXISTING RFBs

• adopting the obligations and management concepts agreed in international instruments,

• collaborating to an increasing extent,

• reviewing and strengthening their mandates,

• adopting management strategies or increasing their activities, taking into account ecosystem considerations,

• pro-actively working to secure the compliance by non-members with the RFB’s management measures,

• improving data collection and analysis,

• proactively creating intelligence networks,

• adopting trade and other measures to discourage such activities as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

PROSPECTS FOR ECOSYSTEM-BASED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

1. Context

• Existence of three distinct ecosystem regions. • Steadily growing acceptance of the convergence of fisheries

management and ecosystem management paradigms.• Relationship between the work of regional fishery bodies and the

RSC programme in the region reflects the growing nexus between fisheries and environmental management.

• Most countries are contracting parties to the 1982 UN Convention• Very few countries are party to the 1995 UN Fish Stocks

Agreement and the 1993 FAO Compliance Agreement

PROSPECTS FOR ECOSYSTEM-BASED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

2. What can be done

(i) existing bodies to factor in aspects of ecosystem-based management more effectively in their budget and development programmes;

(ii) a twinning of activities between the RSC programme in the region and RFBs, and hence the establishment of an ecosystem-based approach at a regional level for ensuring sustainable marine management;

(iii) strengthening existing institutions through capacity building and stakeholders involvement, so that packages of mutually supportive measures, which focus on the coastal community can be developed for concerted action by wide spectrum of stakeholders at different levels;

(iv) exchanging data and information available at the level of RFBs and the RSC programme that may be of mutual interest;

(v) establishing joint advisory panels and organizing joint technical meetings on subjects of mutual interest as is happening between the Helsinki and Ospar Commissions and ICES;

(vi) creating a formal agreement (e.g. Memorandum of Understanding) between each RFBs and the RSC programme, specifying the modalities of cooperation;

(vii) designing and implementing joint programmes between RFBs and the RSC programme taking fully into account the respective mandates, objectives and scope of the RSC programme and the RFBs;

(viii) defining ecosystem objectives in parallel with the current conservation objectives of fisheries management; and

(ix) evaluating the degree to which important industrial complexes are meeting ecosystem objectives and elaborating procedures for resolving user conflicts.

CONCLUSIONThe present capacity in the region is insufficient

to deal effectively with conventional management of fisheries.

• The higher costs implied by ecosystem-based management would represent a significant challenge.

• Long term and concerted assistance is required to implement EBFM in the eastern central and south eastern Atlantic area.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH