Participants at the workshop

AU-IBAR in collaboration the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently held a workshop on Rights-Based Fisheries Management (RBM) at the Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 7 to 8 November 2011. About 30 participants from fisheries institutions in the south and eastern African attended the meeting, including from civil society organizations, private sectors, financial partners, etc.

The purpose of the workshop was to open dialogue on the potential for developing rights-based management approaches to improve the conservations and economic performance of marine fisheries resources in the Western Indian Ocean region, with a focus on shrimp and tuna fisheries. Secondly, it was meant to support the Western Ocean Coastal states to develop a common understanding around tuna resources, including stock status, production trends, global market dynamics, key drivers and management measures. The workshop also addressed the status of artisanal fisheries in the Western Ocean Coastal region with the view of exploring the practicability for implementing RBM in the subsector.

Welcome statement was made by the head of the WWF Coastal East African Initiative, Dr. Peter Scherer, followed by the opening statement from the Director of AU-IBAR, Prof. Ahmed El Sawalhy (read on his behalf by Dr. Mohamed Seisay, Senior Fisheries Officer) and official opening by representative of the Government of Tanzania, Dr. Budeba.

Resource persons were derived from WWF International, the Australia Fisheries Authority and the Namibian Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.

The workshop was followed, on 9 and 10 November 2011, by two separate fora for civil society organizations and the directors of fisheries from Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania and Seychelles.

During the workshop, a consensus was reached on the need to adopt and implement a rights-based approach in the management of tuna, shrimp and artisanal fisheries. Furthermore, there was an overall acknowledgement that the rights-based approach has the potential of improving the livelihoods of the people in the region, increasing the contribution of fisheries to the national economies. The approach could also foster the growth of these coastal states and improve compliance and sustainable management of the resources.

The workshop urged Member States and institutions present to collaborate with the African Union by implementing the “Decisions of the Conference of African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture”, which advocates for the development of an institutional framework and governance reform process for wealth generation of African fisheries.

Under the Strategic Plan 2010-2014, programme number 4, AU-IBAR is assisting regional fisheries bodies (RFBs) and Member States to develop and implement ecosystem approaches for sustainable management of fisheries based on international best practices.