The overarching objective of the FarFish project is to provide knowledge, tools and methods to support responsible, sustainable and profitable EU fisheries outside European waters, both within the jurisdiction (EEZ) of non-EU coastal states as well as in international waters / high seas. In order to achieve this the FarFish project has produced this report with the aim to identify, study and potentially recommend investment opportunities for EU operators within some of the project's case study countries. This report studies investment opportunities within the small pelagic fisheries in Mauritanian waters, and the associated value chains, as well as the tuna fish pole and line fishery by the coast of the Atlantic Façade of Africa (mainly SW - Senegal), and the associated value chains. Also, a section is dedicated to investigating the specific case of investment of French capital in tuna fisheries in Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.
This report synthesises the main findings from the value chain- and governance analysis in FarFish, and point at some potential policy changes that could improve governance of the SFPAs and the high seas fisheries of the European external fishing fleet. This is the final deliverable from work package 3 (WP3) of the FarFish project, containing lessons learned and policy recommendations based on the work conducted in T3.1 Evaluation of governance structures and T3.2 Value chain analysis. The overall objective of FarFish is to improve knowledge on and management of EU fisheries outside Europe, while contributing to sustainability and long-term profitability. To this end, WP3 has conducted value chain analysis and evaluations of the governance structure of the EU external fishing fleet in the selected case studies. The studies have provided insights to how these fisheries are managed and conducted, and how the fisheries are utilized and are contributing to the seafood supply, including to the European market and partner countries. This report synthesises the main findings from these studies. Based on the lessons learned as well as interaction with other areas within the project, we discuss recommendations for potential policy changes that could improve governance of the SFPAs and European high seas fisheries. The fisheries and value chains analysed are highly professional and are based on the different companies' commercial considerations. The recommendations to improve the performance of these companies or to achieve wider socio-economic goals are therefore directed at the potential for changes and improvements by way of regulations. The suggestions would in most cases require further elaboration and discussions, hence the term potential.
This document contains the 1st management recommendation (MR) invitations submitted to the case studies in the FarFish project. The purpose of these MR invitations is to offer selected operators (resource users) the opportunity to develop MRs in accordance with the responsive fisheries management system (RFMS) approach; following the "first draft general guidelines for making MRs" presented in FarFish deliverable 3.1. The RFMS is a management approach founded on the principles of results-based management (RBM). According to RFMS, the responsibility for fisheries management is partly transferred to the resource users, provided that they meet with necessary requirements set forth by the competent authorities and provide documentation confirming implementation and achievement of specified management objectives. The advantages of such an approach include facilitation of more bottom-up style of management where the actual resource users and other stakeholders are involved, which is likely to increase the sense of ownership of the resource users in the management. Other advantages are for example increased transparency, as well as reduced costs and increased coverage of monitoring, control and surveillance. The MR invitations presented here are for each of the six FarFish case studies, i.e. the EU fleets operating in SW-Atlantic high-seas mixed demersal fishery, the SE-Atlantic high-seas mixed demersal fishery, Cabo Verde SFPA fishery, Senegalese SFPA fishery, Mauritanian SFPA fishery and the Seychelles SFPA fishery. The MR invitations follow up on a pre-invitation dialogues where the basics of the RFMS approach have been introduced. The MR invitations include a short description of what is to be the main focus of the MRs, identification of the main actors and their roles and responsibilities in the process, details on the current status of the fishery and finally the identification of so-called Outcome Targets (OTs) that are specific and measurable performance goals that the MRs are to meet. It should be taken into ...
The relevance of the External Dimension aspects of the EU Common fisheries Policy (CFP) is permanently called into question, casting doubts on whether they are properly integrated within the CFP, evaluating their coherence with other EU policies and estimating their conformity and consistency with the international law of the sea. The relevant branches of this CFP are the so-called 'Sustainable Fisheries Partnerships Agreements (SFPAs) which do represent one of the most pertinent manifestations of the EU's international dimension. The EU has an enhanced responsibility to promote sustainable and responsible fisheries management in international waters, assuming responsibilities as a contracting party to SFPAs. Those responsibilities range from the reinforcement of governance, to the creation of assessments to strengthen the weaknesses of these agreements by establishing inclusive policies with a real impact on society. The FarFish project facilitated a web conference/workshop in June 2021 in order to facilitate multi-stakeholder discussions on the advantages, disadvantages and current challenges on the External Dimension of the CFP. The focus of the discussions was on the SFPAs as an instrument to strengthen the collaboration among EU and Coastal States. Organised by Centro Tecnólogico del Mar- Fundación CETMAR and the Long Distance Advisory Council (LDAC) the event did offer a mix of panel discussions and different interventions to explore how the CFP External Dimension can be a driver for beneficial change in the field of sustainable fisheries and governance in international waters, in order to improve the implementation of the External Dimension of the CFP in the next period (2023-2033). This report contains a summary of the discussions at the workshop and main conclusions. From a general view, the conclusions describe a relatively optimistic balance for SFPAs as contributors to sustainable fisheries. Nevertheless, there is still room to improve, especially in order to respond to the needs and interests of ...
The H2020 project FarFish aims to provide knowledge, tools and methods to support responsible, sustainable and profitable EU fisheries outside European waters. To achieve this, one of the implementation tools is the Stakeholder Hub, a multi-level and multi-stakeholder network integrated by scientists, policymakers, resource users, NGOs and other stakeholders aimed to improve fisheries management competences throughout their participation. The Stakeholder Hub is a responsive and flexible platform that adopts the form of a regional working group for the six case studies involved into the project, but adopting the form of a high-level European platform, or even an international forum for cross-cutting issues. This Intermediate report provides a summary on the Stakeholder Hub implementation in the first half of the project. It highlights lessons learnt and improvement areas for the second part of the project.
The External Dimension of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has increased its visibility in the last decades, both in relation to its coherence with the internal dimension (comprising bilateral access agreements within EEZ and the management of international waters subject to jurisdiction of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations) and its links with other EU policies such as cooperation for development, human rights, labour, health and trade issues. As a relevant player in the development of global fisheries governance, the EU has an enhanced responsibility to promote sustainable and responsible fisheries management into the international scene, in its double role as a major fishing actor and the largest single market for marine products in the world. The External fisheries policy ensures the EU commitment to jointly manage fish stocks outside EU waters where the EU fleet operates. It is in practice implemented by an active participation of the EU and other countries States and partners from around the globe through the United Nations system, including the Food and Agriculture Organisation the International Maritime Organisation or United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Regional Fisheries Management Organizations and Regional Sea Conventions, as well as other international and regional bodies. However, despite the solid theoretical foundations, internationally agreed principles and overarching goals upon which the External Dimension of the CFP is built, there are still many weaknesses and challenges that are hampering an effective implementation This policy report summarizes the core elements of the EU's external fisheries policy, providing recommendations aimed to inform the revision process of the CFP towards 2022, while contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals under Agenda 2030.
Background More than 20% of the catches of the European fishing fleet are caught in non-European waters. Access to fish in these waters is based on agreements with coastal states. EU pays for access to fish from surplus stocks. These agreements have been criticised, as the fisheries are sometimes poorly regulated, and management decisions are often based on limited knowledge. In addition, the level of compliance is considered low, and enforcement capabilities are limited. In many cases, the trust between different stakeholders involved in a fishery is low. The FarFish project aimed to overcome these challenges. Approach The FarFish project was designed around six case studies (CSs) in fishing areas where the European fleet is active, namely Cape Verde, Mauritania, Senegal, Seychelles, and the international high-seas areas in the South East and South West Atlantic. This document serves as the second proposal for management recommendations (MR2) for each FarFish CSs. The MRs are arrangements between relevant management authorities and the operators in the respective CSs. The MR defines the actors/partners in the fishery and their roles, the agreed management objectives for the fishery, the management rules and regulations that apply, and other relevant details about the fishery. We apply the results-based management (RBM) when developing the MR in each CS. The RBM approach aims to reduce micro-management by involving stakeholders and increasing the degree of co-management by delegating responsibilities to resource users. According to this approach, the formal responsibility for developing the MRs is largely delegated to the resource users e.g. EU fishing fleet. Yet, within the FarFish CSs, the formal responsibility is a common venture involving both the authorities in the EU and in the coastal state in question, and the European operators. This means that third state (e.g., China, Korea, Japan, Russia) activity is left outside these MRs. However, getting these MRs in place creates arenas for dialogue and allows ...
More than 20% of the European fishing fleets catches are taken from non-European waters. Access to these waters is often based on agreements with coastal states that allow the EU fleet to fish from surplus stocks in return for financial support. These agreements have been subjected to criticism, as these fisheries are sometimes poorly regulated and management decisions are often based on limited knowledge, compliance, and enforcement capabilities. It is also too often the case that trust between stakeholders is lacking. The aim of the FarFish project is to overcome these hurdles. The FarFish project is designed around six case study areas in which the European fleet is actively engaged in fishing activities, including Cape Verde, Mauritania, Senegal and Seychelles, as well as the international high-seas areas in the southeast and southwest Atlantic. Among the Research & Innovation outputs of the FarFish project is a development of a management approach where the management authorities and the resource users come to an agreement on some key objectives and how to meet them. This approach is designed to reduce micromanagement by involving stakeholders and increase the degree of co-management by delegating management responsibilities to resource users. The process is broken into a number of steps, which include a) the provision of guidelines on how to develop so called management recommendations (MRs), b) provision of an invitation from the authorities to the resource users to develop MRs, where overall objectives are established, c) development of MRs, d) third party audit of the MR, where the success of the MR is evaluated. Draft guidelines and MR invitations have been published, and this report compiles the first proposals for MRs for each of the FarFish case studies. These will then be audited by an independent auditor and the whole process will then be re-iterated. The aim is that by the end of the project, we will have a tested / validated approach for how to manage fisheries in cocreation between ...
This report contains the 2nd management recommendation (MR) invitations submitted to the case studies in the FarFish project i.e. the high-seas fisheries in SW-Atlantic and SE-Atlantic, and the SFPA fisheries in Cape Verde, Senegal, Mauritania and Seychelles. The purpose of these MR invitations is to offer selected operators (resource users) the opportunity to develop MRs following the "second draft general guidelines for making MRs" presented in FarFish deliverable 3.5. The approach presented in the guidelines are based on principles of results-based management (RBM), where the responsibility for fisheries management is partly transferred to the resource users, provided that they meet with necessary requirements set forth by the authorities and provide documentation confirming implementation and achievement of specified management objectives. The advantages of such an approach include facilitation of more bottom-up style of management where the actual resource users and other stakeholders are involved. This approach is likely to increase the sense of ownership, by the resource users, in the management. Other advantages are for example increased transparency, as well as reduced costs and increased coverage of monitoring, control and surveillance. The MR invitations follow up on a pre-invitation dialogues where the basics of the approach have been introduced. The MR invitations include a short description of what is to be the focus of the MRs, identification of the main actors and their roles and responsibilities in the process, details on the current status of the fishery and finally the identification of so-called Outcome Targets (OTs) that are performance goals that the MRs are to meet.
