The African Confederation of Professional Organizations of Artisanal Fisheries (CAOPA) in partnership with Community Action for Nature Conservation (CANCO) celebrated World Fisheries Day on November 21st 2022 at the fishing harbour of #Shimoni, #Kwalé County, Mombasa Region, Kenya. The theme was: “Investing in social protection to ensure equitable blue transformation in the fisheries sector”.
The event, chaired by the Minister of Mining, Fisheries and the Blue Economy, brought together members of the Kenyan government, local authorities, CAOPA members from a dozen countries and its partners, such as the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC), the Coalition for a Fair Fisheries Agreement (CAPE), Bread for the World (BFF), AFRIFISH-net, etc.
This celebration was followed by two days of workshops from 22 – 23 November 2022 in Mombasa. It is part of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022). The event was used to raise awareness on the call to action for artisanal fisheries.
Call to Action
In this year, fishermen from Africa, the Pacific, Central and South America, Asia and Europe have launched a Call to Action in which five areas for action are identified.
This call was launched by CAOPA in partnership with artisanal fisheries organizations from other continents, first at the EU-Africa Summit in February, then at the meeting of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Fisheries Ministers in Ghana in April, at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon in June, and finally at the 35th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries in Rome in September 2022.
CAOPA took this opportunity to present the priorities for action and discuss the next steps.
COAPA’s languages and communication assistant listed the following points: ”Urgently guarantee preferential access and co-manage 100% of coastal areas; Ensure women’s participation and support their role in innovation; Protect artisanal fisheries from competing sectors of the blue economy; Ensure transparency and accountability in fisheries management; Build resilient communities in the face of climate change and provide opportunities for youth.
“To give a dignified and sustainable future to African small-scale fisheries, we ask our States to focus on Sustainable Development Goal 14.b, and to secure access to resources and markets for small-scale fisheries,” stressed Khady GUEYE.
Furthermore, the primordial role of the Voluntary Guidelines to ensure the sustainability of small-scale fisheries in the context of food security and poverty eradication established by the FAO was highlighted throughout the proceedings. According to the Program Officer at CAOPA, these guidelines are the only international instrument exclusively dedicated to small-scale fisheries.
Several presentations were made on IYAFA, the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa, fisheries resources management, co-management, climate change, funding etc.
On climate change strategies, CANCO’s Executive Director, Mr Becha Hadley says that in all of Kenya’s 47 counties, fishers “need to be involved in the development of climate change policies and strategies to ensure that community resilience, adaptation and mitigation are factored into government plans and that they are funded.
Opportunities for implementation of the Artisanal Fisheries Call to Action
Before the end of the meeting, several proposals were made.
The Guinean, treasurer of CAOPA, Mrs. Kadiatou Bangoura suggested “disseminating information to coastal communities on the call to action; supporting women and ensuring their participation in fishing”.
CAOPA Youth Coordinator Angelo Matagili called for collaboration with governments, industry agencies/private sector to take action.
Representatives from Uganda, Gambia, Senegal, Afrifish-net platform proposed among others: organizing existing networks and groups of women fishers; focusing specifically on women by recognizing their role in the fisheries sector; identifying existing gaps, strategies and measures to fill them and to protect SSF from competition from other sectors of the blue economy; involving women and SSF in discussions on fisheries strategies.
At continental/global level
Participants were unanimous that space for small-scale fisheries is ensured at the level of the African Union. They recommend that, as actors, we continue to advocate for action. This is done through regional economic bodies.
Thus, the heads of state are invited to respond to the expectations of artisanal fisheries. For they are held accountable for the implementation of the AU Reform Strategy and Fisheries Framework.
At the national level, it was recommended to share information on the call to action, networking, building alliances and coalitions; creating the WhatApp group; research and science for conservation, management and protection of life sciences, building on existing institutions.
The participants of the workshop committed themselves, upon return to their respective countries, “to raise awareness of professional organizations to sign the ‘Small-scale Fisheries Call to Action’, but also to ask governments to ‘TAKE ACTION’.
Site Visit
Before closing the workshop, an expedition was made to a landing site in the locality of #Shanzu where participants observed the area of: manufacture of worm fiber dugouts, the conservation site of fishery products, the office of coordination of co-management and maritime safety as well as the mangrove (protected).
See you in November 2023, in another country.
What a great experience!
Mamadou Aliou DIALLO