Case Studies

Since early 2009, IDDRA has been working with the Senegalese Ministry for the Maritime Economy, Maritime Transport and Fishing. The aim of this programme is to develop, in close collaboration with the Ministry, a management plan for the deep-water demersal fish resources, in particular shrimp and hake. IDDRA is providing support to the process of designing and drafting the plan on the basis of seven missions. The approach involves a participatory diagnosis of the current state of the fisheries, a validation of the results by a group of international experts and a phase for the development of the plan

In 2006, in Tamil Nadu, India, in the aftermath of the 2005 Tsunami disaster, IDDRA was commissioned by the United Nations Team for Recovery Support (UNTRS) to lead a team of international fisheries experts to examine the fisheries sector, in collaboration with the fisheries administration of the Government of India. The work was also undertaken with support from the World Bank and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The objectives were to undertake an evaluation of the fisheries sector and to make an assessment of policy support for sustainable pro-poor fisheries in Tamil Nadu. The work was implemented through a series of stakeholder consultations and field visits, underpinned by the analysis of existing information and data. The final report recognized the potential for fisheries in Tamil Nadu to contribute to sustainable development in the post-tsunami period, and outlined a process of fisheries development, including a framework for improved fisheries management. The Government of India in partnership with the World Bank, the UN FAO and others is preparing to implement a new fisheries programme in Tamil Nadu in 2007.

In 1999, in collaboration with FAO, IDDRA participated in a review of development options for the Senegalese fisheries sector. A major weakness was the unregulated access to fish resources. Artisanal vessels were unregistered and unregulated. Larger vessels were licensed but purely for administrative reasons with no control over fishing capacity or fishing effort. Fish resources were in an alarming condition. In 2000, IDDRA helped to develop a project to address the issue of allocating fishing rights in Senegalese fisheries. Over the period 2000-2006, the project led to the definition of regulatory modes for artisanal and industrial fisheries working with different stakeholders including the Ministry of Fisheries and fishermen’s organisations. Alongside this project, IDDRA contributed to the national plan of action on fishing capacity, to the evaluation of the Senegal – EU fishing agreement, and to the analysis of the role of seafood products in a strategy of accelerated economic growth in order to alleviate poverty. This set of activities has been funded by a variety of donors, including the Senegalese Ministry of Finance, the French Co-operation and the EU. The results have subsequently been built upon by other donors and partners, including the World Bank (through the GIRMAC project) and various ONGs.

In 2003, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) requested IDDRA to provide advice on the technical assistance needs of developing countries in order to implement the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA). A particular focus of this assignment was to analyse the options for strengthening national, sub-regional and regional institutions and policies. IDDRA organized the assignment by bringing together a group of relevant experts from the Pacific, Latin America, South East Africa and the Caribbean. Each expert prepared a paper, as directed by specific terms of reference designed by IDDRA, which then were presented at a week-long meeting at IDDRA’s  Portsmouth office. The findings of the papers and the meeting were used as a basis to prepare the final synthesis report and recommendations.

Since its creation in 1999, IDDRA has worked with the FAO to support the definition and implementation of regional fisheries policy in West Africa (SRFC). IDDRA participated in the preparation of the SRFC Action Plan and in the first programme for the implementation of the plan. IDDRA facilitated work on the harmonisation of fisheries policy in the sub-region. Main themes to which IDDRA contributed over the period 1999-2007 include the financial autonomy of the SRFC, harmonised minimum access conditions, the advantages of co-operation in preparing to negotiate fishing agreements, fishing capacity adjustment plans and access regulation policies, policy in favour of artisanal fisheries and a ten-year perspective on SRFC policies. This work has been based on ongoing contact with the SRFC member states, especially Mauritania, Senegal, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Guinea and the Gambia. IDDRA also contributed to the development of a targeted programme on fisheries management for EU funding (AGPAO).

IDDRA has worked extensively in Mauritania, both with the Ministry and with the IMROP (the Mauritanian national Research Institute for Oceanography and Fishing). One assignment, undertaken jointly with IRD, was to develop a bioeconomic model of the Mauritanian octopus fishery. The modelling could be developed further, but it is already clear from the model available that resource rents from a well-managed fishery would be somewhere between $70 to $100 millions per annum. IDDRA also assisted the Ministry with the design of a fishery management plan, the main aim of which is to ensure that the potential rents can be generated and shared equitably between resource users and the Government.

The Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme, funded by the UK DFID, was the flagship field activity of the FAO Fisheries Department. IDDRA participated as the DFID representative on the joint final evaluation undertaken with the FAO evaluation service. The evaluation was complicated by the extensive geographical coverage of the Programme (25 countries in West Africa). The evaluation team visited nine of the countries and met with a variety of stakeholders. The team also reviewed the very extensive documentation produced by the Programme. The final evaluation report was presented to a plenary meeting held in FAO Rome in February 2007, and was also discussed in a stakeholder meeting held in Dakar Senegal in March 2007.

IDDRA participated in the INDECO project (2004-2007), a European Co-ordination Action. Its purpose was to ensure a coherent approach to the development of indicators at EU level, in support of environmental integration within the CFP and in the context of international work on indicators. A consortium of 20 research organisations from 11 EU Member States led by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) implemented INDECO. An Advisory User Group provided a link between the researchers and policy makers, managers and stakeholders. IDDRA was one of the two leader teams in charge of reviewing and analysing the usefulness of socio-economic indicators in fisheries management, with reference to the impact of fishing on the environment. This led to a review of the existing use of socio-economic indicators to understand the impact of fishing on marine ecosystems, and the development of two comparative case studies to explore future possibilities for the use of socio-economic indicators in the study of the impact of fishing on ecosystem state.