Report of the sixteenth session of the Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic. Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, 22-24 October 2002

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
FAO Regional Office for Africa
Accra, 2003

ISBN 92-5-004947-1

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© FAO 2003

PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

This is the final report of the Sixteenth Session of the Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF) held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain from 22 to 24 October 2002. This report has been prepared by the Secretariat of CECAF.

Distribution:

Participants in the Session
CECAF mailing list
Other countries and interested national and international Organizations
FAO Fisheries Department
Fishery Officers of the FAO Regional and Sub-regional Fishery Offices

OPENING OF THE SESSION

1. The Sixteenth Session of the Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF) was held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain from 22 to 24 October 2002 at the kind invitation of the Government of the Kingdom of Spain.

2. The Session was chaired by Dr Thomas Olatunde Ajayi of Nigeria. Thirty-three delegates from 15 CECAF Members and observers from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and Namibia attended the Session. The List of Delegates and Observers is given in Appendix B of the report.

3. Mr Alvaro Fernandez Garcia, Director-General of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography welcomed the participants to its Centre in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and assured them of their availability to make their stay and deliberations successful.

4. On behalf of Mr Jacques Diouf, Director-General of FAO, Mr Benedict Satia, Chief, International Institutions and Liaison Service of the FAO Fisheries Department, thanked the Government of the Kingdom of Spain and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography for hosting the Session and putting excellent facilities at the disposal of the participants.

5. Mr Satia expressed gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria for providing facilities for the Technical Consultation on the future of CECAF, the Government of Norway, through its Nansen Programme (GCP/INT/730/NOR), for funding workshops and training for research scientists in the region, and to the Government of Spain for extra-budgetary assistance and facilities for holding the Working Group on Demersal Species, the Second Session of the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee and the present meeting. He also acknowledged the support provided by the DFID funded Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for several activities of the Committee, including hosting and funding work of the Working Group on Artisanal Fisheries.

6. He reminded the participants that countries in the CECAF region increasingly recognize the important contribution of fisheries to their national economies. This contribution is being threatened by resource rent dissipation and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Reducing this threat is necessary to facilitate the conservation and rational management of the stocks targeted by the fisheries sector. This would need management decisions and techniques that are best attained through sub-regional and regional cooperation. CECAF, he opined, is aware of these threats within a broader context of changing global settings that require regional fishery bodies to review and adapt their mandates, structures and strategies, where appropriate, so as to contribute to sustainable fisheries management and implement, as necessary, international instruments on fisheries. In this regard, CECAF had agreed on a series of procedural, administrative and institutional measures to improve its effectiveness.

7. On monitoring, control and surveillance, he reminded the participants that it is an integral part of fisheries management and that the Committee would have the opportunity to review and exchange experiences on developments on MCS initiatives in the region.

8. Mr Alberto Lopez Garcia-Asenjo, Director-General of Structures and Fisheries Markets of the Ministry of Marine Fisheries officially opened the Session. He welcomed the participants to Spain and requested them to make good use of the hospitality of the Canary Islands and hoped that they would have a memorable stay in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. He informed that Spain supports various FAO activities, particularly those of CECAF, and would put human and financial resources into making the Session a success. In that respect, he cited the support provided by his government to the Demersal Species Working Group and the Second Session of the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee held at the same venue in September 2002.

9. He expressed satisfaction at the attendance of the coastal states, which is attributed to the shared interest in the conservation and management of the fisheries resources and in the control and monitoring of fishing activities in the Eastern Central Atlantic area. He reminded the participants that these concerns required multilateral co-operation and scientific research to have a better knowledge of the stocks, without which effective fisheries resource management would not be possible. He assured the participants of his government’s support for these objectives and concerns, and urged the Committee to accord great importance to the recommendations of the Scientific Sub-Committee.

10. Mr Alberto Lopez-Garcia further informed of Spain’s strong commitment to sustainable and responsible fishing, as would be recommended by the international conference on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing to be held on 25 and 26 November 2002 in Santiago de Compostela, Spain at the invitation of the Government of Spain, with the participation and technical assistance of FAO, and the collaboration of the European Union.

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE SESSION

11. The Chairman informed the delegates of the European Union’s statement on its competence and voting rights, summarized in document CECAF/XVI/2002/Inf.8.

12. The Agenda, which forms Appendix A, was then introduced and adopted by the Committee.

13. The list of documents submitted to the Session is given in Appendix C.

ACTION ON RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE FIFTEENTH SESSION

14. This agenda item was presented by the Secretariat on the basis of document CECAF/XVI/2002/2. The Committee expressed satisfaction on the follow-up action to recommendations undertaken by the Secretariat.

15. The Committee appreciated the good work being done by the Nansen Programme through its resource surveys in the region and the relevance of the results. The Committee took note of the wish of Members who do not participate in the surveys to receive information on the activities of the Programme.

16. The Committee noted that only a few countries had responded to the Director-General’s Circular Letter requesting a re-examination of their status within the Committee. The Committee requested the Secretariat to follow up the request with the countries that had not responded.

POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN FISHING COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES LIVELIHOODS APPROACH

17. The representative of the Regional Support Unit of the DFID funded Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (SFLP) in West Africa introduced this item of the agenda. He presented the objectives and scope of the SFLP, the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA), and some significant activities and lessons learned from implementing the Programme, in particular through community and institutional support projects. The SLA, the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF), and poverty profiling are the tools of the Programme. These facilitate the process of change of policies and institutions to achieve poverty reduction in small-scale fisheries communities.

18. The Committee was informed that since its inception in 1999, the SFLP had financed 39 community projects in 19 countries. Three Pilot Projects had been identified and formulated in a participatory manner in 2002. The three Pilot Projects would be implemented in 12 countries of the region. The Committee was also informed and invited to consult the SFLP Internet Website (http://www.sflp.org) where useful information about the Programme’s activities could be found.

19. Seven examples were given to illustrate SFLP interventions for poverty reduction in marine fisheries:

• Pilot studies of the impact of policies, institutions and processes (PIPs) on the livelihoods of small-scale fisheries communities (Ghana, Senegal)

• Assessments of the impact of beach seining on the livelihoods of fisheries communities (Benin, Ghana, Togo),

• Support for small-scale fishers in fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (Guinea),

• Strengthening the technical and organisational skills of the Cotonou Fishing Port Community (Benin)

• Support for the establishment of an empowerment structure for the fishing community of Agip base beach, Pointe-Noire (Congo),

• Participation in the management of the Conkouati Nature Reserve (Congo),

• Contribution of research to sustainable livelihoods in small-scale fisheries communities (Cameroon, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal).

20. During the discussion, the participants underlined the importance of the Programme for the countries of the region and expressed their appreciation for the work undertaken. In particular, they insisted that poverty is not only related to economic factors and recommended a continuation of the participatory poverty profiling exercises. Clarifications were given about the participatory process by which the National Coordinating Units selected the countries participating in the Pilot Projects.

21. Several members highlighted the value of the study on policies and institutions and their contribution to the improvement of fisheries livelihoods. The Committee called on other donors to assist the countries in the region in reducing poverty among small-scale fisheries communities.

22. The representative of the European Community encouraged the countries of the region to give a higher priority to the fisheries sector in their national strategies for poverty reduction.

23. The delegate from Morocco, a country that does not participate in SFLP, mentioned the existence in his country of a development programme for artisanal fisheries villages. He expressed interest in the results of the Programme and requested that Morocco be accorded observer status in some SFLP meetings. Morocco will bear the cost of its participation at such meetings.

24. The Committee underlined the importance of disseminating the lessons learned from the Programme and recommended that CECAF and the FAO Regional Office for Africa play a significant role in this context.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CECAF SCIENTIFIC SUB-COMMITTEE

25. The Chairperson of the SSC presented the activities and recommendations undertaken by the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee (SSC) since the Fifteenth Session of the Committee on the basis of the document CECAF/XVI/2002/4.

26. The Committee noted that several research vessels had monitored the pelagic stocks off Northwest Africa for many years. Commercial catches were also sampled regularly. The data made available at the level of the sub-region does not permit an application of a global model for analysis. The results obtained would need to be confirmed through analytical models. Therefore, it was important to adopt a precautionary approach in the management of the stocks.

27. It was pointed out that in the near future the different Working Groups might be able to do analytical assessments, and to provide management option tables with proposed catch levels. These catch levels will be for the stocks on a regional basis and not by country. It was necessary, therefore, to estimate the zonal attachment of the stocks as soon as possible. Scientists having the necessary knowledge of the biology of each stock in each country can do this. These zonal evaluations should be described in a report to be endorsed by fishery managers to provide a basis for fishery consultations in the future. It was proposed that these zonal evaluations could be done in the already established working groups if time for this work is allocated.

28. The Committee noted that due to time constraints the management options for ground-fish and demersal stocks were not well defined by the SSC. Some countries expressed concern about the state of the octopus stocks and suggested that the Demersal Species Working Group should give attention to this issue. The Committee underlined the importance of compiling and preparing the information available before the next meeting of the Demersal Working Group.

29. It was suggested that the Working Group on Artisanal Fisheries should include the study of some important coastal and estuarine species targeted by the artisanal fisheries in their Terms of Reference. One delegate expressed a concern on the increasing use of monofilament fishing nets and it was requested that a study on the impact of these nets be carried out.

30. After a thorough analysis, the Committee endorsed the report of the Second Session of the Scientific Sub-Committee. In doing so, the Committee agreed that the first recommendation for demersals (Paragraph 6 in the document CECAF/XVI/2002/4 should read: A precautionary approach on maintaining or reducing effort should be adopted when appropriate, for all demersal species in the region, including cephalopods and shrimps.

31. The main recommendations for management and future research of the Scientific Sub-Committee are given in Appendix D.

STRENGTHENING MONITORING, CONTROL AND SURVEILLANCE (MCS) IN THE REGION

32. The Secretariat introduced document CECAF/XVI/2002/5 "Strengthening monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) in the region". The link of MCS to fisheries management was emphasized. In particular the attention of the Committee was drawn to the regulations concerning closed zones and mesh size, and the prevention of unlicensed fishing that was of great concern in some fisheries. Although CECAF has given attention to MCS since 1980 the issue was of greater relevance in recent years, because MCS is a key component in the international plan of action to deter, prevent and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IPOA-IUU). It was noted that some countries in the region already had quite complex MCS systems in operation.

33. In the discussion that followed, the Committee noted that the Sub-regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) had organized a workshop on vessel monitoring systems (VMS) in Senegal on 14-17 October 2002. The objective was to discuss, at a technical level, the formulation of a strategy on VMS to complement MCS. The workshop agreed that the different countries should proceed to implement VMS, at varying speeds, using appropriate systems. The Committee further noted that the SRFC continued to receive financial support from Luxembourg through a surveillance unit in Banjul and an FAO project in Dakar in support of the permanent secretariat. The importance of continuing the SRFC work in MCS was stressed. For the future it was suggested that attention be given to improving certain MCS procedures, for example in delineating zones, checking gear and mesh size, and in guiding the work of observers and inspectors. There was a need to draw up plans for implementing MCS in support of the IPOA-IUU, and in promoting joint MCS programmes between neighbouring countries.

34. Many delegates provided up-to-date information on MCS in their countries. It was announced that the coordination committee of the SRFC would meet in November 2002 in Nouakchott to examine the draft project document for the next phase of the MCS project and that Luxembourg and other donors would be requested to continue their support for SRFC. It was recalled that the Nouakchott Declaration on IUU fishing, adopted in September 2001, gave official political commitment of SRFC Ministers to intensifying MCS. The joint Cape Verde/Senegal, Guinea-Bissau/Guinea and Sierra Leone maritime surveillance activity in April 2002 was described and it was agreed that such joint operations should be continued in future. A number of delegates highlighted the cost of MCS as a problem, and the challenge of cost recovery was mentioned. The Committee agreed that MCS constituted a particularly important tool in the whole process of fishery management, and should be intensified wherever possible.

UPGRADING THE COMMITTEE TO A COMMISSION LEVEL

35. The Committee considered Document CECAF/XVI/2002/7 "Options for future arrangements for cooperation in fisheries in the area of competence of CECAF". In dealing with this item, the Committee noted first that the question of the future of CECAF, including its possible replacement by a Commission set up by an international agreement concluded under Article XIV of the FAO Constitution, had been under consideration for quite some time, particularly since the adoption by the Conference of FAO, at its Twenty-eighth Session, in 1997, of Conference Resolution 13/97 entitled "Review of FAO Fishery Bodies". It had been considered at the Fourteenth Session of CECAF, held in Nouakchott in 1998, and at the Fifteenth Session, held in Abuja in 2000. At the Abuja Session, the Committee recommended that the Director-General should convene a Legal and Technical Consultation with a view to discussing, and eventually adopting, a draft agreement for the establishment of the regional fishery commission. The Technical Consultation met in Lagos, Nigeria, 27-30 November 2001. On this occasion, the Consultation emphasized that the area of competence of CECAF covers both waters under national jurisdiction and the high seas, that these areas are under distinct legal regimes and that this had important repercussions with respect to the issue under consideration. The Consultation concluded that prior to consideration of a draft agreement for the establishment of a body under Article XIV of the FAO Constitution, it was necessary to consider in depth, and agree on a number of fundamental issues such as the area of competence of the new body, its membership and rights of participation, the species covered, its powers and functions, the financing mechanisms and its structure. The negotiation of an agreement could be initiated once consensus on these issues had been reached.

36. In considering Document CECAF/XV/2002/7, the Committee noted in particular that the area of competence of CECAF is subject to two distinct legal regimes, insofar as it included areas under national jurisdiction subject to the regime established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and areas of the high seas, under the regime established by this Convention, as supplemented by the 1995 United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. While in the areas under national jurisdiction management authority was vested in the coastal States, in the high seas, all States, both coastal and non coastal, have the right for their nationals to engage in fishing, subject to the provisions of the 1995 United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. This conditioned a range of issues, with particular reference to membership and rights of participation, species covered, functions and powers of the body or bodies in question, financing and structure, which, as requested by the Legal and Technical Consultation of Lagos, were described in detail in Document CECAF/XV/2002/7.

37. The Committee reviewed the two main options set out in Document CECAF/XV/2002/7 regarding future arrangements for cooperation in fisheries management in the current area of CECAF in the light of the above background. The first was the possible establishment of a single regional fishery body competent with respect to the current area of CECAF but with a structure and functions reflecting the two distinct regimes. The second option was the possible establishment of a regional fishery body competent for the high seas and the continuation of CECAF with an area of competence limited to areas under national jurisdiction. Without considering it an option for immediate implementation, the Committee noted that this latter approach could constitute a general orientation of work for long-term arrangements for management in fisheries in the CECAF region.

38. Meanwhile, the Committee felt that the status quo of the Committee should be maintained and, in particular, that it could continue to operate as an advisory body set up under Article VI, paragraph 2 of the FAO Constitution. In general, the Committee was of the view that a functional improvement in the work of the Committee, as well as increased support from its Members, should be sought actively, rather than a change in its current status. In particular, as had been the case with the Legal and Technical Consultation, the Committee noted that the mere transformation of CECAF into a body established by agreement under Article XIV of the FAO Constitution would not, in itself, remove any of the constraints with which the Committee is faced.

39. In this connection, the Committee welcomed the recent improvement in the activities of the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee and emphasized that it was possible to achieve this under the current status of the Committee. The Committee also recalled that the Legal and Technical Consultation had recommended that the work of the Committee should be more focussed and agreed that this would be reflected in revised terms of reference. In general, the Committee recommended that all Members increase support to the activities of CECAF.

40. The Committee also recommended that, without prejudice to the proposal that the current status quo of CECAF be maintained, the Director-General of FAO should keep under review the issue of a possible framework for the high seas, bearing in mind the current priorities of the work of CECAF and of most of its Members, as well as relevant considerations, including cost considerations, and take such preliminary measures in that connection as appropriate. These preliminary measures should include a review by the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee of available data on resources in the high seas and an elaboration of legal and institutional proposals for that area, as might be required.

41. The Committee recommended that as soon as the information requested in Paragraph 40 was available, the Director-General should convene a legal and technical consultation on the matter. It was suggested that the technical consultation should be held before the Seventeenth Session of CECAF. The delegation of Nigeria offered to host the consultation, while the delegation of the EC indicated that its organization would favourably consider a request to contribute financially to the organisation of the consultation.

REVIEW OF CECAF TERMS OF REFERENCE

42. After agreeing on the continuation and strengthening of the present arrangements of CECAF, the Committee reviewed its revised Terms of Reference prepared at the Technical Consultation held in Lagos, Nigeria in November 2001 and endorsed it, as given in Appendix E, for further procedural processing by the Secretariat.

43. The Committee reiterated its commitment to fulfilling its Terms of Reference and requested Members to take a more active part in the work of the Committee by providing relevant data and information on a systematic basis and actively contributing to the achievement of the set goals.

ANY OTHER MATTERS

(a) Indicators to assess the performance of Regional Fishery Bodies

44. The Secretariat informed the Committee of the second meeting of FAO and Non-FAO Regional Fishery Bodies (RFBs) or Arrangements held in Rome in February 2001, where indicators to assess the performance of RFBs was discussed. Elements of the discussion were presented to the Committee, through document CECAF/XVI/2002/Inf.3. The Committee was invited to provide inputs to the Third Meeting of RFBs scheduled for March 2003.

45. The Committee shared the view that developing performance indicators and related guidelines was difficult due to variations in mandates, species coverage, economic state of members and governance systems, among others. However, it agreed that the development of indicators was relevant and a process should be started. FAO was requested to elaborate a document on the subject.

(b) External factors that may impact upon the work of Regional Fishery Bodies and the management of fisheries

46 The Committee was informed that the second meeting of FAO and Non-FAO Regional Fishery Bodies (RFBs) and Arrangements had reviewed external factors that may impact upon the work of regional fishery bodies and the management of fisheries. The meeting had requested secretariats of RFBs to pursue reflection on the matter before the third meeting in March 2003.

47. Members welcomed the initiative of the meeting of RFBs on identifying the factors outlined in Document CECAF/XVI/2002/Inf.4.

48. Several Members informed the Committee of experiences in their respective countries. Attention was called to studies being conducted in the Northwest Africa sub-region on environmental impact on pelagic stocks. The delegation of Mauritania informed the Committee of a recently concluded consultation under the auspices of UNEP on the impact of trade liberalisation on fisheries development in developing countries. Two case studies were undertaken for this consultation in Mauritania and Bangladesh. Members could obtain information on the outcome of the consultation by consulting the website of UNEP. Members were encouraged to conduct research, as appropriate, in their respective countries on the factors identified in the document.

49. The Committee recognised the important role of management plans if resources were to be conserved and managed in a responsible manner. It agreed that the development of ecosystem management plans for the CECAF region was a priority and requested the Secretariat to seek assistance to conduct workshops for the development of such plans in the region.

50. Representative of the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) informed the Committee of his country’s interest in assisting CECAF in conducting some activities that will strengthen the body. He confirmed recent contacts his Agency had with FAO on the issue and encouraged the Committee to support its Secretariat in submitting a project proposal on its future activities identified by the various working groups in their recent meetings.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

51. The Committee approved the nomination of Spain as its Chairperson and Guinea and Cameroon as first and second vice-Chairpersons respectively. It expressed a desire for the Government of the Kingdom of Spain to inform the Secretariat of the name and title of the person it intended to designate as Chairperson.

DATE AND PLACE OF THE SEVENTEENTH SESSION

52. In recognition of Rule IV (2) of the Rules of Procedure of CECAF, the delegation of Senegal expressed willingness to host the Seventeenth Session of the Committee in 2004, subject to confirmation from its Government, which would be communicated to the Director-General of FAO. The Committee appreciated the generous offer and requested the Government of Senegal to confirm the offer in due course.

ADOPTION OF THE REPORT

53. The report of the Sixteenth Session of the Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic was adopted on 24 October 2002.

APPENDICES

A. Agenda

1. Opening of the Session

2. Adoption of the Agenda and Arrangements for the Session

3. Action on Recommendations of the Fifteenth Session

4. Poverty Alleviation in fishing Communities through sustainable fisheries livelihoods approach

5. Recommendations of the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee

6. Strengthening Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) in the region

7. Review of CECAF Terms of Reference

8. Upgrading the Committee to a Commission Level

9. Any Other Matters

10. Election of Officers

11. Date and Place of the Seventeenth Session

12. Adoption of the Report

B. List of Delegates and Observers

Benin

Cameroon

BABA, Malloum Ousman
Directeur des pêches
Ministère de l’elevage, des Pêches et des industries animales (MINEPIA)
Yaoundé
Tel: (237) 231 6049
Fax: (237) 231 3048
E-mail: [email protected]

SANZHIE, Bokally
Secrétaire Exécutif
Caisse de Développement de la Pêche
Maritime
Ministère de l’Elevage, des Pêches et des Industries Animales
BP 1864, Douala
Tel: (237) 342 4624
Fax: (237) 342 4064

Cape Verde

Congo, Republic of

BITOUMBA, Andre
Docteur en sciences biotechniques des pêches/Directeur de l’Hydrobiologie, de l’aménagement et de la legislation
Direction générale de la pêche et des ressources halieutiques (DGPRH)
BP 1650, Brazzaville
Tel: (242) 66 71 90
Fax: (242) 81 10 97
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]

Côte d’Ivoire

KONAN, Angaman
Coordinateur
PMEDP
BP V 19, Abidjan
Tel: (225) 070 421 98
Fax: (225) 212 486 80
E-mail: [email protected]

Cuba

Democratic Republic of the Congo

NKOZONGO, Kabeya
Chef de Division
Planification des coopérations de pêches
Service National de Promotion et développement de pêche
E-mail: [email protected]

Equatorial Guinea

France

Gabon

Gambia

DAMPHA, Nfamara
Asst. Director of Fisheries
Fisheries Department
6 Marina Parade
Banjul
Tel: (220) 223 373/228 727
Fax: (220) 224 154
E-mail: [email protected]

Ghana

ANANG, Emelia
Ag. Director of Fisheries
Fisheries Directorate
P. O. Box 630, Accra
Tel: (233) 21 772 302
Fax: (233) 21 776 605

Greece

Guinea

KEITA, Ismael
Directeur national pêche maritime
Ministère de la Pêche et Aquaculture
BP 307, Conakry
Tel: (224) 415 228/414 620
Fax: (224) 431 119/414 310
E-mail: [email protected]

KONATE, Fatoumata
Conseiller Juridique au Centre national de surveillance des pêches (CNSP)
Ministère de la Pêche et de l’Aquaculture
BP 307, Conakry
Tel: (224) 463 620/228 713
Fax: (224) 431 119
E-mail: [email protected]

Guinea Bissau

Italy

Japan

Korea

Liberia

Mauritania

MOHAMED M’Barek, Ould Soueilim
Directeur
IMROP
BP 22, Nouadhibou
Tel: (222) 257 490 35
E-mail: [email protected]

TOUEILIB, Cherif
Directeur
Aménagement des ressources halieutiques
Minstère des pêches et de l’économie maritime
Tel/Fax: (222) 291 339
Tel: (222) 290 864
E-mail: [email protected]

Morocco

IDELHAJ, Abdelouahed
Chef de Departement
INRH
2 Rue de Tiznit
Casablanca
Tel: (212) 2220 0863
Fax: (212) 2226 6967
E-mail: [email protected]

Netherlands

Nigeria

AJAYI, Thomas Olatunde
Director
Nigerian Institute for Oceanography & Marine Research
PMB 12729
Victoria Island, Lagos
Tel: (234) 1 261 753/615 175
Fax: (234) 1 261 9517
E-mail: [email protected]

ONABANJO, Margaret
Deputy Director of Fisheries
Federal Department of Fisheries
Garki, Area Eleven
Abuja
Tel: (234) 9 234 5129
Fax: (234) 9 234 6425
E-mail: [email protected]

Norway

TORESEN, Reidar
Fishery Scientist
Institute of Marine Research
P/P/Box 1870
Nordnes
N-5000 Bergen
Tel: (47) 552 38420/992 93024
Fax: (24) 552 38555
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]

Poland

Romania

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

BARRY, Mariama Dalanda
Directrice
CRODT
BP 2241, Dakar
Tel: (221) 834 8041
Fax: (221) 834 2792
E-mail: [email protected]

SAMB, Birane
Biologiste des Pêches
CRODT
BP 2241, Dakar
Tel: (221) 834 8041
Fax: (221) 834 2792
E-mail: [email protected]

THIAM, Moustapha
Adjoint au Directeur
Direction des Pêches Maritimes
BP 289, Dakar
Tel: (221) 821 6578
Fax: (221) 821 4758
E-mail: [email protected]

Togo

SONHAYE, Adow Seibou
Directeur
Direction élevage et pêche
Ministère de l’agriculture, élevage et pêche
BP 4040, Lome
Tel: (228) 221 3645
Fax: (228) 221 7120
e-mail: [email protected]

Spain

ASENCIO, Carmen
Subdirectora General Adjointa
Organismos Multilaterales de Pesca
Secretaria General de Pesca Maritima
Ortega y Gasset 57
28006 Madrid
Tel: (34) 913 476 175
Fax: (34) 913 476 049
E-mail: [email protected]

BALGUERIAS, Eduardo
Chercheur
Centro Oceanográfico Canaria
Instituto Espanol de Oceanografía
Carretera de San Andres 45
38120 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Tel: (34) 922 549 439
Fax: (34) 922 549 559
E-mail: [email protected]

SANCHEZ, Mora
Subdirector General Adjunto de
Acuerdos Pesqueros Internacionales
Secretaría General de Pesca Marítima
C/Ortega y Gasset 57
28006 Madrid
Tel (34) 913 476 129
Fax: (34) 913 476 042
E-mail: [email protected]

OBSERVERS

European Commission

ANDERSSON, Mikael
Principal Officer
National Board of Fisheries
(SWEDMAR)
P. O. Box 423
SE 40126
Göteborg, Sweden
Tel: (46) 31 743 0326
Fax: (46) 31 743 0444
E-mail: [email protected]

LE VILLAIN, Christophe
Administrateur
Commission européenne DG Fisheries
200 rue de la loi
B-1049, Bruxelles
Tel: (32) 2 295 3195
Fax: (32) 2 295 5700
E-mail: [email protected]

Namibia

Van ZYL, Ben
Deputy Director
Applied Research
Ministry of Fisheries
P. O. Box 912, Swakopmund
Tel: (264) 64 410 1000
Fax: (264) 64 404 385
E-mail: [email protected]

FAO FISHERIES DEPARTMENT

Headquarters

Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy
Tel: (3906) 57051

CARAMELO, Ana Maria
Fishery Resources Officer
Marine Resources Service
Tel: (3906) 570 55863
Fax: (3906) 570 53020
E-mail: [email protected]

EVERETT, George
Senior Fishery Planning Officer
Development Planning Service
Tel: (3906) 570 56476
E-mail: [email protected]

MANNING, Peter
Coordinator
ACP Fish II Feasibility Study
Tel: (3906) 570 55860
E-mail: [email protected]

SATIA, Benedict
Chief
International Institutions & Liaison Service
Fishery Policy and Planning Division
Tel: (3906) 570 52847
Fax: (3906) 570 56500
E-mail: [email protected]

TANDSTAD, Merete
Fishery Biologist
Marine Resources Service
Tel: (3906) 570 52019
Fax: (3906) 570 53020
E-mail: [email protected]

TAVARES, Antonio
Senior Legal Officer
Legal Office
Tel: (3906) 570 55132
Fax: (3906) 570 54408
E-mail: [email protected]

Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme

HOREMANS, Benoît
Team Leader
c/o FAO Regional Support Unit
BP 1369
Cotonou, Benin
Tel: (229) 330 925
E-mail: [email protected]

NJOCK, Jean Calvin
Expert en gestion des ressources aquatiques
01 BP 1369
Cotonou, Benin
Tel: (229) 330 925
Fax: (229) 330 519
E-mail: [email protected]

FAO REGIONAL OFFICE FOR AFRICA

P. O. Box 1628
Accra, Ghana
Tel: (233) 21 675000/675051-60
7010930
Fax: (233) 21 668427/7010943

JALLOW, Alhaji M.
Senior Fisheries Officer
Tel. Ext: 3193
E-mail: [email protected]

SECRETARIAT

JALLOW, Alhaji M.
Secretary of CECAF
FAO Regional Office for Africa
P.O. Box 1628
Accra, Ghana

OKUNOR, Naa Teiko
Secretary
FAO Regional Office for Africa
P. O. Box 1628
Accra, Ghana
E-mail [email protected]

INTERPRETERS

LEBOULLEUX, Beatriz
Roger de Lluria
87, 08009
Barcelona, Spain
Tel: (34) 934877 465
E-mail: [email protected]

TEDJINI, Claire
Av. de Presidente
Carmona 7 (2B)
28020 Madrid
Spain
Tel: (34) 91 570 5024
E-mail: [email protected]

GOSLIN, Ann
c/Frco. Gramnizo 1
Pozvelo
28224-M
Spain
Tel: (34) 91 352 4441

BOURGOIN, Christine
c/Caliz, 6
37001 Salamanca
Spain
Tel: 34) 923 271 925
E-mail: [email protected]

MEUNIER, Isabelle
8 Avenue des Arènes
FR 64100 Bayonne
France
Tel: + 33 559 594 98
E-mail: [email protected]

LIBERAS, Christine
Caserio de Urgel
No. 75
40100 San Ildefonso
Spain
Tel: (34) 921 47 2297
E-mail: [email protected]

TRANSLATOR

VESQUE, Mario Luce
Méndez Nuñez, 42 (2° A)
38002 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Tel: (34) 922 270 695
E-mail: [email protected]

C. List of Documents

D. Recommendations for Management and Future Research of the Scientific Sub-Committee: Work Plans of Working Groups

Artisanal Fisheries Working Group Work Plan

Three major activities will be conducted from now to the next working group session:

• Costs and earnings studies on major artisanal fishing units will be conducted in some countries based on guidelines to be formulated by the Secretariat of the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee (CECAF SSC)

• Each working group member must send a detailed description of the different types and numbers of fishing gears and boats used in their respective countries to the CECAF SSC secretariat for fishing unit classification.

• In collaboration with SFLP, the CECAF SSC secretariat will provide the countries of the region with guidelines on the assessment of the importance of artisanal fisheries in the economies of the countries. The countries undertaking the pilot studies should also be assisted to effectively launch their activities.

The results of the various activities of the members will be presented and discussed at the next session of the CECAF SSC Artisanal Fisheries Working Group.

Small Pelagics Working Group Research Plan

With respect to sardines, a biological sampling programme for all fisheries in the Northwest Africa area, covering the entire fishing season and all fleets, should be established; sampling for age composition for the entire length distribution as well as studies on the harmonization of age/size interpretation should be undertaken.

Demersal Species Working Group Research Plan

With respect to demersal species: In the South there is a need to strengthen capacity and harmonize the collection of biological and statistical data of principal species and also to continue the Nansen Surveys. In the North emphasis should be placed on intensifying work on spatio-temporal distribution, reproduction biology and recruitment of major species during trawl surveys and to set up scientific data exchange programmes between research scientists in the sub-region.

In the case of Cephalopods: The main themes are studies on inter-specific relationships between octopus communities, studies on interactions between the octopus fisheries and other species, notably cuttle fish and the squid, further development of an approach of direct estimation methods based on experimental projections and a quantitative geographical treatment as well as relevant genetic analysis of the octopus from different regions.

Concerning Hakes: The main actions include stock assessment through trawl surveys in the context of joint surveys in the region of Senegal-Morocco and updating biological information and catch information concerning Spanish trawls and longlines, while for shrimps the main recommendation is joint exploration surveys on deep water shrimps (P. longirostris) in the Senegal-Morocco region.

E. Summary of Major Decisions and Recommendations of the Sixteenth Session of CECAF

Agenda Item 3: Action on Recommendations of the Fifteenth Session

For the attention of FAO

1. Send information on the activities of the Nansen Programme to Member countries that do not participate in resource surveys (Paragraph 15).

Agenda Item 4: Poverty Alleviation in Fishing Communities through the Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Approach

For the attention of Members

1. Give higher priority to the fisheries sector in national strategies for poverty reduction (Paragraph 22).

For the attention of FAO

1. CECAF and the FAO Regional Office for Africa (RAF) to play a significant role in disseminating the lessons learned from the Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (SFLP) (Paragraph 24).

Agenda Item 5: Recommendations of the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee

For the attention of Members

1. Countries to compile and prepare information on state of Octopus stocks before next meeting of the Demersal Species Working Group (Paragraph 28).

For the attention of FAO

1. Conduct study on the impact of the use of monofilament fishing nets in artisanal fisheries (Paragraph 29).

Agenda Item 7: Review of CECAF Terms of Reference

For the attention of FAO

1. FAO Director-General to submit the proposed Terms of Reference to the FAO Council for approval (Paragraph 42).

Agenda Item 8: Upgrading the Committee to a Commission Level

For the attention of the Members

1. Committee to continue as an advisory body under Article VI, Paragraph 2 of the FAO Constitution (Paragraph 38).

2. Increase support to CECAF activities (Paragraph 39).

3. Nigeria offered to host the consultation on the high seas (Paragraph 41).

For the attention of FAO

1. CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee to review available data on resources in the high seas (Paragraph 40).

2. FAO Director-General to convene a legal and technical consultation on a framework for the high seas before Seventeenth Session of CECAF (Paragraph 41).

Agenda Item 9: Any Other Matters

(a) Indicators to assess performance of Regional Fishery Bodies

For the attention of Members

1. Committee confirmed that development of indicators was relevant, despite variations in mandates (Paragraph 45).

For the attention of FAO

1. Elaborate a document on indicators to assess performance of Regional Fishery Bodies. (Paragraph 45).

(b) External Factors that may impact upon the work of Regional Fishery Bodies and the management of fisheries

For the attention of FAO

1. Seek assistance to conduct workshops for the development of ecosystem management plans for the CECAF region (Paragraph 49).

Agenda Item 10: Election of Officers

For the attention of Members

1. Spain was elected as Chairperson and Guinea and Cameroon as first and second Vice-Chairpersons respectively (Paragraph 51).

2. Spain to inform the Secretariat, as soon as possible, of the name and title of the person it nominates as Chairperson (paragraph 51).

Agenda Item 11: Date and Place of the Seventeenth Session

1. Senegal offered to host the Seventeenth Session of the Committee (Paragraph 52).

BACK COVER

This document is the final report of the sixteenth session of the Fishery Committee for the Eastern-Central Atlantic (CECAF), which was held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, from 22 to 24 October 2002. The major topics discussed were: action on recommendations of the fifteenth session; poverty alleviation in fishing communities through sustainable fisheries livelihoods approach; recommendations of the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee; strengthening Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) in the region; review of CECAF terms of reference; and upgrading the Committee to a Commission level. The summary of the main decisions and recommendations is shown in Appendix E.

Printed by The Advent Press, Accra, Ghana