FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture - Regional fishery bodies (RFB)

Regional Fishery Bodies Summary Descriptions

Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO)

Mission
Area of competence
Species and stocks coverage
Legal framework
Languages
Organizations involved
Structure
Activities and meetings
Publications
Contact

MissionObjectivesThe Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) is a regional organization under the East African Community responsible for coordinating and managing fisheries resources of Lake Victoria. The objectives of the Organization are:

to foster cooperation among the contracting parties,

to harmonize national measures for the sustainable utilization of the living resources of the lake;
and

to develop and adopt conservation and management measures.

The operations of the LVFO are guided by the LVFO Strategic Vision, which aims at having: "a common system/resource management among contracting parties in matters regarding Lake Victoria with the goal of restoring and maintaining the health of the ecosystem and assuring sustainable development to the benefit of the present and future generations". The Strategic Vision document spells out the goals of the LVFO and describes the focus, intent and direction of the LVFO programmes through 2015. Main functionThe LVFO has the function and responsibility to:

promote the proper management and optimum utilization of the fisheries and other resources of the lake;
enhance capacity building of existing institutions and develop additional institutions dedicated to, or likely to contribute to, the purposes of the Convention in cooperation with existing institutions established in or by the contracting parties and with such international, regional or non-governmental organizations;
provide a forum for discussion of the impacts of initiatives dealing with the environment and water quality in the lake basin and maintain a strong liaison with the existing bodies and programme;
provide for the conduct of research concerning the waters of Lake Victoria, including without limitation the quality of such waters, in particular with respect to supporting the living resources of the lake and the nature, extent and pathways of its pollution and other forms of environmental degradation;
encourage, recommend, coordinate and, as appropriate, undertake training and extension activities in all aspects of fisheries;
consider and advise on the effects of the direct or indirect introduction of any non-indigenous aquatic animals or plants into the waters of Lake Victoria or its tributaries and to adopt measures regarding the introduction, monitoring, control or elimination of any such animals or plants;
serve as a clearing-house and data bank for information on Lake Victoria fisheries and promote the dissemination of information, without prejudice to industrial property rights, by any appropriate form of publication;
manage the regional strategy and investment plan for aquaculture.

The activities of the LVFO are implemented through five programme:

Resource, Environmental, and Socio-economics Research and Monitoring Program.
The Fisheries Management Program.
The Database, Information, Communication and Outreach Program.
The Aquaculture Research and Development Program.
Human Resources and Infrastructure Capacity Building Program.

Area of competenceLake Victoria.

LVFO area of competence - Inland waters

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The designations employed and the presentation of material in the map(s) are for illustration only and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory or sea area, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries.

Species and stocks coverageAll fisheries resources of Lake Victoria. Legal frameworkThe LVFO was formed through a Convention signed on 30 June 1994 by the three East African Community (EAC) partner States of Kenya, Uganda and the United Republica of Tanzania sharing Lake Victoria. http://www.lvfo.org/downloads/THE_CONVENTION_FOR_THE_ESTABLISHMENT_OF_THE_LVFO_FINAL_EDIT.pdf LanguagesEnglish. Organizations involved

Member: Kenya, Uganda, United Rep. of Tanzania.

StructurePrincipal bodyThe supreme body of the Organization is the Council of ministers consisting of the Ministers responsible for fisheries of the contracting parties or their authorized representatives. The Council of Ministers is the main decision-making body of the Organization. Policy Steering CommitteeThe Policy Steering Committee consists of permanent secretaries responsible for fisheries who review and submit management recommendations to the Council of Ministers. Executive CommitteeThe Executive Committee comprises heads of fisheries management and heads of fisheries research institutes. It reviews management and scientific activities, agrees on management measures to be implemented and submits them to the Policy Steering Committee and monitors the implementation of management measures at the national and regional levels. Scientific CommitteeThe Scientific Committee is constituted by the heads of the departments responsible for fisheries research of the three contracting parties or their authorized representatives. The Scientific Committee is responsible for identifying requirements for applied and innovative research pertinent to the management of the living resources of Lake Victoria, developing and recommending to the Executive Committee research projects on Lake Victoria, reviewing the results of research programmes, and developing and recommending common, harmonized and standardized data collection and statistical methods for biological, social, economic and environmental data. Fisheries Management CommitteeThe Fisheries Management Committee comprises heads of fisheries management institutions. It develops management policies and advises the Executive Committee on management and conservation measures, reviews stocks assessment, monitoring, harvest and enforcement data, identifies emerging problems, develops partnerships. Working groupsThe working group system is a modality chosen to implement the LVFO policies and activities under each of the LVFO programme. The working groups consist of staff from fisheries research and fisheries management institutions, and additional experts from fisheries training institutions, universities and civil society organizations that are specialists in a given programme or thematic area. SecretariatThe Organization has a permanent secretariat headed by an executive secretary who is appointed by the Council of Ministers for a period of five years. The executive secretary is the chief executive and legal representative of the Organization. Activities and meetingsLVFO activities take place under the different bodies, the five programmes and specific projects. Information on programmes and project can be found on the LVFO Web site.

Meeting schedules of the different LVFO bodies and archives can be found on the LVFO Web site. Publications A number of reports and publications are produced under the auspices of the LVFO, mainly: annual reports, technical reports, training documents, conference reports, consultancy reports.

These publications are available on the LVFO Web site.

Contact

Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization

Plot No. 78/7E, Busoga Road

Belle Avenue

P.O. Box 1625

Jinja 256

Uganda

Telephone: (+256) 43125000

Fax: (+256) 434123123

Email: lvfo-sec@lvfo.org

Email: es@lvfo.org

Web site: http://www.lvfo.org/index.php



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