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More than 100 participants from 32 coastal countries in Africa and the Bay of Bengal, and four regional organizations joined two intense days of the EAF-Nansen Programme Forum, filled up with presentations, plenary discussions and group work related to the three core areas of the programme’s regular work: science, fisheries management and capacity development. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s event took place online, from 19 to 20 October, under the theme: From science to management – results achieved, challenges and the future of the programme. Discussions revolved around current status of the programme’s implementation and areas of work where more efforts need to be made in the remaining period of the current phase. Preliminary discussions also took place about the future phase of the programme, currently foreseen from 2023 to 2028, or beyond. 

“I’m very glad to hear overall appreciation for the achievements of the Programme in its current phase that started in 2017. I am also happy to see full engagement and commitment for the future phase of the programme, both from partner countries as well as our partners,” commented Ms Merete Tandstad, EAF-Nansen Programme Coordinator.

 The EAF-Nansen Annual Forum serves to report on achievements and progress made in relation to the programme field activities, to share experiences and lessons learned, and to identify good practices as well as discuss strategies among partners. Global issues, including potential impacts of climate change on fisheries and biodiversity are also part of these discussions. 

The first day of the Forum provided an overview of the current status of activities under the programme’s annual work plan, and identified priority areas of work until the currently extended phase, which ends in April 2023. Presentations on the implementation of selected measures of fisheries management plans developed following the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) - the main focus of the ongoing phase of the Programme (2017-2023) - were made by appointed directors of fisheries, showcasing Programme’s support through field projects in the coastal countries in the Gulf of Guinea, i.e. Togo, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as in Tanzania. The presentations demonstrated the process of an actual implementation of the EAF at national level, and lessons learned from that process. A separate session was held on a case study on setting up a baseline for marine litter pollution in Ghana - a recent project by the programme. 

The afternoon of day one was dedicated to group work. Divided into four sub-groups based on theme and language preference - English and French - , the participants were asked to provide inputs to questions related to the Programme’s outcomes and outputs, and to make recommendations about areas that require further improvement within the remaining period of the current phase. The first group worked on the subject of Fisheries Management, which included questions related to policy and legal work, transboundary resources, advancing EAF implementation, science-policy nexus, and fisheries data and cross-sectoral integration. The second group looked into aspects related to Science, with questions related to scientific results, assessment, tools and integrated analysis. Capacity development was integrated into the discussions as a cross-cutting theme. Each group had an assigned moderator, in charge of leading the debate, and a rapporteur, responsible for reporting in plenary on the feedback gathered during the session that included six questions for each of the two discussed themes. 

High-Level Panel on future challenges in fisheries and ocean governance, and the role of the EAF-Nansen Programme in tackling them throughout its work opened the second day of the event. The line-up of speakers included Mr Stig Traavik, Director of Climate and Renewable Energy Department at the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), Mr Manuel Barange, Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture Department at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Mr Aboubacar Sidibé, Regional Coordinator of the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) Project, and Mr Julian Barbière, a focal point for the UN Decade of Ocean Science at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO). 

During this session, we heard some encouraging words from Norad on the extreme importance of the EAF-Nansen Programme for Norway and for the partner countries in Africa and the Bay of Bengal. Mr Traavik expressed recognition for the programme’s outstanding achievements until now, and ensured of Norad’s motivation to continue to support the Programme in the future, to build stronger knowledge about the ocean through its sustainable use. 

During his presentation, Mr Manuel Barange underlined the role the EAF-Nansen programme can play in Blue Transformation through two main components: fish (ecological) sustainability and climate change. “Stocks under effective management are increasingly sustainable,” said Mr Barange, and this is where EAF-Nansen Programme is crucial in turning the tide by supporting countries in implementing ecosystem approach to fisheries. Mr Barange underlined also that “without addressing climate change, fisheries sustainability will become even more challenging.” In its current phase, the programme’s strategy is designed in a way that takes into consideration possible impacts of climate change and marine pollution. Additionally, with the use of the research vessel, Dr Fridtjof Nansen, the programme is contributing data and knowledge not only on resources and ecosystems, but also on marine debris and microplastics from the least studied areas of the world. 

The next speaker, Mr Aboubacar Sidibé, talked us through the challenges facing African fisheries addressing UN Sustainable Development Targets in a Large Marine Ecosystem Perspective. Some of the mentioned challenges included: open access to fisheries in Africa (esp. small-scale), overexploitation and environmental degradation, or marginalization of women within the small-scale fishing sector, both in terms of fishing-related activities and women’s role in decision-making process. The EAF-Nansen Programme is working to address these challenges and it strongly collaborates with the CCLME Project on: development of knowledge, strengthening capacities of fisheries institutions and communities for the sustainable use of transboundary fisheries resources and associated ecosystems, and the implementation of the EAF. 

Finally, we heard from Mr Julian Barbière on how the programme can lead by example on science and capacity building throughout the whole UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021-2030), as one of key contributors to an UN-wide initiative. 

During the afternoon session, based on morning reflections, the participants continued brainstorming ideas in groups on how the programme can support countries and regional organizations in addressing future challenges in fisheries and ocean governance. 

The two-day meeting ended with a discussion of the current Nansen data policy, its principles and possible amendments to it in the future. 

Ideas, feedback and recommendations collected at the Programme Annual Forum 2021 will now be thoroughly analysed `by the programme staff and will serve as guidance for the development of future programme activities. Engagement of partner countries and consideration of their needs is key in driving change for sustainable fisheries management and better protection of the marine environment.