Continued support for fisheries management plan in Senegal
29 April 2024, Dakar, Senegal – The Minister of Fisheries and Maritime and Port Infrastructure of Senegal, Dr Fatou Diouf met with the participants of the meeting on the management of the Sardinella fisheries organized as part of a mission of the EAF-Nansen Programme, led by its Coordinator Ms Merete Tandstad. It was a moment of sharing the achievements, the results obtained, and the future actions planned. This meeting was also an opportunity to discuss Senegal's priorities in terms of fisheries management.
The coordinator informed that the Norwegian government has just funded a new phase of the EAF-Nansen Programme for five years that started in January 2024.
Senegal has benefited from multiple supports during previous phases of the EAF-Nansen Programme, particularly in the areas of research, fisheries management, and capacity building. Since 2017, the country has participated in seven regional scientific expeditions on transboundary fisheries resources and ecosystems, conducted by board the research vessel (R/V) Dr. Fridtjof Nansen. Sixty-nine Senegalese scientists contributed to these surveys and to the analysis of the data collected, resulting in the publication of scientific articles. This data has been crucial in informing policy decisions on sustainable resource management.
In 2021, the Directorate of Marine Fisheries and the FAO EAF-Nansen Programme signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a fisheries management plan targeting shared sardinella stocks in West Africa. This management plan for the sardine fisheries is currently being finalized. The news of the new phase of the EAF-Nansen Programme will support the implementation of this plan at the national level, and strengthen collaboration at the regional level, involving The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania,the Eastern Central Atlantic Fisheries Committee (CECAF) and the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC).
In his address, Mr Diene Faye, Director of Maritime Fisheries, expressed gratitude towards the participants for their active engagement and enthusiasm in delineating priority actions and concluding the 'Shared Sardinella' project. "The project will undoubtedly play a key role in fostering sustainable management of sardine stocks in Senegal and the Sub-Region. It will contribute to advancing the implementation of Senegal's ongoing Sardine Fishery Management Plan," he emphasized.
The Minister expressed her support for the programme and stressed the importance of fisheries management to ensure the food and nutritional security of the people of Senegal.
She stressed the urgency of finalizing and adopting the sardine management plan in Senegal and of sparing no effort to support consultation at the sub-regional level.
About the Programme
The EAF-Nansen Programme is a longstanding partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Norway, executed in close collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR).
The Programme is also one of the endorsed ‘Decade Actions’ under the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).