In the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden (RSGA), fisheries and aquaculture are supported by an extremely fragile ecosystem that has been put under exceptional stress, in recent years, due to increasing demand for fish and inappropriate fishing practices. Climate change is also threatening this body of water which has the highest temperatures and salinity levels in the world.

The consensus is that If RSGA coastal countries do not coordinate to jointly assess existing fish stocks shared by the coastal countries and move to ensure sustainable management of the region’s fisheries, the RSGA fish stock will be soon at serious risk of overexploitation. The thousands of fishers that rely on this important shared resource for their livelihood will be the first to feel the negative effects of and consequences.

Despite the importance of its biodiversity and the value that its fish stock adds to the economies of the coastal countries, the RSGA is one of the few oceans that does not have a regional body to coordinate fisheries management and research.

“The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has some of the poorest data collection on fisheries and aquaculture in the world” Piero Mannini said, FAO fisheries expert in the Near East and North Africa “The lack of regional cooperation in fishery research and management makes it difficult to carry out joint efforts effectively and to organize information exchange at both the scientific and management levels. Coordination and cooperation are central to any response to rectify current trends. FAO, has a neutral forum, is willing to encourage and support joint efforts of member countries to fill this gap”.

Participants in the consultation, held in Cairo, 22-24 June, focussed on ways to establish a regional fishery body that brings together the coastal countries of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to promote cooperation for the sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture.