COMESA Fisheries Program

Introduction

COMESA Member States have access to a coastline of some 14,418 Kilometres, a continental shelf of about 558,550 square kilometres, and a total Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) area of about 3.01 million square kilometres, Inland waters of about 394,274 square kilometres. The largest coastlines such as Madagascar and three countries with the largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar) are Member States of COMESA. Fisheries and aquaculture accounts for about 5 to 6% of the agricultural GDP and in Island COMESA Member States on average 15.6%. Fish and fish products account for commendable percent of animal protein intake and 45% of the fish processing and marketing activities are performed by women. Among Island COMESA MS, the sector contributes around 22.5% annually to total exports within the region (largely attributed to tuna and shrimp).

Inland fisheries resources from Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika including the vast freshwater systems of the Nile, Congo and Zambezi Basins and the small to medium size rift valley lakes are also enormous. Though aquaculture is still at a low level of investment and production in our region, Egypt one of the high producing countries is our member states, in fact aquaculture is experiencing strong growth in Uganda, Zambia, DR Congo and Zimbabwe.

Some of the major Fisheries and Aquaculture development challenges 

  • Capture fisheries production overall is stagnating: -Overexploitation
  • Weak value-chains and value addition which is central to production, processing, marketing and the services
  • Fisheries resources are under growing pressure due to alternative uses of aquatic resources and IUU
  • Investments are very low in fisheries management capacity, research and monitoring, and trade and market infrastructure
  • Management of trans-boundary fisheries resources: institutional and political challenge,
  • Institutional and technical Capacity and Governance (planning, implementation and monitoring, control and surveillance) and Financial Sustainability
  • Low level/Lack of coordination among Duly Mandated Regional Organizations (DMRO) EAC, SADC, COMESA, IGAD
  • Medium/ Low level of cooperation between DMRO with RFBs and RFMOs
  • DMROs are still in short of capacities to implement fisheries programs
  • Capacities of Competent Authorities at MS level for the Joint Regional Fisheries Patrol/monitoring and surveillance
  • Capacities of Fisher Organizations and communities: A Federation of Fishermen Cooperatives of the Indian Ocean (FPAOI) other small-scale fishing communities
  • Human resources in the fisheries sector.

COMESA Priority Intervention areas

Fisheries management and governance

  • SSF and their regulation are of high priority in reforming the fisheries sector to address open access fishery
  • Empowerment of local administrations and social organisations
  • Improve capacities of the regional and national agencies in implementing appropriate fisheries management policies / strategies
  • Improve fisheries statistics and economic data for informed policy making, management, monitoring and evaluation
  • Development of joint management plans for all shared fish stocks in the region to avoid unsustainable exploitation of these resources;
  • Develop Harmonized /standard and traceability certification system

Support to value addition and trade

  • Reduce post-harvest losses – Enhance value chain, value addition, packaging
  • Diversification of the fisheries value chains into domestic semi-industrial fisheries
  • Support investments and industrialization
  • Improve value added product trade among MS by removing NTB,
  • Improve Sanitary conditions and maintain standards
  • Promoting co-management by promoting fishers’ associations, community-based management organizations, cooperatives and social enterprises
  • Establishment of fishing fleets to expand on the current processes and come up with a seafood hub;
  • Establish and/or strengthen marine services
  • Establish Women and Youth in Fisheries business platform
  • Train them in business incubation and business management
  • Facilitate access to finance and insurance.

Combating IUU fishing/ Reduce incidence

  • Improve control through improved cooperation and collaboration (COMESA will work with DMRO, IOC, RFB and other NGOs to support Joint Fisheries Patrol program)
  • Improve monitoring capacity and traceability of fisheries products
  • Improve the prosecution systems – legal regimes
  • Compliance of the parties to national legislation and international and regional agreements

Small-scale fisheries (SSF)

  • Reduce post-harvest losses – Enhance value chain and value addition
  • Diversification of the fisheries value chains into domestic semi-industrial fisheries
  • Improve value added product trade among MS by removing NTB, improve SPS
  • Promoting co-management by promoting fishers’ associations, community-based management organizations, cooperatives and social enterprises
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