Fishery ‘Surplus’ Claim Hurting Biodiversity, Artisanal Fishing …….
..say African Fishermen – By Emeka Umejei – The declaration of ‘surpluses’ in fishery resources by African government is causing harm to biodiversity and marine resources, said African artisanal fishermen.
The fishermen, under the auspices of the African Confederation of Professional Organisation for the Artisanal Fishery (CAOPA) debated the exploitation of the ‘surplus’ clause enshrine in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) at a 2-day in Dakar, Senegal. More than fifty delegates across Africa converged on Dakar, to reflect on the issues and the impact of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Law of Sea.
“Thirty years after the birth of UNCLOS,” Gaoussou Gueye, Secretary General of CAOPA said “it is time that our States, in consultation with the artisanal fishing, take responsibility and raise the funds needed to enable small-scale fisheries to express its potential as an engine of sustainable development of the fisheries sector, so that it is not sabotaged by undue competition with foreign fleets.”
Partner organisations to the 2-day workshop include the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements (CFFA) based in Brussels, the Regional Programme for the conservation of coastal and marine areas in West Africa (PRCM), Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and the network of journalists for Responsible Fisheries and sustainable in West Africa (REJOPRAO).
The UNCLOS is underpinned by the objective that states lacking the required fishing capabilities to exploit its fishing resources have to leave the ‘surplus’of the available resources to other states. However, the ‘surplus’ has become a clause exploited by African governments, to enter into fishery agreements with foreign fleets, without considering its consequences on biodiversity and artisanal.
“Unfortunately, this principle of surplus has not been respected as was the case in Senegal, where until 2006 the European Union(EU) signed fishing agreements, which gave it access to resources that were exploited by the artisanal fishing in particular,” said Beatrice Gorez, Coordinator of CFFA.
Gueye said the ‘surplus’ fishery resources often declared by African governments derives from lopsided calculation, and opacity of most negotiations, between states and foreign fleets and underestimation of the artisanal fishery community.
“The huge quantities, sometimes non-registered ,incidental unwanted catching carried out by the foreign huge fleets targeting the so-called ‘surplus’ has also led to exploitation of our ecosystem, ”Gueye said.
Gorez pointed out that small-scale fishing is a system of food production.
“We must advocate for all we consider the fish, not just as a source of wealth, jobs, income, but also well-being. We will continue to advocate in Europe for sustainable fishing, with the assistance of artisanal fisheries,” she said.
Sidi Ahmed, president of CAOPA said the essence of organising the two-day workshop was to create awareness on challenges facing the African artisanal fishermen and the recommendations will take into account the place of artisanal fishermen.
“Foreign fleets continue to plunder our resources because the government are not offering the requisite support to small-scale fisheries,” he said.
However, he was quick to add that CAOPA, in collaboration with civil society groups such as CFFA, has recorded appreciable progress in the campaign for transparent fishery agreement. For instance, he said the Senegalese authorities recently cancelled fishing licenses that were granted to Russian fishing vessels.
