EU stakeholders call for the EU to step up its game for the sustainable management of small pelagics in West Africa

On 18th May 2021, the LDAC, an EU advisory body composed of EU long-distance fisheries value chain stakeholders and NGOs, unanimously adopted an advice to the European Commission on ‘Promoting regional sustainable fisheries management for shared resources in West Africa’: “Such efforts are urgently needed to ensure that fisheries resources are assessed, managed and exploited in a sustainable and transparent manner, for the benefit primarily of African consumers”.

The advice notes that the European Commission has shown support for the transformation of the Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF) into an RFMO, and funded a study to identify options to support a better functioning of CECAF. However, “this document focuses on the capacity building dimension and financing of CECAF, but does not make any proposals in relation to the transformation of CECAF into an RFMO”.

In her response of 17th June, the Director General of DG MARE, Mrs. Charlina Vitcheva, acknowledged that “the study is incomplete” and that they have sent their comments to CECAF to incorporate them before a “a dedicated discussion on [this] study” that is foreseen at the next CECAF Annual Meeting in 2022.

In the LDAC’s view, it is essential at this stage to complement this work with a perspective on the concrete steps that would lead to the formation of a non-tuna RFMO in West Africa. This has been done by the Ministerial Conference on Fisheries Cooperation among African States bordering the Atlantic Ocean (ATLAFCO/COMHAFAT) in a study which presents a draft founding Convention of an RFMO, that would have the power to adopt binding conservation and management measures.

The ATLAFCO study notes that Contracting Parties may wish to adopt, as a priority, management and conservation measures for shared small pelagic and/or demersal stocks that are of particular importance for the food security of African populations, due to the need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations and in particular SDG 14. In its advice, the LDAC calls on the EU to take fully into consideration this work in its efforts to promote the sustainable management of shared stocks in West Africa. Mrs. Vitcheva conceded in her response that “there are some aspects providing a vital complement” to the CECAF study.

On the shorter term, the EU can already contribute to regional management efforts by supporting the FAO working group on small pelagics. The LDAC also reflects on the current EU-Mauritania SFPA negotiations, suggesting the following actions could be taken to promote the regional management of shared resources of small pelagics:

1. Considerably increase the sampling of pelagic catches;

2. Implement the recommendations of the FAO working group on the assessment of small pelagic species off North-West Africa;

3. Initiate consultations with neighboring Senegal on the joint management of sardinella.

The Director General of DG MARE also pointed out in her answer that, in the framework of these negotiations, they are taking into account the scientific recommendations on the “specific case of the small pelagics” and that Mauritania is currently “working on the preparation of a dedicated management plan.”

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