Annexes (Continue)

Annex 3
Further Information and Recommendations Related to Post MEDRAP Cooperation

MEDITERRANEAN COOPERATION IN AQUACULTURE REALITIES AND PERSPECTIVES

By Hassan Akrout
Regional Coordinator
Mediterranean Regional Aquaculture Project.

I am pleased to deal with the Mediterranean Cooperation in the Region, its limits and future perspective in view to favour the development of the Aquaculture. As a Regional Coordinator of MEDRAP II, I do not intent to speak on scientific and technical topics but I will rather tentatively try to present the process, the opportunities and the issues of a possible future cooperation between the Mediterranean Countries.

The MEDRAP II strategy is to support aquaculture development. Common concerns and interests provide basic reasons to help countries in the region become more self-supporting in their ability to develop and manage human resources for aquaculture support, in their capability for the supply of essential physical inputs for aquaculture and in their ability to supply good fish products to the consumer.

To meet the above aim, three immediate objectives should be reached:

a) To establish permanent structures for coordination of aquaculture development, among and for the countries of both regions (Arab States and Europe) through the development of networks of national centres as well as sub-regional centres, including functional sub-networks for training, research and production.

b) To increase capacities for human resources development in training, aquaculture research and extension services by strenghthening national aquaculture institutions and through the sub-regional centres, and also through the development of common systems, standardised training materials and methodologies for use of all participating countries. Management of aquaculture production is included.

c) To strenghten the technical and physical capabilities of the participating countries by providing and exchanging state-of-the art technology in the following fields; fees; fish, fish, equipment production and high quality aquaculture products.

The development objective of the project is to increase the aquaculture production in the Mediterranean region through the development and support of viable aquaculture industries an a long-term, sustainable basis.

During the last decade, MEDRAP, in both phases, has largely contributed to the achievement of these objectives. The activities that the Project has organised (Workshops, Seminars, Training Courses…) gave the benefit to Researchers, Trainers, Public and Private Promoters, and Fish Farmers to enchance their experiences and exchange technical knowledges and scientific information.

The activities of the Project are hereunder summarised :

RESULTATS DE MEDRAP I

RESULTATS DE MEDRAP II

*    Comité National de Développement de l'aquaculture
(1) Sous Réseau (réseau spécialisé

SITUATION COMPARATIVE DE L'AQUICULUTRE MARINE
DANS LES PAYS PARTICIPANTS AUX PHASES DE MEDRAP

•  Pays n'ayant pas fait partie de MEDRAP 1
n quelque

The considerable efforts in promoting and developing the aquaculture that MEDRAP, in both phases, have deployed constitute the structural framework of the future cooperation.

The project have aimed to develop the networks and to establish the structural mechanisms of functioning to favour the perennity of the cooperation.

The Training Network was examined at Montpellier Seminar held on September 1991 and will be subject of the Seminar to be held in Albania on December 1992.

In Research field, the following Specialised Networks have been created; others will be created by end of 92 and beginning 93;

The information Network have been subject of a Seminar held in Cairo on December 1991 during which the System of Information for the Promotion of Aquaculture in the Mediterranean (SIPAM) was adopted. It will favour the circulation of basic data and knowledge among all the concerned parties. It will obviously constitute the major component of the future cooperation.

As regards production Network, A seminar was held in Morocco on September 1992. It was recommended the creation of a National Producers Association to speed up the establishment of the Production Network. This association will represent a core group of information collected to be used in the Information System. It will then give the benefit of circulating the updated information on Production technics among the Mediterranean Region. The complementarity of two networks (Production and Information) is meant to give greater chance of success and continuity to the cooperation.

Before dealing with the structure of the cooperation, it is worth to mention the following shortcomings;

The discrepancies in the level of development of Aquaculture in each Country constitute the first, difficulty encountered by he Project during its second phase. At least, three distinct levels have been identified; Some countries are still in a start up phase the identification of their needs and priorities is under process, The lack of Production Entreprises, Training and Research Centres encompass difficulties in the cooperation with other higher level countries.

Some other countries, considered at a second level, have elaborated their development plan and proceeded already to the training of their Researchers and Technicians. They acquired certain experience in Production and endeavour to develop their technology and technics, but are still considered in a development phase as regards the industrialised countries representing the third level group and who have already established an aquaculture industry.

Not only the Climatic and geophysical conditions are part of the mentioned discrepancies but also the communication means and the language used are handicapping several activities. The training field is the most attained area by this difficulty. The medium level staff to be trained do not usually speak the same language.

However and despite these difficulties, MEDRAP II mission was to create several networks and to develop the cooperation among the countries in the Region.

Thus, several seminars and workshops have been organised, as mentioned above, to favour the establishment of networks in the research, training and production fields.

On another hand, and in order to allow the continuity of the cooperation, an Ad Hoc Committee was invited, last June in Algiers, to discuss and finalise the mechanism of functioning of the future cooperation,. A consultant was designated to elaborate a project proposal for the purpose. His report outlined the structures and the mechanisms of functioning ofMEDRAP future (see Figures Pages 9 and 10).

MEDRAP II Organisation Chart.

Proposed MEDRAP III Institutional Framework.

The consultant and the MEDRAP coordinator made informal communications with the FAO, CIHEAM and MAP/PAP-RAC to obtain a preliminary indication of their interest and willingness to carry out the tasks of MEDRAP future activities,

Following these discussions, it appears that GFCM is willing to assume the general coordination of future MEDRAP. The matter will be definitively raised to the full Council during its forthcoming meeting in April 1993.

The CIHEAM and MAP/PAP-RAC, who were receptive to the idea in principle and enthousiastic towards the proposed sub-coordination roles in their respective fields, both consider their involvement, in the future activities conditional to financial support.

The EEC equally contacted for its involvement in the development of such cooperation, its financial assistance to the above three mentioned institutions and its financial commitment to MEDRAP II in its actual phase, seem to be unable to procure any assistance due to its actual regulation and programme of activities in the field.

Due to what have preceeded, I would like to point out the following comments:

1) The Mediterranean countries are linked by common needs, priorities, problems and opportunities. The cooperation is obviously necessary to avoid duplication of efforts.The structure of the cooperation, as largely discussed with all the concerned parties, will favour the technology transfer, the Production promotion and the development of human abilities all over the region.

It will additionally favour the monitoring and the follow-up of the development to avoid negatives endeavours that may arise particularly from any environmental aspects.

2) The cooperation initiated by MEDRAP have allowed the accumulation of such acquirements that it is necessary to preserve and is regrettable not to benefit from.

3) Among these acquirements, the widely humain relations established between Researchers, Trainers, Producers, Experts and Managers will facilitate the perennity of the cooperation because they will provide solutions to the problems encountered.

4) The Mediterranean Cooperation is yielded to some political concerns. Several views and attitudes have asserted the enrollement of countries belonging to the North and the South of the Mediterranean. In this respect, the development of durable cooperation between those countries should support and favour the promotion of aquaculture in the region.

5) The perennity of the cooperation should rely firstly and essentially on the contribution of the concerned participating States. The network activities may start with few menbers, Greater participation could be involved progressively after the start-up.

6) Finanlly, I remain convinced that the Donor Institutions such as EEC will contribute to the cooperation. This will take time. The project proposals that may be submitted to them, should be in accordance with their concerns and their modalities of sponsoring.

IMPLENTATION OF MEDRAP III STRUCTURE

MEDRAP II should assist, during 1994, the Sub-Coordinators in the preparatory phase, of each Network Project.

Chart № 1

TENTATIVE PROPOSAL ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MEDRAP III STURUCTURE

Further to the Ad Hoc Committee recommendations held in Algiers on June 1992,and following the consultancy report on the “MEDRAP II proposed future organisational structure, activities and budget,” several discussions and contacts have been conducted to identify the practical actions to be undertaken to implement permanent structures for the perennity of the cooperation (see chart no.1)

The CGPM will ensure the General Coordination of the future activities and will have to establish an Aquaculture Management Committee for the purpose.

The MAP/PAP-RAC agreed to carry out the Aquaculture and Environment Network activities, the CIHEAM to be in charge of the Research and Training Network and the Tunisian Government to host the SIPAM Project.

For each project, a draft proposal have to be elaborated, by each concerned Sub-Coordinator, beginning of 1993, in collaboration with MEDRAP and, if necessary, with a consultant assistance.

A seminar should be organised to review and adopt the draft proposal early in 1993. All interested countries and other parties concerned will attend.

The Sub-Coordinator will be responsible for the elaboration of the Project Document final version and the identification of funding sources, in collaboration with MEDRAP Coordination Centre.

The adoption of the Project by the respective councils of the Sub-Coordinators should be notified by mid-93

By end of 1993 the Project will be submitted to the Aquaculture Management Committee for advice then to GFCM for adoption.

In 1994, the Sub-Coordinator is ready to execute the forecasted activities.

MEDRAP II should assist in the preparatory phase of each Network Project.

However, the Networks recently created, according to the decision of Cairo Steering Committee meeting, would be maintained as sub-Networks (see chart no.2)

December 1992
By the Project Coordinator

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

chart № 2