Wealth from marine fisheries is not evenly distributed among the eight SADC coastal countries (namely: Angola, Congo (DR), Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa and the United Republic of Tanzania). The primary productivity of the West coast is richer, the fishery is predominantly industrial and ensures up to 90% of total catch. In contrast, the environmental conditions on the East coast are more stable, characterised by greater species diversity and higher social importance as artisanal and recreational fisheries predominate. Several workshops held by the SADC Marine Fisheries Sector Co-ordinating Unit (MFSCU) identified policy harmonization (taking cognisance of national legal frameworks) as a key issue and a major catalyst to responsible fisheries in the region.
SADC, therefore, requested FAO assistance with the harmonization of fisheries management and trade policy as well as related legal frameworks, among its member countries and in line with the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) and other recently adopted international instruments.
A TCP project was developed, the objective of which was to identify and analyse priority marine policy issues at the SADC regional level with a view to developing a strategy in support of the process of harmonization of marine fisheries policy and legal framework.
In order to deliver this objective, the project adopted the following approach. A standard questionnaire was developed by FAO and the SADC/MFSCU (“Outline for National Reports”) to provide a common reporting system which would permit valid conclusions to be drawn for the entire group. On the basis of this questionnaire, seven national teams of authors (supported by briefing missions from Project Steering Committee members) prepared a report on the status of implementation of the CCRF in their country. These reports were then used as the basis for a regional synthesis report, which presented an initial identification of common needs and problems in the region.
In addition to the synthesis report, FAO produced two documents:
A Regional Workshop was then convened from July 24 to July 27, 2001 in Zanzibar. On the basis of the regional synthesis report and the FAO trade and legal documents, the main objective of the workshop was to identify elements for an action plan in order to address the main fisheries management and trade policy issues which had been identified.
To achieve its objective, the workshop undertook three main activities:
(i) a review of:In designing the Workshop, the key consideration was the need to ensure the fullest involvement of participants from the administrative, academic and private sectors in each national team, in order to better reflect the views of the various stakeholders in fisheries management and trade at the national level. The Workshop was designed so as to provide a framework for discussion by the countries around the basic questions, in order to define strategies and actions. It is expected that these strategies and actions will be further developed subsequent to the Workshop at national and regional levels as well as in relation to the implementation of the Fisheries Protocol to the SADC Treaty.
- the level of understanding and the status of implementation of the principles contained in the Articles 7 and 11 of the Code in the SADC coastal countries, and the mechanisms which need to be put into practice by member countries to utilise the CCRF as general guidelines for the harmonization of policies with regard to responsible management of marine fisheries and trade of fisheries products;
- changes required in national legislation to comply with the 1995 UN straddling stock agreement and the 1993 FAO Compliance Agreement, in the context of the Fishery Protocol to the SADC Treaty.
(ii) a discussion of identified policy gaps as well as difficulties encountered in the application, in SADC context, of the principles of the Code contained in Articles 7, and 11, at national and regional level;
(iii) on the basis of the review and discussion the proposal of a short term strategy and identification of elements for an action plan for policy harmonization at the SADC regional level which, in addition to actions already programmed through the SADC marine regional project portfolio, will support the policy convergence, in line with recent international instruments.
