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R e d  S e a  C o a s t a l  F i s h e r y  P r o j e c t  –  revision, May 2006

This document is the result of a two week re-negotiation of the conditions of the RSCFP in the period of 15^th-27^th of May, 2006. The need for this re-negotiation was caused by a worry in the project donor that the fundamentally important fisher-to-fisher component of the project was not possible to carry through with the division of artisanal fishery as implementer on the Eritrean side. A three person delegation was sent from Denmark to Massawa to clarify eventual misunderstandings and establish a set of principles in cooperation with fishermen and government representatives in the division of artisanal fishery of Massawa to ensure and strengthen the cooperation in the two year project period to the benefit of all and in accordance with the conditions of fisher-to-fisher cooperation.

Principles of two year implementation as agreed in Massawa, May 26, 2006:

1. Fisher-to-fisher cooperation

-         Mehzenet: We agree upon the principle of fisher-to-fisher cooperation. The aim of the project is to develop the artisanal fishery by using this approach to the full extent of what is possible. The approach of Living Sea in the fisher-to-fisher work has been adopted as the fundamental principle of the project. Our discussions have clarified that there is even a semantic overlap in the Danish and Tigrina language: “makkerskab” in Danish (which is Living Sea’s official approach to development projects) resembles the Eritrean concept of “Mehzenet” as a total commitment between people (different from friendship and partnership). The implementation of the project will take place on the firm background of this common understanding, and it consequently aims at increasingly strengthening the capacity of the Eritrean artisanal fishermen to partake in such cooperation on their own initiative in the future. However, we also accept the existing limitations in the capacity of the Eritrean fishermen, especially considering the current re-structuring of the fishery cooperatives. It is no longer realistic to undertake a project based on an expectation of independent initiative from an autonomous artisanal fishery NGO. Therefore, we agree that the division of artisanal fishery in the Eritrean Ministry of Fisheries should work to facilitate the fisher-to-fisher cooperation on fields, where the new fishery cooperatives are not yet able to assume full responsibility. This facilitation should aim at a continuous strengthening of the independence and autonomy of the fishery cooperatives and the capacity among the fishermen to organize and take responsibility. The staff of the division of artisanal fishery does not have much experience in such an approach, but they actively show interest and conviction that this is the approach much needed in the present situation. The fisher-to-fisher approach is new in the development of fishery in Eritrea, and this does face the participants of the project with significant challenges.

è    At the moment, the project budget allows three delegates from Denmark during the project period. The Danish partner will work to find additional funding to enable two more delegates to visit Eritrea.

è    The staff of the artisanal fishery division will continue its work to support the re-organization of the existing artisanal fishery cooperatives and to build capacity among the fishermen in organization, management and cooperation. The staff emphasizes its role as facilitators, rather than implementers. The artisanal fishery division contributes with the labour of four staff: the bookkeeper of the project, the coordinator, and a technologist expert on fishing gear. Furthermore, a fourth fishery expert will be included in the team. The project recognizes this work by contributing with an additional 20 % to the salary of these staff members. Material exists in the division from an interview investigation among women in the region on the life form and daily life of women in Eritrean fishery. The project would appreciate completion and analysis of these results in a report.

è    The three-region-approach (see below) has been developed to further ensure the fisher-to-fisher cooperation and a direct route from the project to the fishermen and the fishing communities. 

-         Bank account. A bank account will be opened with the Commercial Bank of Eritrea in the name of the project. The conditions of cash withdrawals in Eritrea have been specified. Three people of the Eritrean side must approve all withdrawals with signature: the chairman of the Project Council, the coordinator of the input from the division of artisanal fishery, and a member of the Project Council representing the division of artisanal fishery. Furthermore, on withdrawals above 5000 Nakfa, the Danish coordinator must give his approval, just as the withdrawal must be presented to the general director of the fishery resources development department. 

-         The Project Council. The fishery cooperatives each elect one representative for the council. Furthermore, the director of the division of artisanal fishery is a member, as well as the representative of Living Sea. In all: 10 members. Chairman, Vice Chairman and secretary are elected by simple majority within the council. The task of the council is to be the overall responsible of the implementation of the project. Decisions about the implementation of the project within the frames of the three-region-approach as described below must be discussed and decided by the council. Accordingly, the council has, on its meeting on the 22^nd of May 2006, elected Hassan Mohamed Ali (fisherman from Semhar-Zula) as its chairman, Ali Mahmoud Mussa (fisherman from Wakiro) as its Vice Chairman, and Hassan Kerief (Director of the Artisanal Fishery Division) as its secretary. Meetings are agreed to be held quarterly. In 2006, meetings have been and will be held: January, May, September, and December. Four annual meetings are minimum, and there must be held at least one meeting when Danish partners visit. The agenda is prepared by the secretary, in agreement with chairman and Danish coordinator. Allowances for attendance at the meetings agreed at 200 Nakfa/day. Attendance at the meeting equals one day’s allowance. For people with long transport additionally two days for transport (out and back). 

2. Three-region approach

-         Motivation. The three-region-approach has been developed to ensure a sensitive approach to the needs of fishermen on geographically and socio-economically different sites. This gives two main advantages: Firstly, it ensures the direct cooperation between fishermen from the Danish and Eritrean side, regardless of the role of the division of artisanal fishery, including that the equipment delivered and purchased will be transported to and taken into use on site. The fisher-to-fisher approach is thereby secured and strengthened. Secondly, it makes it possible to achieve more diverse results from the three regions, which can then be shared across the area – facilitated by the division of artisanal fishery and the project council. The common pool of knowledge will thus be build via specific inputs and approaches to the places that best fulfil the pre-conditions on the short term. The regions defined are: South (Zula Bay – the villages Zula and Erefaile), Central (Massawa and Dissie Island), and North (Wakiro, Emberemi, Wedi-lelo). 

-         South: Overall, the aim of the efforts in South is to build up the capacity in the fishery and the landing site and provide the local and national markets with fish of high quality. The Zula Bay area will thereby function as the main focus area for capacity building within a local fishery community. The fishermen of Zula Bay must organize, take responsibility in the concrete efforts to establish a new and functional landing site and viable links to the markets. They will, in other words, be actively engaged in work and decision making in all steps from sea to table, entirely within the framework of their own fishery cooperatives. 

-         Time schedule: January 2007: One month visit from Danish delegate. Establishment of cooling facilities: container, generator, offices, work shops. Updating of fishing gear on vessels. Initiation of work on landing site. Autumn 2007: Landing site: Winch, wire, fleet. The staff of the division of artisanal fishery supports and reports about the work in the periods in between the visits from Denmark.

è    Material input from the project (Danish side): Cooling container, generator, electric equipment, boxes, batteries, ice machine (cooling facilities); tools for boat repair, nets, gloves, knives, lamps with rechargeable batteries (boats); winch, wire (landing site).

è    Material input from the local community: labour, foundation for container, local materials for landing site.

è    Material input from the Ministry of Fisheries: buildings at landing site for offices, generator house, toilets, and work shops. If the site chosen for the landing will be the location near the village Erefaile, we recommend that one good and suitable building will be provided for the fishermen from the village Zula for housing during weekly or seasonal fishery. 

-         Central: Overall, the Central region is focused on trial fisheries and improvement of design and work routines on individual vessels. Furthermore, the handling of fish – cleaning, washing, cooling – will be a focus area. On the decision of the project council, a number of vessels will be selected for these experiments. In each procedure, one vessel will be conducting its fishery according to new procedures and with new equipment, supported by one Danish fisherman, while another vessel volunteers for a comparative study, continuing its routines (which must of course be similar to the ones of the vessel selected for experiment). The cooperatives will be encouraged to follow and participate in the results of the experiments to the best of their ability. Examples of experiments: 1. Trial fishery with bottom set net. 2. Changing (in a hurri) from outboard gasoline engine to inboard diesel engine. 3. Upgrading of vessel in work routines and structure. 4. Quality handling of fish.

-         Time schedule: January 2007: One month visit from Danish fisherman. Autumn 2007: One month visit from Danish fisherman. The staff of the division of artisanal fishery is responsible of monitoring and collection of results in the periods between the visits from Danish partners.

è    Material input from the project (Danish side): Nets, additional gear for nets, tools for traps, hauling machines, echo sounder, GPS, electrical generator, fittings, electrical tools and materials, gloves, knives, lamps with rechargeable batteries, ice boxes.

è    Material input from the local community: Boats and crew for experimental fishing. 

-         North: Overall, the approach to the North is to a significant degree determined by the Halibai Station project. It is beyond the capacity of this project to complete the Halibai Station, and this inability cannot but appear as a very modest approach. However, the focus will be on the fishermen who already today catch fish from the sea shore with the available tools: foot fishery and fishery from small boats and canoes. The problems in these fisheries are mainly connected to nets and related equipment and the transportation of the catches to the local markets (the surrounding villages). The project will improve and strengthen these activities by providing the fishermen with nets and other equipment, and boxes for transportation with the best available natural cooling system. Means for transportation will be discussed and decided with the fishermen. The fishermen who wish to benefit from the project must organize. The project period must strengthen the identity as fishermen and the structures of cooperation, and show tangible results. Only in this way can the road be paved for more substantial improvements in the future.

-         Time schedule: January 2007: Division of nets and other gear from two Danish delegates. Autumn 2007: The improvement of nets, gear, organization, and transport should improve the level of the catches. If this exceeds the amounts that can be distributed within the day to the local communities, an experiment of dried fish will be launched from the autumn 2007, employing the Halibai Station to the extent possible.

è    Material input from the project (Danish side): Nets, related gear, gloves, knives, cooling equipment.

è    Material input from local community: Means for transportation.

è    Material input from the Ministry of Fisheries: In case of a successful outcome of the first season, the ministry will give access to the facilities at the Halibai Station for initiation of a production of dried fish. 

3. The festival “In Honour of the Fish”

-         Motivation: The purpose of the festival is to promote the fish of the region on the national market. In relation to the fishermen, the aim is to strengthen the professional identity and relations between the fishermen from various cooperatives and geographical sites, while the status of the fisherman should be strengthened among the population in general. Furthermore, the festival should promote the value of eating fish – in terms of health, economy, and gastronomic quality. The people should have the opportunity to come to appreciate species that are currently not considered to be of any significant value (and are thus often discarded in the traditional fishery). The festival should encourage women and the families in the trade practically and in terms of consciousness. Gathering and exchange of old and new recipes for preparation of fish dishes, collection of songs and tales from the fishery, and performance, singing and promotion of the local communities during the festival will involve women to a high degree and families in general. The festival will also attract the mass media and the decision makers in Eritrea, which means that the fishery at large will be promoted on all levels. A work shop will be arranged to attract fish mongers and sales people and enable them to meet fishermen, as well as other links of the business, and make connections.

-         Time schedule and tasks. The festival takes place in the autumn of 2007. Songs, tales, and recipes will be gathered by employees in the division of artisanal fishery. Living Sea will prepare banners, streamers, t-shirts and other material for propaganda. A committee for the festival will be established within the frames of the project council.  

4. Biological monitoring

-         Current situation. The biological consequences of the commercial fisheries in the Eritrean waters are mainly connected to the by-catches of species like dolphins, turtles, and others. Especially the trawls influence on the habitats. A UNDP-GEF office in cooperation with the National Fishery Corporation is doing the existing biological monitoring (the ECMIB programme). It is estimated that the commercial fishery can catch up to 80,000 tons of different species of fish (300 commercial species). In 2005, the total catches amounted to less than 10,000 tons (6,808 tons according to the official statistics of the Ministry of Fisheries).

-         Action of the project. The project will establish contacts with the UNDP-GEF office for promotion of a biological programme of monitoring of the influence of artisanal fishery on the fish stocks in general and some particularly vulnerable species. In cooperation with the Marine College in Massawa, courses will be arranged to train fishermen on marine ecology and awareness of biological sustainability in connection with the trial fisheries.  

5. Expected results and perspectives

-         Parameters of evaluation. Overall: I. Fulfilment of the planned activities. II. Re-organization of the cooperatives and empowerment of the fishermen. III. Cooperation between the three parties: Eritrean fishermen, Danish fishermen, and division of artisanal fishery. South: I. Significant increase in the amount of fish on the local and national markets. II. Improved economy among the fishermen. Central: I. Each pilot project includes a survey before its beginning of the expectations of the fishermen, and after the finalization of the evaluation of the fishermen. Aim: A noticeable improvement of procedures on board and in potential catches. North: I. Significant increase in the amount of fish on the local markets. II. Fishermen are interviewed as to their expectations before the initiation of the project, and as to their evaluation of the results at the end.

-         Further expected outcomes. I. Women. At present, the role of women in Eritrean artisanal fishery is mostly related to the household. They take care of house and family, when the husband is at sea. Children and mothers often catch fish for the household consumption. Some smaller trades exist: collection of snail nails, pearls, mussels. The project should contribute to a clarification of the role of women and the perspectives for their more direct involvement in trades within the fisheries. The qualitative interviews conducted by women at the division of artisanal fishery will throw light on these matters, and the project strongly recommends the completion of the report, and is ready to provide some funds to satisfy this demand if needed. Furthermore, it will support further steps to be taken according to the conclusions of the investigation. II. Sustainability. An evaluation will be given by the Danish side of the sustainability of the project in terms of the future perspectives: Which results of the present project are likely to be sustained in the following years on local initiative? How will the results benefit fishermen across the three-region-division? Will the effects on the markets be lasting and will fish as a valuable addition to the food resources be sustained?  

Massawa, Friday 26^th of May 2006,

______________________                                                           ________________           

Tewolde Tewoldemikael                                                                  Kurt Christensen

Fishery Resources Development Department                                   Project coordinator

Ministry of Fishery                                                                           Living Sea

Eritrea                                                                                             Denmark

References: 

Red Sea Coastal Fishery Project revision, Massawa, May 2006.

-         Protocols from meetings, 17^th, 18^th, and 19^th of May, 2006, between the Danish delegation and representatives of the division of artisanal fishery of the Ministry of Fisheries of Eritrea.

-         Summaries of the same meetings.

-         Brief summary of field study, 20^th and 21^st of May, 2006.

-         Protocol from and summary of the meeting in the Project Council, 22^nd of May, 2006.

Further references.

-         “Vedr. Minipulljebevilling: Titel “RSCFP – Red Sea Coastal Fishery Project”, J.nr.: 05-221-MP-jul” (Projektrådgivningen, Aarhus, Denmark, April 6, 2006).

-         Application Form for the project (Living Sea, Lemvig, Denmark, June 28, 2005).

-         Annual report of year 2005 (Ministry of Fisheries, Fisheries Resources Development Department, Artisanal Fisheries Division, Eritrea, December 2005).

-         Annual Report 2005 (Ministry of Fisheries, Fisheries Resource Regulatory Service Department, Industrial Liaison Division, Eritrea, December 2005).