Case study characterization

This report contains basic description of the six case studies (CS) in the FarFish project. Four of the CS have Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPA) with the EU and two are within international waters. The CS cover the Cape Verde tuna fishery (SFPA), the Senegal tuna and hake fishery (SFPA), the Mauritanian mixed fishery (SFPA), Seychelles tuna fishery (SFPA), the high-seas mixed fishery in the South West Atlantic (FAO Major Fishing Area 41) and the mixed fishery in the international waters of South East Atlantic (FAO Area 47). The information presented is primarily based on a review of the available literature and the data that will feed other FarFish work packages (WPs). This case study characterizations, which will be updated as the project progresses, includes descriptions of geography, oceanography, ecosystem characteristics, fisheries activity and production in the area. It also includes description of the existing management procedures and overall their objectives, stock assessment methods used; as well as identification of the main relevant authorities, operators and other stakeholders. The governance within the fisheries is also discussed, as well as issues related to compliance and transparency. The main findings in the evaluation of the SFPA or the high-seas fishery is presented; and the supply-/value chain is studied. The CS characterizations also include overviews of how FarFish will address the gaps and challenges identified, as well as links to the most relevant literature and data. The case studies cover a range of fisheries of different complexity, from largely single (or a few) tuna fisheries to multi-species demersal fisheries. The management regimes do also range from essentially no management in the case of the high-seas mixed fishery in the South West Atlantic (FAO Major Fishing Area 41), to management at the national and Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) levels. While each case study is in general unique, they all face similar problems and challenges. These include overcapacity, overexploitation, threats to food security, inadequate monitoring of catches and fishing effort, lack of compliance and enforcement, inadequate data for stock assessment and for evaluating the effects of fishing (e.g. gear selectivity), lack of expertise and training in fisheries biology, stock assessment and management, lack of data and analysis for evaluation and understanding of variability in abundance, competition between national and foreign fleets, and insufficient or inadequate value chain infrastructure. FarFish will contribute to improved data collection, monitoring and compliance as well the development of management plans through participatory processes that effectively address the problems of lack of knowledge and unsustainable harvest.