East African Community

1.0       Background

Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) is implementing a programme called “Contribution of Sustainable Fisheries to the Blue Economy of the Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Region – E€OFISH programme”. The funding is Euro 29.4 million with an allocation of 2 million to LVFO. The benefiting zone is the Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean (EA-SA-IO) Region.

The second PSC was held from 29th to 30th June, 2021 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and the meeting considered progress of implementation of project activities and provided policy guidance.

2.0 Result areas

Result Area 1: Regional Policies and Institutional Frameworks are enhanced to secure more sustainable fisheries management

1. Result Area 1.1: Evaluate and review existing management plans and/or develop and support the implementation of new management plans
2. Result Area 1.2: Promote coherent regional registration and licensing frameworks in the small-scale inland and marine fisheries
3. Result Area 1.3 Support the adoption and implementation of management measures aiming at protecting marine biodiversity with regional impacts.
4. Result Area 1.4 Improve data collection and management in support of more evidence based regional policies

Result Area 2: Regional and sub-regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance action plans to deter and eliminate IUU fishing in the small scale inland fisheries

1. Establishing and implementing a regional MCS system that encompasses among other, the development of regional guidelines or framework on fisheries licensing, the establishment of user rights-based management system (control of open access)
2. Built capacity to implement regional cost effective inland monitoring and surveillance programs
3. Support capacity building in enforcement, compliance and prosecution procedures in in the fisheries sector at national levels

3.0 Performance

While COVID-19 hampered the progress in implementation of the project both at LVFO Secretariat and Project Office Headquarters in Mauritius, a number of planned activities have been implemented in the result areas 1 and 2:

There major physical performance achievements highlighted included:

1. Completion and submission of the consultancy outputs on the review of the LVFO Fisheries Management Plan III performance (2016-2020) and draft LVFO Fisheries Management Plan IV (2021-2025) that was ready for regional validation;
2. Conducting of a regional planning meeting for Monitoring control and surveillance (MCS) and coherent regional registration and licensing frameworks in the small-scale inland fisheries of Lake Victoria
3. Ongoing procurement process for MCS equipment and protection of fish breeding areas in support of having management measures aiming at protecting marine biodiversity and having cost effective inland monitoring and surveillance programs
4. Completion of regional Frame Survey providing a regional report with data and information to support of more evidence based regional policies and fisheries management
5. Procurement process for a short term consultancy to support capacity building in enforcement, compliance and prosecution procedures in in the fisheries sector at national levels