Zambian senior fisheries managers involved on the monitoring, control and surveillance of fisheries issues
Understanding the value of leadership for ensuring successful monitoring, control and surveillance on fisheries management is the subject of a national workshop which is being held at the government conference centre in Lusaka since this week.
During these three days, ten senior fisheries managers from Zambia Government are met together to discuss about the importance of MCS as an integral part of fisheries management.
This workshop has been initiated by the Indian Ocean Commission SmartFish Programme in collaboration with the Zambian Government and funded by the European Union.
This senior management meeting follows a series of various training courses for fisheries officers that SmartFish has organized since last year with 2 countries in the region. This time, SmartFish is emphasizing the importance of having a coordinated leadership on MCS by reviewing the strategic aspects of MCS operations.
In the eastern and southern Africa region, many challenges still remain: the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a severe problem, the resources allocated for the MCS is insufficient and there is a lack of coordination with the other related MCS programmes.
In Zambia, fisheries sector provides income for over 300,000 people, however, such benefits are poorly quantified and often overlooked. It contributes 3% on average GDP. Fish and fisheries products account for more than 40% of animal protein intake and provide essential micronutrients to the majority of Zambia’s population who are highly vulnerable to malnutrition. Fishing in Zambia is dominated by artisanal fishers using traditional (canoes) and there are between 50 and 700 industrial operators found mainly on Lakes Kariba and Tanganyika.
SmartFish is a programme of the Indian Ocean Commission implemented in 20 countries1. It is the one of the biggest regional programme for fisheries in Africa. Its objective is to promote regional integration through practical implementation of sound fisheries initiatives and it has a strong component on MCS. SmartFish Programme involved other regional organizations such as COMESA, EAC and IGAD. FAO is also a co-implementer of this programme.
The senior management workshop includes practical aspects to MCS as well as policy aspects. This will contribute to improve the national skills to implement effective MCS of the transboundary resources. At the end of the workshop, participants will have a greater appreciation of the use of MCS as an effective tool in fisheries management.
For the next few months, SmartFish will continue to train Fisheries Officers and mobilize the senior managers in Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
