about us

The Fisheries Agreements Project is an initiative of the Conservation Programme for the Coastal Zone of West Africa (PRCM), and falls under the “Fisheries” component of this regional programme. The project is financed by DGIS (Dutch Development Agency) and MAVA (Luc Hoffmann Fund), and is co-executed by IUCN and WWF, under the aegis of the SRFC. The project started its activities in 2005, with the holding of a planning and work plan elaboration workshop. A large part of the region's Directors of Fisheries participated in this event, enabling the development of a shared and consensual work plan, backed by the very administrations that are to become the prime beneficiaries of the actions foreseen by the project.

the project

SRFC member states negotiate and sign fisheries agreements with international partners, governments and private entities, through which they grant foreign entities access to the fishery resources of their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). However, many of these countries are afflicted by major shortcomings in their respective capacities to negotiate first-rate agreements, which is mostly related to urgent needs for foreign exchange and limited organisational and technical capacities. Their need for foreign currency weakens their negotiating position as owners of coveted fisheries resources. This weakness is exacerbated by a lack of scientific and technical collaboration between the seven countries of the sub region.

In light of this situation, the SRFC, with the support of the WWF and other PRCM partners set up a project to strengthen the negotiation capacity of SRFC member countries. Designed to run for three years, this project aims at enhancing the capacity of SRFC member States in negotiating more equitable and sustainable fishing agreements. The fisheries administrations and its officers are the focus of these efforts. The project has adopted a holistic approach to fisheries agreements, tackling the issue in its broader context, and aiming not to focus on a particular type of agreements. Activities focus on making available a large amount of strategically important information, necessary for the better decision making, and to lead training and proactive information dissemination campaigns which shall directly contribute to strengthening the technical capacities of key officers in these administrations. [read the work plan ...]

The project is based at the IUCN office in Nouakchott, Mauritania, and is executed in close collaboration between IUCN, WWF and the SRFC. [contact us...]

our partners

SRFC

The Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) is an intergovernmental marine cooperation organ. It is at the service of its members, and was created on 29th March , 1985, by adoption of a Convention. It regroups seven member States, which are: Cape-Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Its objectives include the strengthening and the coordination of member States in the following domains:

Harmonisation of common policies in the areas of conservation and exploitation of living marine resources in the sub-region;
Adoption of common strategies in international fora;
Development of sub-regional collaboration in fisheries surveillance;
Capacitiy enhancement of countries to undertake fisheries research at the sub-regional level;

[SRFC Web site...]

IUCN

The World Conservation Union, founded in 1948, is the world's largest and most important conservation network. The Union brings together 82 States, 111 government agencies, more than 800 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. Since 1980, IUCN is present in the sub region, working in the domains of conservation and sustainable development. As of 1989, owing to funds made available by Holland (DGIS), IUCN has put in place a regional wetlands conservation programme, regrouping 5 sahelian countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal.

[IUCN Mauritania...]

WWF

Established in 1961, WWF operates in more than 100 countries. WWF is currently funding around 2,000 conservation projects and employs almost 4,000 people across the planet. The organization is almost unique in that it has that local presence to global presence - talking to tribes of Baka pygmies in the central African rainforests, through to face-to-face discussions with institutions such as the World Bank and the European Commission. The Senegal WWF office is based in Sacré Coeur, Dakar

[WWF Web site...]

PRCM

The West Africa Regional Conservation Programme of the Marine and Coastal Zone – PRCM – aims at coordinating efforts of institutions and individuals to conserve e the coastal zone of coastal countries of the sub-region (Cape-Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone). This coordination aims at strengthening overall coherence of interventions, to regroup available ressources, to value regional competencies, to encourage the exchange of experiences, to develop research, training and communication activities and campaigns, in order to engender a dynamic of sustainable development of the marine and coastal zones of West Africa – to the benefit of its populations.

[PRCM Web site...]

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project news about us work plan resources links documents fisheries agreements license register infractions register site contacts webmail login: password: log in	about us The Fisheries Agreements Project is an initiative of the Conservation Programme for the Coastal Zone of West Africa (PRCM), and falls under the “Fisheries” component of this regional programme. The project is financed by DGIS (Dutch Development Agency) and MAVA (Luc Hoffmann Fund), and is co-executed by IUCN and WWF, under the aegis of the SRFC. The project started its activities in 2005, with the holding of a planning and work plan elaboration workshop. A large part of the region's Directors of Fisheries participated in this event, enabling the development of a shared and consensual work plan, backed by the very administrations that are to become the prime beneficiaries of the actions foreseen by the project. the project SRFC member states negotiate and sign fisheries agreements with international partners, governments and private entities, through which they grant foreign entities access to the fishery resources of their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). However, many of these countries are afflicted by major shortcomings in their respective capacities to negotiate first-rate agreements, which is mostly related to urgent needs for foreign exchange and limited organisational and technical capacities. Their need for foreign currency weakens their negotiating position as owners of coveted fisheries resources. This weakness is exacerbated by a lack of scientific and technical collaboration between the seven countries of the sub region. In light of this situation, the SRFC, with the support of the WWF and other PRCM partners set up a project to strengthen the negotiation capacity of SRFC member countries. Designed to run for three years, this project aims at enhancing the capacity of SRFC member States in negotiating more equitable and sustainable fishing agreements. The fisheries administrations and its officers are the focus of these efforts. The project has adopted a holistic approach to fisheries agreements, tackling the issue in its broader context, and aiming not to focus on a particular type of agreements. Activities focus on making available a large amount of strategically important information, necessary for the better decision making, and to lead training and proactive information dissemination campaigns which shall directly contribute to strengthening the technical capacities of key officers in these administrations. [read the work plan ...] The project is based at the IUCN office in Nouakchott, Mauritania, and is executed in close collaboration between IUCN, WWF and the SRFC. [contact us...] our partners SRFC The Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) is an intergovernmental marine cooperation organ. It is at the service of its members, and was created on 29th March , 1985, by adoption of a Convention. It regroups seven member States, which are: Cape-Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Its objectives include the strengthening and the coordination of member States in the following domains: Harmonisation of common policies in the areas of conservation and exploitation of living marine resources in the sub-region; Adoption of common strategies in international fora; Development of sub-regional collaboration in fisheries surveillance; Capacitiy enhancement of countries to undertake fisheries research at the sub-regional level; [SRFC Web site...] IUCN The World Conservation Union, founded in 1948, is the world's largest and most important conservation network. The Union brings together 82 States, 111 government agencies, more than 800 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. Since 1980, IUCN is present in the sub region, working in the domains of conservation and sustainable development. As of 1989, owing to funds made available by Holland (DGIS), IUCN has put in place a regional wetlands conservation programme, regrouping 5 sahelian countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. [IUCN Mauritania...] WWF Established in 1961, WWF operates in more than 100 countries. WWF is currently funding around 2,000 conservation projects and employs almost 4,000 people across the planet. The organization is almost unique in that it has that local presence to global presence - talking to tribes of Baka pygmies in the central African rainforests, through to face-to-face discussions with institutions such as the World Bank and the European Commission. The Senegal WWF office is based in Sacré Coeur, Dakar [WWF Web site...] PRCM The West Africa Regional Conservation Programme of the Marine and Coastal Zone – PRCM – aims at coordinating efforts of institutions and individuals to conserve e the coastal zone of coastal countries of the sub-region (Cape-Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone). This coordination aims at strengthening overall coherence of interventions, to regroup available ressources, to value regional competencies, to encourage the exchange of experiences, to develop research, training and communication activities and campaigns, in order to engender a dynamic of sustainable development of the marine and coastal zones of West Africa – to the benefit of its populations. [PRCM Web site...]
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