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THE PROJECT |
CopeMed II
Cooordination to support fisheries management in the western
and central Mediterranean
(GCP/INT/028/SPA - GCP/INT/006/EC) |
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OBJECTIVES |
The second phase of the CopeMed Project
started in 2008. The Project was built on the
achievements of the first phase of the Project
(1996-2005) while strengthening the established
framework of international cooperation, which fosters
sub-regional approaches in fisheries research and
management. The Project aims to strengthen technical and
scientific capacities for fisheries assessment and
management in the Central and Western Mediterranean,
taking into account environmental, biological,
economical, social and institutional considerations. To
this end, it promotes scientific cooperation among the
coastal nations through common methodologies,
standardized data-gathering as well as through joint
multi-disciplinary analyses.
The Project supports national and
regional fisheries management processes taking advantage
of the scientific networks and knowledge developed
during more than twenty years of cooperation. The
Project attempts to reduce the differences in fisheries
research and management capacities between northern and
southern countries and try to encourage a sub-regional
approach to fisheries coherent with the current trends
established by the General Fisheries Commission for the
Mediterranean.
Re-qualifying the artisanal fisheries
sector in the Mediterranean, particularly in the fragile
coastal zones is essential to the livelihood of the
coastal fishing communities. The Project implements
pilot activities to assist the artisanal fisheries
sector taking into consideration all the drivers that
currently impact the coastal zones as climate change,
pollution and competing use of coastal areas with other
human activities through an ecosystem approach to
fisheries. |
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AREAS OF INTERVENTION |
The main areas of intervention are the
following:
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Support the sub regional
cooperation (north-south and south-south).
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Promote institutional commitment
to the shared management of common resources.
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Assist in the development of
standardized systems of data collection to produce
the necessary statistical information (biological
and socio-economic) for fisheries management.
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Strengthen regional scientific
cooperation to promote research in its biological,
ecological, socio-economic and institutional
dimensions.
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Develop capacity for an ecosystem
approach to fisheries.
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MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS |
During its first phase, the CopeMed
project helped to improve the knowledge of the state of
marine resources and helped to standardize common
methodologies related to bio-economic data collection
and analysis in the western and central Mediterranean.
Above all the Project encouraged the exchange of
fish-related information among participating countries
and created the basis of a sub-regional cooperation
network in this part of the Mediterranean. This helped
strengthen the institutional capacity of the southern
Mediterranean countries for coordinated and cooperative
fisheries research and management, in line with the Code
of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Building on these
results, the Phase II of the project has obtained
important achievements:
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The establishment of regular
Working Groups for the assessment of stocks of
interest to Spain, Morocco and Algeria in the
Alboran Sea (GSAs 1, 3 and 4). A WG on dolphinfish
Coryphaena hippurus also meets less regularly
to exchange scientific information and to test
alternative methods for the assessment of this stock
of importance to the sub-region. More recently the
Project, in coordination with MedSudMed, is
facilitating discussions between Algeria and Tunisia
to create a new WG for the assessment of priority
stocks of common interest for the two countries in
the boundaries between GSA 4 and 12. The work done
in the WGs has proved instrumental to allow
countries in the sub-region to participate and
contribute to the GFCM Working Groups on Stock
Assessment of demersal and pelagic species.
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The regular training of national
experts on methods for data analysis and assessment
of stocks. Up until recently these trainings were
performed on an ad hoc basis, upon countries request,
and without a medium-term strategy. Since 2017, the
Project, in collaboration with other Regional
Projects, GFCM and JRC, is implementing a Summer
School in Quantitative Fisheries Stock Assessment,
with the goal to provide a regular and extended
training on contemporary methods for data analysis
and stock assessment to enhance the quality of
scientific advice in the region.
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The provision of training
opportunities on other themes, such as socioeconomic
data collection and analysis, ecosystem approaches
to fisheries, survey methodologies, identification
of fish eggs and larvae, etc.
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The support to countries to
obtain basic biological data for the assessment of
priority species.
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The development of capacity to
mainstream the ecosystem approach to fisheries
management, with pilot actions focused on
small-scale fisheries.
Lastly, but not least, the project
has been enabling the active participation of experts
from Western and Central Mediterranean countries in
sub-regional and regional activities promoted by the
Regional projects, the GFCM and other regional
organizations. |
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TARGET BENEFICIARIES |
The fishery research institutions of
the region and the national and regional management
bodies are in a better position to formulate fishery
management and development strategies. The General
Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM)
benefits of the strong cooperation among nations that
are now in a levelled play field to assume and to comply
with new obligations imposed for the sustainability of
fisheries. The ultimate beneficiary is the fishery
sector – from resource users to the various stakeholders
– which now may rely on decisions that are being
progressively taken based on sound multidisciplinary
knowledge of the fishery system. |
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PARTICIPATING
COUNTRIES |
Algeria, France, Italy, Libya, Malta,
Morocco, Spain and Tunisia. |
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DONORS |
The Project has been funded in
different periods and proportions by Spain through its
Agency for International Cooperation and Development
(AECID), the
General Secretary for Fisheries of the Spanish Ministry
for Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment
and more recently, and with a substantial contribution
also by the
General Direction of Fisheries and Marine Affairs of the
European Commission. |
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FAO'S CONTRIBUTION |
FAO’s vast experience and knowledge on
fisheries statistics and marine resources, its
established contacts and collaboration networks with the
west and central Mediterranean countries and its ongoing
fishery projects in the Mediterranean give it the
capacity to execute the Project.
Many of the scientific results of the
Project support the work of the GFCM and its subsidiary
bodies. The Project is fully consistent with the Code of
Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and its technical
guidelines, including the International Plans of Action,
with the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries and the
voluntary Guidelines for Small Scale Fisheries. |
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BEGINNING AND ENDING
DATES |
The second phase of CopeMed started
in February 2008. With an initial planned duration of
three years, the project has been annually extended
since then upon request of countries and the renewed
support of donors. |
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