Adequate planning is vital for effective fisheries management. Good planning establishes participation, a sense of direction and purpose, coordination and responsibilities of those involved, and financial forecasting. A comprehensive fisheries management plan also identifies targets and what to do when indicators against those targets show deviation from the desired path.

MEP has worked with governments and communities in numerous locations to develop fisheries management plans for local and regional fisheries. MEP can support the planning process through short-term identification missions designed to provide those tasked with developing the fisheries management plan with a clear brief of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Alternatively, if more long-term capacity building support is required, MEP can provide experts for long-term deployments to work alongside counterparts building capacity in-country to support the establishment of baselines and the formulation and implementation of the fisheries management plan.

Example case studies:-

• Oman Coastal Fleet Management

EBFM (also called the ecosystem approach to fisheries, EAF), in essence, extends the principles for sustainable fisheries management to cover the ecosystem as a whole. EBFM is increasingly enshrined in international agreements and frameworks as it becomes increasingly clear that single-stock management methods are prone to failure. EBFM aims to ensure that, despite variability, uncertainty and likely natural changes in the ecosystem, the capacity of ecosystems to produce the multitude of benefits that they do, is maintained indefinitely for the benefit of the present and future generations.

EBFM should take place within a wider framework of Integrated Coastal Zone Management to ensure the effects and benefits of non-fisheries activities are accounted for.

Institutions are critical to fisheries management. Besides biology, the socio-economic situation and the dynamics between a range of institutional arrangements - legislation, policy processes, mechanisms for cooperation, information collection and so on - need to be understood if a fishery is to be adequately managed. It is vital that sufficient institutional capacity exists to carry out the tasks of modern fisheries management.

MEP has experience developing capacity of fisheries managers, government departments, co-management counsels, NGOs, and so on at both local and regional scales.

Example case studies:-

• Strengthening Fishery Products Health Conditions Benin, Togo and Cameroon
• IVth Fisheries Development Project

The governance and management of fisheries is undergoing a transition, with stakeholder participation and a sense of ownership of resources increasingly recognised as key factors behind the success or failure of a management initiative. This is particularly so in areas where centralized fisheries management is ineffective and where self-enforcement is the most practical way of controlling a fished area.

In many areas this can be achieved through rekindling community based systems of resource management that existed long before fisheries management was appropriated to national governments. In other areas, it may be necessary to spend significant periods of time with communities and regulators to establish the reasons for management, to develop knowledge of the fisheries and to determine through participation what suitable targets and regulations should be.

The cost benefit to the government of establishing co-management or community based management systems can be profound - examples exist of fisheries where policing and management of fisheries are conducted from within communities, reducing government management and enforcement costs and improving the long-term outlook for a fishery.

The development of small-scale fisheries is a sensitive issue - the reliance of communities on the fisheries resources and the often unsustainable effort put into fishing those resources makes development difficult.

MEP has worked with communities and governments to identify methods of developing fisheries by focusing on implementing less damaging gear, improving post-harvest techniques to reduce wastage and encouraging community participation in management. In some cases opportunities for diversification may exist and MEP offers experience of developing feasibility studies and implementing programmes to relieve pressure on capture fisheries by, for example, mud crab fattening programmes and seaweed cultivation.

Example case studies:-

• Oman Fads
• Fisheries Management Project

Industrial fisheries are under increasing pressure to operate sustainably or, in countries where there are believed to be under-utilized resources, to demonstrate financial sustainability to attract investment.

MEP has supported clients in the past seeking to attract investors or supporting potential investors to examine the viability of an investment opportunity. This support can take the form of working in-country to identify the veracity of underutilized resources, identifying the capacity of governments to secure the resources an investment is dependent on, or remote support running through financial projections to test assumptions.

Example case studies:-

• Scottish Shell Fish Industry Due Diligence
• Saudi Arabia Market Study

The assessment of fisheries is a complex and specialised field that can vary significantly depending on the location and species involved. Fisheries may be dependent on a number of interconnected areas for example and are heavily influenced by a range of human activities and the socio-economic environment they are situated in. One area that is becoming more prevalent in Fisheries Assessments is the use of tagging to develop and populate stock assessment models. These tools can help fisheries scientists to make predictions on the effects of fishing effort on the stocks while also taking into account biological or environmental factors.

MEP is able to provide expertise in the use of these modelling tools and their integration into fisheries assessment. MEP also offers in-depth experience of the planning, logistics and implementation of tagging projects.

Example case studies:-

• Regional tuna tagging project, Indian Ocean

The contribution fisheries make to coastal communities is often underestimated. When assessing the impact a development may have on such communities, a livelihood and valuation study can provide developers, the government or NGOs with an accurate reflection of the importance to direct dependents of local fishing grounds or fishing resources.

If a development has been assessed as likely to have direct or indirect impacts on fishing grounds, understanding the relationship between dependents and fishing grounds likely to be affected by a development is important to:

1. design mitigation methods and
2. to inform liaison between the developer and affected communities.

Should compensation be required, tested methods of valuing grounds and businesses reliant on those fishing grounds can be applied to provide an objective measure of the value of resources to the fishing industry or communities.

Example case studies:-

• London Gateway Port
• Yemen LNG - Fish Nursery Baseline Study

Effective fisheries management relies on the gathering and analysis of information on fisheries, fished stocks and indicator species. Analysis enables trends to be identified, supports the use of indicators to determine progress towards defined objectives, and enables the completion of cost/benefit studies when, for example, determining the rationale for repeated investment.

MEP has designed and run data collection programmes ranging from localized impact assessments through to large-scale databases dealing with observer data collected from industrial fleets. Our experience enables us to work with clients to identify what information is needed and how to get it. This can range from high technology solutions, making use of extensive management infrastructures, through to 'dataless' information-dependent systems that tap into local knowledge.

Contrary to common opinion, the absence of 'conventional' fisheries data does not preclude effective fisheries management and in many cases pursuing detailed scientific research would be cost-ineffective. In these situations, MEP can provide specialists who can work with communities and regulators to identify what sources of information exist, what information is needed to monitor for change and how to analyse that information.

MCS is the implementation of a fisheries management system. The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) placed certain responsibilities on signatory states with regard to their use of marine resources. The 1981 MCS Conference of Experts in Rome broadly defined the different components as:

1. Monitoring - the continuous requirement for measuring fishing effort characteristics and resource yields,
2. Control - the regulatory conditions under which the exploitation of the resource may be conducted, and
3. Surveillance - the level and type of observation required to maintain compliance with the regulatory controls imposed on fishing activities.

Internationally, MEP has been involved in a large number of MCS schemes and initiatives for many years. The development of such systems invariably involves a certain amount of capacity building, technical training and procurement, particularly if the scheme is to be set up in the context of international development.

MEP has worked with many of the world's largest funding agencies, including the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the European Union.

Example case studies:-

• Optimisation of the fishery surveillance system through satellites (VMS), GFA Mauritania

ICZM is a dynamic process for the sustainable management and use of coastal zones, taking into account ecosystems, landscapes, the diversity of activities and uses, their interactions and their impacts on the marine and land environment. This is a significant undertaking for any government but integrating the various activities and maintaining ecological integrity lead to tangible social and economic benefits.

MEP has been involved in the development of ICZM pilot schemes through to full ICZM implementation programmes and can provide expertise to support each stage of the process.

Example case studies:-

• Yemen LNG - Fish Nursery Baseline Study

With staff experienced in a range of subjects, from marine biology to environmental economics, MEP is well placed to support clients with the establishment of MPAs. A Marine Protected Area is a spatially defined area in which all populations are free of exploitation. The objective is generally to protect target species from exploitation and to allow their populations to rebuild. MPAs are also important in protecting entire ecosystems through conserving multiple species and critical habitats, such as spawning and nursery grounds. Counter intuitively, MPAs can benefit fisheries and scientific literature is replete with examples of increases in the number and size of fish in protected protections.

When designing MPAs or networks of MPAs - which are often more effective - it is necessary to consider what is being protected, what affects that environment and what impacts will occur if an area is closed to fishing. Equally important is consideration of how the MPA will be managed and enforced.

MEP can provide specialists with experience in consulting, designing and implementing MPAs and networks of MPAs. This support can range from assisting with baseline studies, conducting impact assessments, setting up monitoring and analysis systems, monitoring control and surveillance, community liaison and participation, capacity building and sustainable financing.

Example case studies:-

• Coral Triangle Network Initiative's Marine Protected Area Network

Management bodies often place independent observers aboard commercial fishing vessels to monitor their activities and to confirm if management measures are being respected.

Observer duties can include the collection of fishing vessel and catch data, but can be expanded to support biological data programmes through the collection of length weight measurements, gonad weight and maturity information, otolith collection and so forth. Observers also monitor for interactions with sea birds and mammals and record weather and oceanographic conditions.

In some fisheries, the presence of observers on board is systematic and a pre-condition to the vessel's fishing operation. In such cases, particularly when the fishery is of a substantial size, a large amount of organisation and support is required to manage the observer scheme.

MEP has a large amount of experience and capacity in this field and can be consulted to advise on the creation, implementation or management of observer schemes, no matter how big or small the fishery.

Example case studies:-

• NAFO (Northwest Atlantic Fishing Organisation) Observers

With civil works developments increasingly overlapping with commercial fisheries, there is an inevitable conflict between developers and the fishing industry.

MEP has accrued considerable experience acting as a liaison between the two parties and can support clients with mediators experienced in the fishing industry. This experience ranges from supporting initial site investigations for a development (identifying fishing effort, identifying key industry contacts, quantifying the socio-economic costs of, for example, an offshore wind farm to commercial fisheries) to managing ongoing liaison between the developer, the fishing industry and regulators.

Our specialists are experienced at providing fisheries liaison services in keeping with the best practise guidelines released by BWEA, and can offer:

• Fisheries Liaison Officer services
• Environmental and Fisheries Impact Assessments
• Commercial fisheries financial impact analysis
• Mediation and mitigation advisory services
• Compensation framework development services
• Expert witness services

Example case studies:-

• London Gateway Port
• UK Wavehub