Implementing the NMFMP with emphasis on small pelagics fisheries management.

27 IR 4: Applied Management: Improved Management of Marine Resources to Reduce Over- exploitation, to conserve Biodiversity and Provide Other Benefits SFMP will work at multiple ecosystem scales of management for various types of fisheries stocks. Priority is on the national scale management of the small pelagic fisheries, and community-based fisheries management plans in several estuarine areas. Integrated community resilience and marine biodiversity conservation actions will be implemented. The strategy here is to pilot and demonstrate collaborative management systems tailored to various ecosystem contexts and scales that can serve as models for subsequent scale up once policy and legislative enabling conditions are strengthened. Improvements in the smoked and dried fish value chain are seen as having the best potential for widespread scale up and potential impact on thousands of processors and marketers given the relative uniformity in the type of smoking and handling practices found along the coast. Other alternative livelihood activities that do not have significant scale up potential and tend to have high cost per beneficiary are not considered in this approach. These post harvest improvements will be undertaken in targeted communities in the Central and Western and Greater Accra regions. Key outcomes and results expected over LoP as described in the Program Description include the following:  Four fisheries management plans developed andor adopted and implemented at different ecosystem scales national small pelagics plan, Western Region Demersal Plan, Community based plans for the Pra and Ankobra estuarinemangrove systems  Approximately 3,000 people, a majority being women, benefiting from diversified livelihoods, access to micro-credit, adoption of more profitable smokers and product value additions  Several fishing communities more resilient to climate impacts  Capacity of more than a dozen district authorities to promote and support resilient community policies and initiatives. Ghana demonstrated its seriousness about managing its marine fisheries over the past year. Key milestones were achieved. The National Marine Fisheries Plan was gazetted. Copies of the plan are being widely distributed and outreach events on contents with stakeholders held. A closed season for trawlers was established. Stock assessments for major species groups have been completed or underway. An operational committee structure and membership has been proposed and expected to be appointed soon. The project will continue supporting the FC in the implementation of this plan. If significant management measure are implemented, specifically those targeting IUU fishing and excess capacity and effort in the canoe fleet, then the outlook for rebuilding the small pelagics fish stocks is good. The ground work has already been laid in the Pra and Ankobra estuaries for the development of community-based fisheries management plans via previous community vulnerability assessments and planning activities. Much progress has been made on value chain improvements with significant research and development work on fish smoker technologies. While initial designs proved problematic and slowed scale up of new technology, recent technological modifications and improvements show great premise in terms of low PAH and fuel use, and acceptability among fish processors. While the smoker scale up was initially conceived as the main focus in this area, the project has also launched a major campaign on improved fish handing practices and packaging that is having pay off in improved pricing for many women adopting these practices. With the technology development investments made in Year 2, scale up of the smoker technologies using a private sector driven and financed approach is poised to take off.

4.1 Implementing the NMFMP with emphasis on small pelagics fisheries management.

The MOFAD developed a five-year National Fisheries Management Plan NMFMP 2015-2019 to end overfishing, protect marine habitat and meet the regional and international fisheries management obligations. The Plan sets out a five-year strategy for the fishery and provides direction for the formulation of management actions in the context of existing legislation. The plan calls for the formation of a Fisheries Management Operational Committee FMOC to d evelop an annual implementation plan and monitor and review the performance of the Plan. In carrying out its 28 activities, the SFMP will provide technical and managerial assistance and support the operation of the FMOC. Fisheries Working Group FWG Meetings . Regional FWG meetings will be held to discuss how the FWGs could work with the Operational Committee for the implementation of the NMFMP at the regional and local scale. These meetings will also be used to assess the co-management implementation process and make quick recommendation to Fisheries Commission to enhance the process. FWG membership include multi-stakeholder representatives and through a learning-by- doing approach, serve as an example how regional co-management bodies could function once the formal policy and legislation is put in place. Local Ecological Knowledge. Hen Mpoano will organize a series of workshops to disseminate the results of the surveys conducted in Year 2 regarding fishermen’s local ecological knowledge of small pelagics. These meetings will serve to validate the results and identify discrepancies and gaps. Final GIS maps will be produced to identify spawning grounds and migration routes of the small pelagic species in Ghana’s EEZ. Additional work on collecting information on cuttlefish will be coordinated with UCC, GITA and URI to identify critical habitat and spawning grounds of cuttlefish. This work will be based on a tagging program with recapture and reward program developed and organized by UCC.

4.2 The Western Region Demersal Fisheries Management Initiative