Intermediate Results 3 and 4 Sole Fishery and Oyster and Cockle Fishery Co-Management Plans

39

2.3 Intermediate Results 3 and 4

Nursery areas and spawning areas for critical life stages of commercially important species and for associated marine turtles and mammals are protected Change unsustainable and destructive marine resource use practices that threaten improved biodiversity conservation in the West Africa Marine Ecoregion.

a. Sole Fishery and Oyster and Cockle Fishery Co-Management Plans

Traditional Ecological Knowledge obtained from the fishers at landing site level and also from community meetings and training workshops as part of the co-management planning process has confirmed that the sole fish come annually from deep waters to shallow waters and into the estuary to spawn, and juveniles tend to stay in shallow waters close to the shore until they are mature enough to go inhabit deep waters. This fact is true for most species and the fishers have asserted that the spawning periods for the majority of marine fish species is between May and October the onset of the rainy season and the end of the rainy season in The Gambia. The consensus among fishers to declare area closure for all fisheries of 1 nautical mile from the shoreline for 6 months May to October each year is a management measure that will allow fish to spawn and juvenile fish to grow without being targeted for capture. This management measure is reflected in the sole fishery co-management plan approved by the Minister of Fisheries in January 2012. It should also be noted that by-catch studies for the sole fishery showed that marine turtles and mammals are not at risk from the sole fishery in The Gambia. In the Oyster and Cockle Co-Management Plan for the Tanbi Wetlands National Park, also approved in January 2012, seasonal closure for oyster harvesting is specified during the Year 3 Summary Highlights • Fishery Co-Management Plan for The Gambia Sole Complex approved and implementation initiated see IR1. o 121,245 ha under improved management the entire Atlantic Coast of The Gambia out to 9 nautical miles o Seasonal closure for all species and gear types out to 1 nautical mile from May to October o Fish size limits and gear restrictions • Oyster and Cockle Fishery Co-Management Plan for the Tanbi Special Management Area approved and implementation initiated see IR1. o 6,304 ha under improved management the entire Tanbi Wetlands National Park o Seasonal Closure for Oysters from July to February o Gear restrictions for mangrove protection o Mangrove reforestation o Shellfish size limits o Shellfish Sanitation Planning, including bi-weekly water quality testing and bi- annual shoreline sanitation surveys. 40 spawning season and has been extended for longer than was previously practiced to reduce the take of juvenile oysters. The co-management plan also specifies gear restrictions that are designed to reduce damage to mangroves during the harvesting process. As specified in the co- management plan, TRY is also undertaking mangrove reforestation efforts. The Shoreline Shellfish Sanitation Planning process, including water quality testing and two comprehensive Shoreline Sanitation Surveys for the Tanbi undertaken at 6 month intervals in Year 3 provide critical information about pollution hotspots in this protected mangrove ecosystem and will be the basis for additional actions to achieve improved management of this protected area. Figure 24: 121,245 hectares under improved management for the artisanal sole fishery out to 9nm. Figure 25: 6,304 hectares under improved management for the oyster and cockle fishery in the Tanbi 41

2.4 Gender