The European Union-funded Communities for Fisheries project, implemented by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), will co-host a two-day round-table discussion with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The discussion aims to bring together stakeholders from the fisheries and forestry sectors to secure sustainable small-scale fisheries in the context of food security and poverty eradication.
According to a press release, the discussion is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, June 19-20, 2024, at the Corporate Headquarters of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA).
The focus of the discussion will be on the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) and the voluntary guidelines for securing sustainable small-scale fisheries in the context of food security and poverty eradication (SSF Guidelines).
These guidelines are essential for ensuring the sustainability of the Liberian fisheries sector. Additionally, the discussion will outline a roadmap for securing fish landing sites and fish smoking spaces to support sustainable fisheries.
The Communities for Fisheries project is a five-year venture in Margibi, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount and Grand Kru Counties, to “reduce illegal fishing and improve the sustainability of fisheries by expanding and strengthening community co-management associations (CMA), creating effective capacity for community monitoring and reporting of illegal fishing”.
Components of the project include mapping TURFs for the Collaborative Management Associations (CMA).
According to the release, the scope of this work will include mapping and documenting fish landing sites and fish smoking spaces to protect fishing communities against potential beachfront development that could negatively impact their livelihood.
