On 27 September, Madagascar's Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy committed to joining the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI). This decision reinforces the country's efforts to consolidate transparency and strengthen the sustainable management of fisheries in Madagascar.
The Ministry considers that this "small step" will have positive effects on the development of fisheries in the country and especially on the protection of the rights of future generations.
The FiTI, which defines itself as “a global partnership that aims to increase transparency and participation for a more sustainable management of marine fisheries”, welcomed the membership. According to the page on the FiTI website dedicated to Madagascar, the efforts that led to this commitment began in October 2020 and brought together various government and civil society actors in that country.
Following this decision, the African Confederation of Artisanal Fisheries Professional Organisations (CAOPA) issued a press release to cherish this request for membership. It took the opportunity to make recommendations so that transparency in African fisheries can be used to make African artisanal fisheries more visible and valuable.
TRANSPARENCY IS NOT A VOLUNTARY ACT, IT IS A RIGHT
CAOPA explains that it is not enough for a country to join the FiTI, but that African states must live up to their commitments and publish credible information on a regular basis in order to achieve real transparency. According to CAOPA, transparency is not a voluntary gesture but rather a fundamental right of citizens “and in particular for those whose livelihoods depend on fishing”. To further highlight the mandatory nature of transparency, the press release recalled various international legal instruments such as the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, signed on 25 June 1998, and called for an “African equivalent” of this Convention.
CAOPA points to the lack of transparency in African fisheries. The opacity that characterises the licensing of industrial vessels, the authorisation of fishmeal factories, the use of foreign aid funds, or exploration and mining permits in coastal areas continues to be a source of outrage for African civil society. These permits and licences, which will enable activities that may directly affect the food security of coastal communities, are still governed and decided unilaterally by governments that are reluctant to share the details.
MORE VISIBILITY FOR ARTISANAL FISHERIES
For CAOPA, transparency in African fisheries must also serve to make artisanal fisheries more visible. The organisation explains that the development of artisanal fisheries in Africa remains limited by a lack of data. These gaps prevent decision-makers from being aware of the importance of this sector. As a result, communities dependent on artisanal fisheries, particularly women, remain marginalised due to this lack of information about their realities. COAPA stated that “African countries need to significantly improve studies on the artisanal fisheries sector and ensure that this information is well disseminated.”
In its statement, the African Confederation of Artisanal Fisheries Organisations (CAOPA) asked that more data is collected on artisanal fisheries to make this sector more visible. Photo: SIPAnews.
Finally, CAOPA recalls that “transparency is not an end in itself” and that “conventions such as the Aarhus Convention do not focus on transparency in isolation, but strengthen all aspects of democracy.” CAOPA is therefore committed to campaigning “not only for transparency, but also for improved participation and accountability, so that the voice of small-scale fisheries is taken into account in decision-making processes at all levels.”
Banner photo: Illustration image. Artisanal fisheries boat in Madagascar, by Karimjy Louloua/Unsplash
For the agreement to contribute effectively to the Sustainable Development Goals, it is essential that the forthcoming negotiations, prior to the thirteenth ministerial conference, focus on the main threat to artisanal fisheries in Africa: overfishing and overcapacity, especially by foreign-owned vessels.