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Training for sustainable fisheries in the Mediterr..
Training for sustainable fisheries in the Mediterranean
Start date: Sep 1, 2015,
End date: Aug 31, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
Fishing has a strong social presence in the Mediterranean, with a largely fleet of predominantly artisanal character. The activity has remained in equilibrium with the marine environment for centuries, but soaring effort and technological advances in recent decades, plus multiple other human impacts on the marine environment, has led to a severe social, economic and environmental crisis. Finding solutions goes through a paradigm shift in which the environment ceases to be seen as a side issue and is understood as part of the solution, seeking a recovery of fish stocks and the marine ecosystem as a whole (principle of ecosystem based management). New European policies are increasingly aware of this need, and altogether seek for an integrated approach to environmental sustainability. These include the 2014 Community Fisheries Policy, The Framework Directive to the Marine Strategy, Birds and Habitats Directives, and the future directive on marine spatial planning.
All these policies promoting the sustainable use of the marine environment have not to date been incorporated into the training programs of fishermen, and there is a lack of training tools aimed at professionals for their implementation in the sector.
This project aims to facilitate the adaptation of fishermen to these new policies, and ultimately overcome the current crisis, by developing training materials focused on sustainability. To address this issue from a Mediterranean perspective, the consortium includes three NGOs representing BirdLife International in Greece (HOS), France (LP) and Spain (SEO/BirdLife), all with experience in dealing with fishermen and fisheries, and two of them (SEO/BirdLife and HOS) with previous experience in training projects (ecological farming and bird tourism). The fourth member of the consortium is the Fisheries Nautical Training School of Catalunya (ECNPC), which is the official body in charge of fishermen training (both regular formation and modules for professionals).
The project aims to develop a series of training products: training course on sustainable fisheries in the Mediterranean (on-line, but contents to be also incorporated into presential training courses), and other training materials to support the fishing sector. Besides contemplating a set of actions for the dissemination of intellectual products, and training activities to form the basis of a training sector reform in France, Spain and Greece, and that may be transferable to other countries.
The consortium created to develop the project has a strong precedent relationship, and share an interest in the development of sustainable fisheries, ensuring future continuity of the results. The impact associated with this project through the advocacy capacity of the partners, will be high across sectors and geographically, both short and long term.