Program on Sustainable Fishery Development in Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (SFISH)

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The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (RSGA) are globally known for the uniqueness of its coastal and marine biodiversity, and its economic, historical, and social values to the Middle East and North Africa region. Their ecosystems support a rich biological diversity with a high proportion of endemic species and therefore constituting number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Red Sea has been identified as a potential climate refuge for coral reefs, because of the relatively higher resilience of its corals compared to other parts of the world and also supports extensive seagrass beds and mangroves, which are all important for the sustainability of fisheries. The Gulf of Aden has levels of biological productivity that are amongst the highest in the world. The flow of nutrient rich water from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea is largely responsible for higher productivity in the southern part of the Red Sea. Marine fishery, as a traditional economic activity, remains a main source of food and income for coastal communities in the region. However, declining and fluctuating trends are reported for several fish species, which are mainly linked to degradation of their essential coastal habitats and overfishing. Other significant issues such as habitat destruction, overexploitation of marine resources; navigation risks, threats of hydrocarbon/chemical spills and illegal disposal of pollutants by transiting vessels, pollution from urban, industrial and tourism hotspots, and the impacts of climate change to the long-term stability of these waters stem from the increase in the human population in the coastal areas and the rapid economic growth resulting in considerable pressure on the coastal and marine environments.Managing fisheries these transboundary fishery resources in RSGA are critical to realize the opportunities to contribute to the participating countries’ economies and to address challenges of reduced fish production and loss of markets, inability to benefit from fishery resources economically and socially and related negative consequences on poor people that depend on them. This proposed Program on Sustainable Fishery Development in RSGA region (SFISH) will (i) supporting regional mechanism for collaborative management of fisheries in the RSGA region developed and adopted by the PERSGA member states sustainably managing this shared resource; and (ii) in Yemen, improve the management of the fishery value chain, thus enhancing the country’s food security and coastal livelihoods. It will do so through the use of an integrated approach that combines: (i) support in strengthening the institutional capacity and data systems at the regional and country levels, fishermen (and their associations and cooperatives, private sector and other stakeholders); (ii) investments in restoration, key inputs and infrastructure for fish production, processing, quality assurance and marketing in participating countries; and (iii) a flexible design approach, able to adapt to the changing needs resulting from the ongoing conflict in Yemen and other risks in the region, as well as other regional countries to participate in the future. The project includes three components:Component 1: Strengthening regional collaboration in management of marine fisheries and aquaculture in the RSGA region Component 2: Improving Economic Opportunities, Food Security and Effective Management of Fishery Production in Yemen Sub-component 2.1. Improving the resilience of the fishery value chain for sustained livelihoods Sub-component 2.2. Governance systems and knowledge developed for effective management and climate resilience of fisheries Component 3. Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation and ReportingSub-component 3.1. Program Coordination, Project management, monitoring and evaluation and reporting by Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA)Sub-component 3.2. Project management, monitoring and evaluation and reporting by UNDPThe SFISH program will include a series of projects (SOP) with countries in the RSGA joining the program based on their readiness. This first SOP of the SFISH program will be financed using an Investment Project Financing (IPF) instrument amounting to US$45 million. The project has been build up on recently concluded and on-going related operations of the World Bank Group and other development partners especially in Yemen and other parts of the World. The project is designed to ensure sustainability of managing fishery resources at the regional and country level. This includes (a) overarching regional elements that focus on addressing some of the key gaps to address governance challenges in the RSGA region, and (b) balancing immediate contributions of the fishery sector to food security and income and developing the local capacity to ensure positive impact on fishery production and building the resilience of the fishery resources and its users in Yemen for medium to long term sustainability. At the regional level, member states (especially Yemen), experts, and fisheries industry in the RSGA will benefit from (a) data and information availability on the status of fisheries; (b) improved knowledge to formulate policy on common agenda and monitor the implementation; and (c) technology transfer and knowledge sharing from project activities. In Yemen, at the local levels, the main project beneficiaries will be the households engaged in fishery value chain which forms an essential component of their livelihoods and affected by food and nutritional security in the targeted governorates.PERSGA will be responsible for implementing the regional Component 1 and the supporting sub-component 3.1, which primarily includes technical assistance, training, goods and related services and operational costs. UNDP will manage the Component 2 related to investments in Yemen and sub-component 3.2.