PERSGA Regional Living Marine Resources (LMR) Programme:
Proper management of living marine resources is important to sustain the livelihoods of people dependent on the resources, to maintain the ecological integrity of marine communities, and to conserve biodiversity. This is generally the responsibility of national governments;in the regional context, however, a number of important species migrate across national boundaries, posing additional challenges to management agencies. Management capabilities are further stretched by the impacts of foreign fishermen and trends in seafood consumption in international markets. This is exemplified by the demand for shark fins that are increasingly being supplied from the Region.
Further complicating regional management is the fact that the extent, intensity, and types of uses of LMRs by coastal communities vary throughout the Region. As such, PERSGA addresses conservation of LMRs on national, regional and international levels. The Organisations uses a variety of tools to do so, including legislation, design of case-specific management programmes (i.e. stock quotas, seasonal closures and gear restrictions), training and public awareness, applied research, stock assessments and survey work. PERSGA is additionally working to gather data related to the socio-economic value of LMRs in it Member States.
Read a full report on the status and management of LMRs in the RSGA region.
Capacity-Building and Training Activities:
PERGSA has identified and trained National and Regional specialists to form specialist thematic teams, or Working Groups, that receive training in necessary skills in order to carry out conservation activities in their respective territories.
Two research and training centres were consequently upgraded. The first is located at the Fisheries Training Institute in Aden, Yemen. The second at the Faculty of Marine Science King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah. These “regional” training centres received computer hardware, survey tools, and laboratory apparatus.
Furthermore, the KAU training centre houses PERSGA’s taxonomic collection of regional marine organisms. Taxonomic research plays an important role in the training of scientists. This collection allows for verification of data collected during field work and helps assure the highest possible accuracy in survey and monitoring activities. Staff have since been trained at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, Germany on preparation and preservation of specimens, documentation and labelling, policies for loans, electronic management systems and databases, legal issues, taxonomy, and collection management.
To improve identification and analysis of fisheries data, PERSGA purchased and distributed to all national fisheries institutions the FAO Fish Base 2000, as well as an CD identification guide for all the LMR species recorded in the region.
LMR Training Highlight of the year: Training on Fish Stock Assesment Methods (April 1-5, 2007, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)