Project Component 1: Institutional Strengthening

This component will ensure that the Fisheries Departments of the Eastern Mediterranean countries have the institutional structure, financial capacity and technical competences necessary to undertake the fundamental elements of fisheries management, and can collect fishery statistics, perform fisheries assessments and characterise marine ecosystems.

• Procurement of IT equipments in GAFRD/EGYPT

Project Component 2: Staff Training and Development

This component will develop the capabilities of the national administrations staff to undertake the various components of regionally consistent multi-disciplinary fisheries appraisal (including stock assessment) and management. The project will offer on-the-job training, national and sub-regional workshops and opportunities for the fishery administration staff to participate in regional management meetings. This will be undertaken on a needs basis on issues identified by the project or requested by the Fisheries Departments.

• Ad-hoc on the field training course on otolith/spines sectioning and age reading

  • During the 1st Coordination Committee meeting of EastMed Project (Athens, 19-20 April 2010), the Cypriot focal point requested for Cypriot experts to be trained on otolith age reading for some target species in Cyprus. An ad-hoc on the field training course on otolith age reading for Spicara smaris and Mullus barbatus is planning to be convened in the Fisheries Laboratory of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food in Piraeus, Greece from 19-23 July 2010. The training course also foresees to spines/otolith sectioning and the use of Image Analysis System for annuli reading.

  • Agenda and Time Table

• Pilot fisheries-dependent data collection survey

  • The pilot study is aiming at improving the data collection activities of the Mediterranean fisheries of Egypt. The pilot study will be conducted by two international experts and be carried out in close collaboration with the General Authority for Fish Resources Development of Egypt (GAFRD) and national institutions and agencies. The study stems from consultations held during the visit of the project coordinator to Egypt in March this year as well as from conclusions reached at the recent EastMed 1st Coordination Committee meeting (Athens, 19-20 April 2010). The pilot study will consist of two missions of one month each. The two missions will be conducted in November 2010 (starting in 15 Nov) and April 2011 respectively.

  • Terms of Reference

Project Component 3: Data Collection and Analyses

This component introduces the fisheries management fundamentals and develops the capacity of fisheries departments and other relevant institutions to collect and analyse the required data. The project will assist the countries in designing or improving and implementing national data collection programmes, and will monitor these activities during Y2-Y5. Additionally, the project will carry out experimental fishery resources appraisal surveys, aiming at supporting and developing the capacity of the participating countries to undertake more coordinated and cooperative fisheries research activities in support of fisheries management in the Eastern Mediterranean sub-region in partnership with GFCM.

• Sub-regional Workshop on Collection and Organization of Data

  • According to the 1st Coordination Committee meeting of EastMed Project (Athens, 19-20 April 2010) a sub-regional workshop on collection and organization of data has been agreed to be held. The activity is under the project objective to Strengthening National Capacity on Fisheries Data Collection. The workshop will be convened in Lebanon from 14-17 September 2010 and will be hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture.

  • Terms of Reference

Project Component 4: Increased participation and Cooperation

This project component will support processes that encourage participation and cooperation within the wider context of fisheries management. To achieve this: (a) The project will establish and support Country Participatory Working Groups (CPWGs) in each country to facilitate communication among all the relevant stakeholders involved in the fishery sector. (b) The project will provide support when necessary and if appropriate to the Eastern Mediterranean countries. (c) The project will promote sub-regional cooperation and collaboration for fishery research, monitoring and management, and use expertise to enable contributions and responses to global policies agendas. A degree of regional cooperation among participating countries and with the GFCM is expected to have been developed by the project.

• Technical meeting on Lessepsian migration and its impact on eastern Mediterranean fishery

  • The objective of the meeting is to discuss status, trends and monitoring of Lessepsian migrant species in the Mediterranean as well historical events and environmental conditions favoring lessepsian species expanding in the eastern Mediterranean. Records on the Lessepsian species, their contribution and impact on fisheries will also be discussed. Harmful/venomus species will be distinguished from edible/commercial ones. In general information on the status of knowledge on Lessepsian species biology and ecology will be presented. Finally methods to overcome the problem, the establishment of a network of experts and possibly the preparation of a study will be discussed. The meeting will be convened in Nicosia, Cyprus from 7-9 December 2010 and will be hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Fisheries and Marine Research.

  • Agenda and Time Table

  • Terms of Reference

• Experts from Egypt participate to the GFCM WS on data Collection