Spain has some of the richest regions for marine biodiversity in Europe. It is also a top fishing nation and market, both within Europe and globally. It is therefore uniquely positioned to help drive change across the European South and the heavily over-fished Mediterranean.
Working in partnership with WWF Spain, we work in coastal communities across six coastal Autonomous Regions of Spain to build community-led co-management of local fisheries. This means putting fishermen and women at the heart of management design and decision-making, and working to provide them with a secure stake in the future of the fishery. We also work with local scientists and fishery technicians to apply tools to address fishery data gaps – a common concern in managing small-scale activity.
Through this work, we have developed a ‘learning network’ of partners and actors across Spain, who share their experiences in building sustainable, co-managed fisheries, and come together in workshops to learn how to apply data tools developed by EDF’s Fishery Solutions Center.
This approach is now spreading to neighbouring Portugal, where we will be partnering with the Oceano Azul Foundation and WWF Portugal to develop a new pilot site for co-management.
// To see secure fishing rights propagate as key components of sustainably co-managed coastal fisheries in Spain and Portugal.
// To apply tools for data limited fisheries and SEASALT analysis support better science in small-scale fisheries – leading to better-informed management.
// To launch and maintain a new, virtual hub for our learning network – the ‘Comprometidos Con el Mar’ (‘Committed to the Oceans’) website.
// To provide best-practise examples, leading to our approach spreading widely across Southern Europe and the Mediterranean.
// To ensure policies and regulations support sustainable co-management systems.
