SAPPHIRE
Located at the northern entrance to the Mozambique Channel, the Comoros archipelago has one of the most productive fishery industries in the Western Indian Ocean region. Yet illegal fishing has become a threat not just to the industry, but also to the ocean ecosystem itself.
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There is a need for improved regional cooperation to establish a consistent and appropriate definition of MSP that will best serve the needs of the countries within the WIO. This is aligned with two decisions of the 8th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Nairobi Convention that was held in Seychelles during June 2015:
i. Decision CP8/10: Blue and Ocean Economy (4) “To urge Contracting Parties to cooperate in improving the governance of areas beyond national jurisdiction, building on existing regional institutions including the Nairobi Convention and developing area based management tools such as marine spatial planning to promote the blue economy pathways in the Western Indian Ocean Region.”
The fishery for the mangrove crab (Scylla serrata) is a purely traditional fishing practice on which many fishing communities are completely dependent. Three main production areas for crabs have been identified as Boina region, Menabe region and Sofia region (inthe mangrove swamp of Sahamalaza (around Maromandia). Fishing productivity is estimated at about 2.5 mT/km2/year (Ralison, 1987).
Two main factors impact on the sustainability of the crab fishery:
The overall objective of the demonstration project is to contribute to the SAPPHIRE principal goal of achieving effective long-term marine and coastal ecosystem management in the Western Indian Ocean LMEs in line with the Strategic Action Programme as endorsed by the participating countries. Moreover, most of the countries in the WIO region have already developed national strategic approaches towards the green and blue economies which are consistent with and complement the LMEs SAP.