Great learning opportunities in Cyprus

By Katia Frangoudes

IUEM/UBO, France

&

Ratana Chuenpagdee

OFI Module I & TBTI Global, Canada

Symposium Co-Chairs

With inputs from Julia Nakamura, Milena Arias Schreiber, Jaime Ramón-Bruquetas, and Raquel de la Cruz Modino

Lionfish anyone? It took us a while to figure out that this is no joke. The invasion of lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Mediterranean Sea is a serious concern. This invasive species clears out reefs, damaging an environment that is already suffering increased water temperatures due to global climate change. Cyprus is one of the ‘hot spots’, literally speaking, and the government is addressing this issue through measures that encourage the inclusion of lionfish in the diet and promoting recipes for this seemingly unpalatable species. These efforts aim to change the eating habits of Cypriote consumers and, ultimately, bring about an adaptation of the local cuisine and culture. The lionfish from Photis Gatainos, the Cypriot fisher who hosted our field visit, was delicious fried or grilled.

In the meeting room, we learned a great deal about what’s going on in Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Croatia, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom, and also Canada. Case studies and stories were told, compared and discussed, leading to a better understanding of the situation of small-scale fisheries in Europe. Some of the ‘Bright Spots’ at the symposium, shared by the participants, were related to the opportunity to learn about small-scale fisheries in different places and to see things with one’s own eyes. Talks about exchanges and visits to learn more about each other’s work have been initiated, and perhaps something can be done early in places like Croatia where lionfish is not yet a serious problem but soon to be one, as is the case with blue crab that is already in the Adriatic Sea.

Participants also found interesting the talks about different initiatives and projects, methods and approaches taken to study small-scale fisheries, and adaptation strategies. Learning about collaboration and collective actions among key fisheries actors was just as inspiring. The need for better collaboration, alliance building, and capacity enhancement, both for fishers and government officials, were emphasized. Connecting with youth was also highlighted as something that we need to do more of, especially due to the significant decline in the number of fishers in Germany, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia, as well as the looming recruitment crisis from fisheries organizations and governments in the United Kingdom.

 

Some recommendations were made about moving forward. This includes getting together to discuss some specific topics and working towards solutions, also with a view to influencing ongoing and future legal and policy decision-making processes. For instance, there is an opportunity to participate and influence the process of review of the Common Fisheries Policy, which is happening next month. Subsidies, gender, cultural heritage, fishers’ knowledge and perceptions, and values, and dramatic collapses of stocks due to climate change, are some of the topics proposed. It will also be good to use different strategies, and different platform, and be more proactive in telling stories about small-scale fisheries in Europe, and calling more attention to them. This would require vision setting as the first step, like what colleagues in Cyprus have been able to do well, by bringing fishers together to work on identifying issues, challenges, and opportunities. Getting together more often, within the country and regionally, is an idea supported by all.

 

Below are further reflections from some of the symposium participants, who shared with us what they thought of the symposium and their key takeaways.

Milena Arias Schreiber

University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain/ University of Gothenburg, Sweden

  • The uncertain future of some fisheries that have been around for millennia along many European coasts was stressed. The importance of crafting new markets arrangements and of governments to actively support these fisheries needs further efforts. EU member states are encouraged to strengthening their support to small-scale fisheries; this support have started to be noticeable and will guarantee the stabilization and wellbeing of the many European coastal fishing communities.

 

  • European small-scale fishers are fully conscious and proactive regarding the establishment of marine protected areas. To ensure the success of these areas a step zero approach is recommended were stake and right-holders participate from the first phases in the design and specific goals of these marine areas. Further work is needed to engage recreational fishers in protecting the marine environment.

Jaime Ramón-Bruquetas

University Institute for Social Research and Tourism, University of La Laguna, Spain

  • Small-scale fishers suffer often the negative consequences of regulatory frameworks (second order*) that do not match with the reality in the ground (first order*) for several reasons. The bureaucratic and administrative systems encompassed are entangled and complex, the laws do not match with the day-to-day needs of the fishing communities, or even when adequate, public institutions do not apply these regulations properly.

 

  • In most of the cases public institutions could synchronize these governance arrangements with the first order interactions. A key point is how we can persuade public institutions* to do so. Strategies developed by other stakeholders in the game board (industrial fleets, recreational fishers, conservation NGOs) have proven to be effective for these purposes. One common denominator is the cohesion of those groups. Some of them have also a special ability to influence the public opinion.

 

  • The deployment of more persuasive strategies to defend the rights of the artisanal sector is crucial, where the reinforcement of collective action within the group is a pivotal factor. Actions like the Cyprus symposium enhancing collaboration between fishers and researchers are steps forward.

 

*These refer to specific elements of the Interactive Governance (IG) theory (Kooiman et al. 2005).

Raquel de la Cruz Modino

University of La Laguna, Spain

  • The symposium highlighted the need to re-think the conservation policies to protect the way of life of small-scale fisheries communities in Europe, who are facing the global change challenges as exemplified by the invasion of lionfish.

Julia Nakamura

FAO Legal Office, Italy

  • State Members of the European Union have agreed on a definition for small-scale fishing vessels at the regional level, as enshrined in the EU Regulation 508/2014, as amended in 2021, which shows that it is possible for States to collectively agree on minimum criteria for defining certain terms associated with small-scale fisheries. While this definition brings more legal clarity and certainty to the meaning of small-scale fisheries, it is important to understand the extent to which EU State Members could enact legislation that is not aligned with the regionally agreed criteria for defining a small-scale fishing vessel, being it more or less stringent, and the legal implications that having different legal criteria for defining small-scale fisheries terms could have on ensuring access of small-scale fisheries to marine resources and markets.

 

  • One key entry-point for linking social considerations into fisheries management is the ecosystem approach to fisheries. Participatory mechanisms are increasingly more reflected in fisheries law, and it is through this inclusive frame that fishers can raise their perspectives, concerns, contribute with their knowledge, and ensure fisheries management decisions do not negatively affect them, while taking responsibility for their role in conservation and sustainable use of fishery resources.

Bright Spots and Hope Spots:

Working together towards resilient small-scale fisheries in Europe

A summary by Maria Andree Lopez Gomez

Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

The SSF Regional Symposium for Europe was held in Pervolia, Cyprus, July 1st – 3rd 2024. This was the second regional symposium of the 2024 symposium series under the theme ‘Bright Spots ~ Hope Spots’, following the Asia-Pacific symposium held in Shizuoka, Japan, this past April.

 

Around 25 individuals from different small-scale fisheries sectors (fishers, fishers organizations, scientists, and non-governmental organizations) participated in the Cyprus symposium organized over 9 theme sessions (see agenda). These themes included economies and labour, conservation and tourism, management and governance, perspectives from fishers and communities, life stories, participation and opportunities, and collaboration and cooperation for the future of small-scale fisheries.

 

Among the highlights of the meeting, a visit to local fishing communities was organized on the second day of the symposium: Larnaca port and Zygi. During this visit guided by Antonis Petrou, participants were able to directly witness some of the struggles of the fishers, such as the decline in catches, the presence of invasive species, and the depredation by dolphins (dolphins eating the fish directly from fishers’ nets and other fishing gear). The interactions between local fishers Photis and Ilias and fishers visiting from the UK, Will and Barry, were also a source of valuable comparative information and excitement in sharing their experiences and context differences. On the last day, Julia Nakamura and Ratana Chuenpagdee launched the book Implementation of the Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines: A Legal and Policy Scan” which describes the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries established in 2014.

Key takeaways from the symposium can be summarized in three themes:


The state of small-scale fisheries in Europe:

 

Small-scale fisheries are key to coastal communities in Europe: they are a source of livelihoods and fishers are the stewards of the sea and its resources. We learned from cases in Cyprus, Spain, Norway, UK and Canada that the number of small-scale fishers is declining. However, statistics presented by Luis Miret showed that the number of fishers in Croatia and Bulgaria is increasing.

 

Professionalization efforts have been both a promoter and an obstacle to promote fishing traditions intergenerationally.

 

Professionalization efforts have helped fishers get organized, and in the case of Norway have opened the possibility of people with diverse backgrounds to join the small-scale fisheries. Work from Marios Papageorgiou showed that one of the strategic recommendations from consultations with fishers in Cyprus was the creation of a fisher’s school/academy to develop capability and capacity in the sector to develop fisheries-specific skills and gain knowledge on fisheries policy. Dražen Cepić gave an overview of generational renewal of fishers in Croatia pointing that two thirds of fishers come from fishing families.

 

We learned from Maria Hadjimichael the composition of the fleet in small-scale and large-scale fisheries in Cyprus pointing to the many factors that have contributed to cutting down the number of fishers in small-scale fisheries, starting from fisheries management cuts that started in the 70´s to the rise of tourism and the blue economy, overfishing and invasive species.

 

On the first day of the symposium, Jaime Ramón-Bruquetas gave a presentation about the market structure in the Canary Islands, including the lack of regulations towards direct sales. Discussions emerged about the meaning of poaching in different regions in Europe and how in some regions is tolerated and it is part of the market structure while in other regions like the UK, this activity is highly regulated.

 

On the third day, we heard from Milena Arias Schreiber about Galician fisherwomen. A decrease in sardines made possible a shift to shellfish and women entered on-foot shellfish fishery work in Galicia. Women dominated the sector including the fishing guilds (cofradías in Spanish), a co-management system that controls fishing rights and manages the resource. However, the economic crisis in 2008 gave way to the masculinization of the cofradías in this part of Spain presenting challenges for women to make decisions.   

 

Marios Papageorgiou highlighted the importance on moving towards fishers-centered approaches to fisheries management as no young people entering the Cypriot fisheries. We need to sit back and listen to fishers.

Challenges

 

There are many challenges ahead to make small-scale fisheries sustainable in Europe. Some of the conversations in the symposium included describing the challenges and potential solutions, or describing the uptake of solutions in different regions.

 

On the first day, we heard from José Pascual-Fernandez about Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). MPAs are social and institutional arrangements that affect a range of stakeholders, including civil society, social organizations and different levels of government. They are contested areas, as shown by José in the talk about Conil in Cádiz and efforts to open a MPA that recreational fishers organizations fought against. We talked about the need to build co-governance to reach agreements.

 

Conservation targets can also create tensions towards sustainable fisheries. Katia Frangoudes presented the case of the Bay of Biscay and how eNGOs and small-scale fishers may have the same similar conservation goals, they may disagree on how to reach these goals.

 

Environmental challenges occupied a large part of the discussion. Often grouped under the term climate change, the decline in catches and the emergence of invasive species are tangible proofs that the oceans are changing. Depredation by dolphins is another environmental challenge that fishers need to address because it leads to significant losses both in terms of reduction in landings and damage to the fishing equipment. Strategies to mitigate this (e.g., the use of acoustics sensors, changing soaking time and fishing strategies) were also deliberated.

 

We heard about discrepancies in the relationship between fishers and the government. In Cyprus, there were complaints that the government is not active to protect the fishers, while a success story by Danijel Kanski from Croatia shows that this dialogue is essential. Fishers in Croatia, through collective action, have achieved better prices in value chains. Cooperatives have avoided vertical integration, and the value has remained at the lower levels of resource extraction.

Solutions

 

It was refreshing to hear about solutions and efforts to make small-scale fisheries sustainable that are already in place. On the first day, Silvia Gómez-Mestres presented the case of Cap de Creus in Catalonia, Spain. Social movements in Cap de Creus have prevented the urbanization of the area, which in turn protected a marine area rich in resources. She pointed out the many strategies and initiatives that have been developed to maintain the resources healthy and also support the livelihoods of fishers. She mentioned that fishers not only depend on fishing, but also on social networks to keep fishing. With climate change, the future seems increasingly uncertain and alternatives such as access to a basic income may prove to be a viable solution. In Catalonia, the emergence of consumptions cooperatives with new marketing systems avoid the challenges presented by globalization and allow the development of local marketing channels. Other initiatives mentioned is the recovery of gorgonians, efforts to promote ocean literacy, NaturCap (an app that allows visitors to learn about Cap de Creus and record their experiences in the area), and the implementation of ‘Blue prescriptions’ for oncology patients that promotes the seas as a producers of well-being and health. Raquel de la Cruz Modino presented the case of La Restinga in Santa Cruz de Tenerife where the fishing activities have been preserved thanks to the efforts of a cooperative, Pescarestinga cooperative. The cooperative influences the market and improves the inclusion of women in small-scale fisheries.  It is also based on sharing not only money and cost, but risk too.

 

The need for data was expressed by many attendants. Luis Miret Pastor gave a presentation about the available data that exists to quantify how small-scale fisheries are struggling in terms of employment. He pointed out that socio-labour data is not available in EUROSTAT, but only data on number of vessels and landings. Others in the symposium expressed the need for data, especially data about crew and statistics segregated by type of fishery: small-scale vs. large scale.

 

Research in Cyprus by Marios Papageorgiou underscored the importance of management that incorporates traditional and ecological knowledge. He presented results from a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOTs) analysis. Strategic recommendations emerged from the work of engaging with fishers. Some of the strategic recommendations included a labelling system that promotes small-scale and large-scale fisheries, testing and promotion of new fishing gear and practices that increases selectivity of fishing activities, marketing that promotes consumption of local and fresh products with low environmental impact, and enforcement of policing and patrolling to mitigate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing within and out of MPAs.

Several presentations focused on efforts by fishers to protect fisheries resources. Chantal Lyons from the UK spoke about the Clean Catch program implemented in the UK which brings together fishers, scientists, policy makers and environmental organizations with the purpose of mitigating bycatch. They initiated a study to investigate if acoustic deterrent devices (ADD), commonly named pingers, are practical and robust in reducing bycatch. Will Shugg and Barry Preston, small-scale fishers in the UK were present in the symposium, giving their insights of their desire to mitigate bycatch and their insights on the effectiveness of pingers to reduce bycatch. Alessandra Bielli from Cefas was there also to clarify how they tested the effectiveness of pingers.

 

A key message from the symposium is how conservation is a center-stage concern for fishers: conservation is livelihood, conservation is the future. We learned about initiatives in Greece where fishers have become pollinators of corals (presentation by Kostas Ganias) and initiatives in Italy, where fishers and artists cooperated on building an underwater museum to prevent illegal bottom trawling in the coast of Tuscany (presentation by Cornelia Nauen).

 

Georgios Nikolaidis from Cyprus described their work creating cooperation between scientists and fishers promoting a decision center where everyone can contribute and if fishers agree the conditions will pass. They worked on fuel consumption reductions, fishing tourism (implementing a website), study of abundance and exploitation of invasive species, alternative fishing techniques and estimations of economic loss dues to dolphin depredation.

 

Finally, we held several debates regarding concepts that differ in Europe and are not yet entirely clear. It could be useful to have clear and integrated answers to the following questions in order to plan forward towards sustainable fisheries:

 

  • What is considered small-scale fisheries?
  • What is a Marine Protected Area (MPA)?
  • Who should have input on decisions regarding MPAs?