Rich marine ecosystems are degraded by abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gears in the Tribugá Gulf of Colombia. These gears continue to fish and trap animals and thus kill marine life. Concrete management actions are needed to achieve sustainable fisheries and maintain food security and ecosystem health. This IKI Small Grants project designs and implements a community-based management strategy. The strategy includes the adoption of new fisheries management measures to reduce the problem of ghost fishing gears and the creation and training of a local group in charge of surveillance and cleaning of ghost fishing gears on identified hotspots. It further concerns with enhancing knowledge and awareness of ecological impacts of ghost fishing and financial mechanisms for long term implementation of the strategy. The project partners with the local ethnic authority which plays a key role in the inter-institutional alliance created to support the co-management of the regional protected area.
Countries: Colombia
IKI Funding: 82.927
Duration: 09/2022 to 03/2024
Status: Implementation
Organización implementadora: Fundación para la investigación y conservación biológica marina (ECOMARES) (https://ecomares.org/)
Artisanal fishers participated in focus group discussions to locate and prioritize fishing areas affected by ghost fishing gear; Eight people were selected for specialized training in scuba diving and ghost fishing gear removal; An on-line course on conflict management was completed by the project’s team and a group of local leaders.
