Context
Yemen has been in a violent conflict since 2015 that continues to impact humanitarian priorities and shape development needs.
The current conflict has deepened political and economic inequities with a devastating impact on civilian life, public institutions, and infrastructures. Food insecurity in Yemen remains extremely high.
The fishing sector is a major source of food, income and employment. Yemen's seafarers are a crucial resource for the Yemeni population needs of fish, as it is an essential food, especially for coastal citizens.
Climate change is adding another level of challenge in the context of the Yemeni conflict: it is altering the ocean physical properties such as salinity, temperature and pH levels in the marine environment. This can lead to adverse impacts on marine biodiversity and fisheries.
Fish2Dev Objectives
The Fish2Dev project aims to strengthen the resilience of the fisheries sector in Al-Mukalla, Hadramaut Governorate in Yemen, in order to preserve the livelihoods of artisanal fishers and local communities to improve food security and to facilitate post-crisis recovery.
More specifically, the project meets two main goals:
1. Enhancing artisanal fishing boats and providing fishers with the needed productive assets as well as strengthening the technical capacities of different value-chain actors.
2. Implementing rehabilitation works at a major fishing landing site in Al-Mukalla, which aims at increasing and upgrading the landing site main infrastructures and improving the hygienic conditions within the site facilities.
Achievements
Small-scale poor fishing communities are encouraged to shift from subsistence to commercial fishing through improved dialogue with private actors, training and equipment.
Expertise France has conducted and completed the following activities:
Capacity building for fishermen on quality fish handling
50 fishers were provided with knowledge and skills on how to improve the quality of fish handling. Training has been provided by local specialist consultants in close cooperation with the Fisheries General Authority (FGA).
Capacity building for fishermen association business skills
Different series of theoretical and technical trainings in basics of project, financial management and procedures, marketing as well as fish handling were provided by a specialized consultancy firm. Topics of trainings were selected through a participatory needs assessment process with the associations themselves.
Facilitation and documentation of the Fish Coordination Mechanism (FCM)
Expertise France facilitated a constructive dialogue among relevant stakeholders to improve and strengthen the public-private-partnership in this sector.
Distribution of fishing productive assets to 50 small-scale fishers
Each fisherman received a sophisticated Fish Finder device, a Fish keeper (Ice Insulator on boats), fishing traditional net and tools. 15 other members have received boat’s engine maintenance kits.
Expertise France is in the process of implementing the rehabilitation works at the fishery landing site through the following activities:
• Construction of a 1,040 m2 landing site used for handling, trading and distributing fish.
• Roofing of this space.
• Rehabilitation of the first floor of the offices’ building.
• Construction of a new shelter room that would be used to accommodate the main electricity generator at the landing site.
• Rehabilitation and fencing of the fuel station
• Construction of a fence and main gates for the site.
