How Partnerships and Adaptive Management can contribute to Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries: The Case of the Red Sea fishery in Sudan

Abstract

"The paper discusses how partnerships and adaptive management can contribute to ecosystem approaches to fisheries (EAF). This is illustrated in the Red Sea State of Sudan where the active participation and engagement of fishers, traders and the government in EAF has led to the establishment of co-management groups and an agreement on a fishery management plan for seacucumber and demersal reef fish. The approach has enabled the sector to test and collect data on the fisheries and fishing communities that is improving governance through greater participation in stock assessment, capacity building and fishery management. The paper also uses social capital to assess the characteristics of the co-management arrangements and reveals a complex network of ties between fishers, traders and government institutions. The analysis illustrates the significance of context in building partnerships and the importance of engaging actors such as the security agencies that can determine the effectiveness of EAF approaches."