Developing a mechanism pre-financing sustainable projects by Mediterranean small-scale fishers

Implementation

Mediterranean basin

September 2020 – October 2022

Official project name

Mediterranean Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) Pre-financing Facility in EU and Non-EU Countries

Affiliation project

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Financing

Coordinator(s)

Partner(s)

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Project background

A difficult transition towards sustainability for small-scale fishers

Small-scale fishers are cornerstones of Mediterranean culture and true guardians of the coast, and they find themselves powerless in the face of these threats to their livelihood. Many of them fish in MPAs, where they can use methods that are less harmful than those employed in industrial fishing. They also have a lot of respect for tradition.

Substantial public funding, such as the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF, formerly EMFF), are available to support ecological transition in small-scale fishing, but they remain difficult to access. In 2020, European small-scale fishers represented 76 per cent of operating vessels, but despite this they benefited from only 3 per cent of the funding granted by the EMFF to vessels between 2015 and 2020.

The fact is that small-scale fishers don’t always have the means to cover the costs of their sustainable project up front–one of the conditions of receiving a European grant. Moreover, submitting a project proposal is both complex and time-consuming.

Our achievements

Fishers’ interest in setting up sustainable projects

As part of the MAVA Foundation’s funding programme in the Mediterranean region, BlueSeeds and the WWF MMI proposed to the foundation to establish a pre-financing facility to foster a real change towards sustainable small-scale fishing practices in the region.

The project aimed at developing a long-term financial revolving mechanism to accelerate the implementation of the FAO-GFCM Regional plan of action on SSF (RPOA-SSF) in Mediterranean. The partners launched a call for expressions of interest in Mediterranean communities of small-scale fishers to receive support in submitting a sustainable project to the EMFF.

The response to the first call was outstanding: 111 requests of grants were received for a total of 1,224,000 Euros, which corresponded to more than three times the available budget our partnership had. This response demonstrated the interest of SSF in a financial mechanism that could facilitate access to EMFF funds.

Find the projects that the fishers carried out below.

Impact

Different types of sustainable fishing projects implemented

applications received

of small-scale fishers from Croatia, France, Greece and Italy who wanted to benefit from assistance

supported fishers

in submitting, implementing and financing their sustainable fishing project

million euros of EMFF funding

allocated thanks to the technical and financial assistance offered to fishers during the project

Replacement of fishing nets

for more selective equipment to prevent bycatch

Replacement of engines

polluting and energy-greedy in order to reduce CO2 emissions and increase fishers’ margins

Purchase of refrigeration equipment

to encourage more direct sales, better selling prices and less time spent fishing

The BlueMove pre-financing mechanism was created in October 2022 in response to the project's high demand from fishers!

Our achievements

Feasibility study of a pre-financing mechanism

Thus, in order to help fishers apply for a European grant, BlueSeeds and the WWF have been working on the development of a pre-financing mechanism that would give them initial capital and technical assistance to submit a project.

The project was built in 4 phases:

1. Preparatory phase

Identification of the countries concerned
Definition of specific modalities (work schedule)
Building the network of partners

2. Legal study phase

Legal feasibility study of the pre-financing mechanism with a consortium of French, Spanish, Italian and Croatian law firms
Inventory of FEAMP procedures in each country

3. Testing phase

Calls for expression of interest to artisanal fishers
Information meetings with the FLAGs and other stakeholders
Deployment of the test phase with selected fishers
Evaluation of the results

4. Structuring phase

Creation of a durable pre-financing mechanism

With the EMFF grant, I improved the hydrodynamics of the vessel’s hull by upgrading the bow part of the keel, installing spoilers and side fins, and by correcting the curvature of the stern part of the boat. I also installed an autopilot and solar cells.

I have significantly improved the energy efficiency of the vessel, reduced fuel consumption, and therefore operating costs. To improve safety, I modernized the complete cabin, together with electrical installations, windows and doors. I modernized the sanitary room, and I installed an anti-slip surface, as well as railings on the roof of the cabin and the deck.

I completed four projects that I submitted to the 2014-2020 EMFF cycle thanks to the MAVA-funded 'EMFF' project. In accordance with the grant requirements, I was able to replace my equipment with 300 new langoustine fishing traps, increasing the mesh diameter from 36 mm to 40 mm. I've been able to capture larger specimens with a higher market value thanks to these more selective traps. Additionally, I've decreased the quantity of unwanted bycatches.

The beneficial effects of my new traps on langoustine populations have been verified by scientists with whom I have collaborated. More selective gear will undoubtedly support sustainable fishing and stock conservation. As a result, I encourage all of my colleagues to use these subsidies to make their activities more sustainable.