Detailed narrative description of project:

Following a long period of civil conflict between 1989 and 2003, peace and stability returned to Liberia. The fisheries sector represents a critical sector for the country as a whole, with potential to: i) generate much needed foreign exchange for the country (from the sale of access rights to foreign fleets to fish in Liberian waters, and export of fisheries products), ii) provide employment and economic activity in upstream, catching and downstream processing/marketing sub-sectors, and iii) contribute to food security with fish production being a key source of protein and micronutrients for many Liberians. However, despite developments since 2003 the fisheries sector was still only partly realising its potential. The rationale for this assignment was thus to provide external technical expertise to support the Burean of National Fisheries (of the Ministry of Agriculture) to strengthen the systems needed to effectively implement management and develop coastal and aquaculture fisheries in line with the Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy & Strategy.

Detailed narrative description of actual services provided by Poseidon Aquatic
Resource Management Ltd:

Poseidon provided a Fisheries Management Expert to work with stakeholders in Liberia over a one year period. The specific objectives were:

• To advise senior staff at BNF and MoA to improve the functioning of the BNF in its different roles as regulator, supervisor and coordinating agency;

• To provide assistance to the implementation of the EU-Liberia Sustainable Fisheries Agreement (SFPA), and more specifically its sectorial support; and

• To support BNF in the design and implementation of donor-funded projects, and in particular the support to be provided under the EU-Liberia Agriculture Programme