Artisanal Fisheries Pilot Development Project

Artisanal Fisheries Pilot Development Project

The project’s primary goal was to increase basic food production and the availability of food to low-income urban and rural consumers. The project was IFAD’s first replicable intervention in the artisanal fisheries sector with a built-in objective of transferring support services to private operators.

There was a great potential for artisanal fishing off the coast of Algeria that remained largely unexploited. But fishermen were unable to obtain fishing gear and spare parts for their boats. A large number of unemployed youths were motivated to take up fishing. The project supported policy changes regarding credit and private involvement in support services. It was a pilot operation, and it was the first time that credit was made available to unemployed youths who were taking up fishing. Fishery support services were transferred to private fishermen who were organized in cooperatives, and an extension service for artisanal fishermen was established.

To a large extent, the project reached most of its major objectives of increasing fish production on a sustainable basis to meet the increasing needs of the country’s population, and of generating employment for young people. To achieve these objectives the project:

• introduced a new type of boat designed and equipped to operate safely throughout the year in the rich and rocky fishing grounds at depths of up to 80m, fulfilling Algerian fishermen’s specific needs
• equipped existing boats with new engines and fishing gear
• trained fishermen in improved fishing methods
• improved access to credit and spare parts, maintenance facilities, ice production and fish transportation and marketing
• assessed and monitored the fish population to avoid overfishing

Source: IFAD