RedSeaFish - RedSeaFish: Promoting sustainable fisheries management in the Red Sea Large Marine Ecosystem

The Red Sea region faces significant challenges in achieving sustainable fisheries management due to inadequate fisheries data and information systems, limited regional coordination for managing shared fish stocks, weak national regulatory and institutional frameworks, and poor knowledge and awareness of sustainable fisheries management practices. Fisheries management is often fragmented, with insufficient collaboration among Red Sea countries despite many fish stocks being shared. National fisheries management plans are limited in scope, monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) systems are weak, and fisheries agencies often lack the capacity, resources, and technical expertise needed to implement an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF). In addition, limited stakeholder participation, particularly by fishing communities, and inadequate awareness of responsible fishing practices contribute to overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and the continued degradation of the Red Sea marine ecosystem. The project addresses these needs by strengthening fisheries data systems, promoting regional cooperation, improving governance and institutional capacity, and enhancing knowledge and awareness to support sustainable fisheries management across the Red Sea region.

The project will address the key barriers to sustainable fisheries management by strengthening fisheries data and information systems, promoting regional cooperation among Red Sea countries, improving national regulatory frameworks and institutional capacity, and enhancing knowledge and awareness of sustainable fisheries management. The intervention will support the development and implementation of regional fisheries management plans based on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF), establish mechanisms for regional collaboration on shared fisheries, strengthen monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS), improve fisheries information management, and build the capacity of national fisheries agencies and stakeholders. The project will also generate and disseminate knowledge, lessons learned, and best practices to support evidence-based decision-making and long-term regional cooperation for the sustainable management of shared fisheries in the Red Sea.

The project's impact pathway is based on addressing the key barriers to sustainable fisheries management in the Red Sea through four complementary interventions: strengthening fisheries data and information systems; promoting regional collaboration and Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF)-based management of shared fisheries; improving national regulatory frameworks and institutional capacity; and increasing knowledge and awareness of sustainable fisheries management. These interventions are expected to improve evidence-based decision-making, strengthen regional cooperation, and enhance national capacity to implement coordinated fisheries management measures. Over the longer term, these outcomes will contribute to sustainable management of shared fisheries, reduced illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, improved resilience of the Red Sea Large Marine Ecosystem, and enhanced environmental, social, and economic benefits for coastal communities across the region.