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sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : Tilapia juveniles for tuna live bait on Cabo Verde

Pays :Cabo Verde

Dates : Start date : 1 January 2010 // End date : 23 November 2020

Identification projet : NL-KVK-27378529-PSI09CV24

Programme : Private Sector Investment programme (PSI)

Présentation
Target species for tuna fishing in Cabo Verdean waters are the yellow fin tuna, skipjack tuna, wahoo and bigeye tuna. Cabo Verde has an internationally agreed ICCAT quota to catch 29,000 tons of yellow fin tuna per year, of which only 4,000 tons is caught and mainly by the EU-registered vessels with huge nets, resulting in a large percentage of by-catch of unwanted species.

Cabo Verdean fishermen themselves focus mainly on skipjack tuna, catching it by artisanal pole and line fishing. Pole and line fishing is internationally considered by ICCAT and MSc as the most sustainable way of catching tuna. These artisanal tuna fishers on Cabo Verde need about 600 tons of live bait fishes per year to be able to catch 6,000 tons of skipjack tuna. The live bait fishes, mostly mackerel, they catch themselves.

As such, the fishermen spend 50% of their effective tuna fishing time in catching live bait. They cannot reach the agreed quota, due to lack of live bait fishes and fishing time.

This project will facilitate the artisanal fishermen to continue with their sustainable way of pole and line tuna fishing by producing tilapia live bait. The tilapia farm of 7 ha pond area on Sao Vicente will yearly produce 23 million young fishes of 12 to 15 grams.

For this purpose the Brazilian company Universo Pescados LTDA and the Cabo Verdean partner Sociedade Ultramarina De Conservas, LDA (SUCLA) will form a joint venture. The bait fishes will be raised in brackish waters with state of the art technology and adapted to seawater prior to delivery in the harbour. The project will contribute in the process of adapting the tuna fishery chain in Cabo Verde towards a sustainable way of exploitation.

Partenaire (s) : Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Sociedade Ultramarina De Conservas, LDA, Universo Pescados LTDA

Budget Total : €607,742

Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)