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BioFAD Project in Ghana (FAO-ISSF LOA for Training Activities Biodegradable FADs)

Activity Report September –November 2018

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Preamble This study is part of a pilot project coordinated by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation(ISSF), with support provided by the Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Project , to test the use of biodegradable and non-entangling Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) in collaboration with Ghanaian fleets. The initiative addresses some of the challenges facing the fishing sector by implementing best practice solutions to reduce both ghost-fishing due to entanglement in FAD structure, and the amount of plastic used to construct FAD´s structures, with the aim to contribute to achieving responsible, efficient and sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation. The present document shows the activities conducted within the project from September 2018 to November 2018.

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Progress on the activities related to the test at sea of biodegradable FADs with the collaboration of Ghanaian fleets

Gala Moreno1, Ben Ashigbui1, Papa Kebe1, Jerry Scott1 Because biodegradable materials are not available yet, most of the progress has been done on land and in port. The approximate date of arrival of biodegradable materials in Ghana is February 2019. Then, fishing industry will construct biodegradable FADs using those materials and deploy them at sea. Specific activities during this reporting period were:

1. Define the specifications for the biodegradable materials 2. Training and awareness 3. Consent forms from fishing industry to share echo-sounder buoy data

1 ISSF consultants

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1. Specifications for biodegradable materials

During this reporting period, biodegradable material´s specifications were defined, taking into account the output from the workshop organized in Ghana to design biodegradable FADs. Identified cotton ropes and canvas´ specifications, as well as quantities needed to be used in Ghanaian FADs were as follows: Cotton ropes

Total requested quantity: 90,000 m Meter per coil: 720 reels of 125 m rope each Place of Delivery: FAO Accra, Ghana Delivery date: January – February 2019 Technical Specifications:

Total length: 90,000 m (minimum requirement) Meters per coil: 720 reels of 125 m rope each Composition: Cotton and tencel rope, a minimum amount of cotton and Tencel of 95% required. Diameter: 20 mm ± 5% Breaking strength: 1400 kg (minimum requirement) Coating: food grade wax, natural origin Colour: Multi-colour allowed

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Cotton canvas

Total requested quantity: 9360 m Meter per coil: 312 reels of 30 m Place of Delivery: FAO Accra, Ghana Delivery date: January – February 2018 Technical Specifications:

Weave: twill Color: ecru or white Width: 2 m (±1cm) Mass per unit area: Min. 350 g/m2 Max force lengthwise (average): Min of 1400 N Max force crosswise (average): Min of 900 N

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2. Training and awareness Before FADs are deployed at sea, training and creation of awareness needs to be done, to allow fishers understand what biodegradable FADs are and also why the project in being carried out. During the previous reporting period, in relation to data collection, database for deployed bioFADs and templates were designed. For administrative purposes reception forms of biodegradable FADs were also created so there is proof that project materials were pickup and delivered to respective vessel owners to be used by their vessels. This reporting period has been devoted to training and creation of awareness of the different stakeholders in the project:

Meeting with the government: Ghana Fisheries

Papa Kebe and Ben Ashigbui, attended a meeting in Ghana to discuss the progress with the BIOFAD project and materials. The meeting took place with Ghana Fisheries, where ALEKSANDER ADOM ADU-ANTWI fisheries representative was present.

The meeting included the following points:

• Presentation of the awareness and trainings being held for the fishing

companies involved. We discussed the delay in BIOFAD materials and how best to communicate this to the parties involved in the project.

• Introduction of the data collecting app so that vessels without printers and other

computer systems can record data on the deployment and monitoring of the BIOFAD’s. It was also suggested that each vessel record data separately so as not to lose any information.

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Meeting with Ghana fisheries departments

Government office teams in Monitoring Control and Surveillance (MCS) and Electronic Monitoring System (EMS) as well as Fisheries Research and observers were trained on the new data collection methods and the reasons to collect the data. There was also a Q&A session where individuals from various teams asked questions and made suggestions to contribute to the success of the project.

3. Consent forms from fishing industry to share echo-sounder buoy data

Echo-sounder buoy data sharing

In order to follow the aggregation capability of experimental FADs, it is necessary to obtain the estimates of biomass provided by the echo-sounder buoys attached to biodegradable FADs. Previous projects testing biodegradable FADs in other oceans, have shown that the amount of fishing sets at biodegradable FADs could be lower than desired, due to the complex strategy working with FADs, where many FADs end up lost, stolen or sunk. That is why this project in Ghana requires fishing industry to share data from the echo-sounder buoys they attach to FADs, in order to have a biomass estimate even if the FAD is not fished. So far the response from the industry is very positive and Ghanaian Tuna Association (GTA) members are willing to share the echo-sounder buoy data attached to Biodegradable FADs. A meeting was held with Zunibal team in Spain (buoy manufacturers that construct the buoy that is used by Ghanaian fleets), to define how the data from biodegradable FADs could be sent from the vessel to ISSF researchers. Following the recommendations from Zunibal, the information will be sent directly from Zunibal to ISSF. However, they would need an information sharing consent form from ship-owners. Thus, a form agreeing to share these data was distributed to the ship-owners through GTA. Even though all the companies have acknowledged reception of the consent forms to allow Zunibal share information from the buoys, a few companies have not signed yet. Seven companies out of 13 have signed the form, this task is in progress.

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The table below shows the status of the different fishing companies in Ghana in terms of having signed the information sharing consent form. Annex 1 shows those forms already signed by the industry.

TUNA COMPANIES STATUS AFKO FISHERIES SUBMITTED AFRICA STAR FISHERIES LTD PENDING AGNES PARK FISHERIES LTD SUBMITTED ASANTE FISHERIES COMPANY LIMITED PENDING BSK MARINE COMPANY LTD SUBMITTED D H FISHERIES LTD SUBMITTED GL FISHERIES LTD PENDING LAIF FISHERIES PENDING PANOFI CO. LTD PENDING RICO FISHERIES LTD SUBMITTED TRUST ALLIED FISHING VENTURES LTD PENDING WORLD MARINE LTD SUBMITTED DONG SHENG COMPANY LIMITED SUBMITTED

ANNEX 1

SIGNED INFORMATION SHARING COSENT FORMS FOR ECHO-SOUNDER BUOY DATA

l_{Name) f:¿Nf:{9J.K1/rU of __ (company name) /iIK MAt/AJGLT).Hereby give my permission for BioFADs buoys data information to be shared with ISSF in connection with the BioFAD project.

Below are my list of vessels for which I want data shared 1. A-f :¡.o 3 - f M.1::, cV i--._1 "1 �

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This vessels will inform about: • the identification code of the buoy attached to BioFADs• the code of one traditional FAD deployed in the sorne orea.

Name ...... k&/Y.¾, ..... S.U..� .... JlN. .. . . .. . . ......... . .... . . . ..Si§fiOfUfé � �

Date ....... : 6--..... /') i). V ye:7/t