Fisheries Management Assistance - MMR Eritrea

MRAG was employed through the Department for International Development (DFID) to provide technical consultancy services to the Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) of the State of Eritrea as part of the implementation of a Marine Resources Assessment and Management Project. The purpose of this project was to improve the capacity of the MMR to formulate and implement effective policies, strategies and action plans for the sustainable use and management of marine resources. The scope of the project included the collection, collation, analysis and storage of a wide range of marine resource and marine environmental data from the whole of Eritrea’s coast and Exclusive Economic Zone, gleaned from a wide variety of data sources.

This involved the following activities on the part of MRAG:

1. A visit to Massawa, Eritrea, by a marine resource information systems management specialist, in order to provide practical assistance to the MMR with the initial setup of the system, including the establishment of data management, analysis and reporting procedures. This also included consideration with the MMR about likely future requirements for information management and the development of clear recommendations for the future development of the system. The visit also involved Eritrean counterpart staff in all activities.
2. A follow up consultancy in order to assess progress, provide advice and assistance in the refinement of the system, and undertake further on-the-job training as required. As part of an ongoing commitment to the project MRAG provided the Project Coordinator with a UK-based technical back-stopping service in the implementation of the project.

A report was produced on the work carried out at all stages and provided recommendations for follow up action. The outputs formed the information management system required for integrated coastal zone management planning, including the management of marine resource utilisation.