Capacity Building for the Management of Small-Pelagic Fisheries in Eritrea - TCP/ERI/3606
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Eritrea’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors account for 17 percent of the country’s annual gross domestic product (GDP), but the fisheries sub-sector only contributes 18 percent of this value, or 3 percent of the national total. Annual per capita fish consumption is low in Eritrea, with an estimated annual per capita fish consumption of 0.4 kilograms, compared to an African-wide average of 9.8 kilograms. In fact, low dietary diversity and access to protein-rich foods among certain segments of the population continues to be a problem, especially among the rural, coastal and more isolated communities, many of whom work in or depend on small-scale fisheries. In addition, fish food consumption remains skewed towards urban populations. From having the second lowest Human Development Index (HDI) out of the 188 countries assessed in 2015 to experiencing high levels of inter-annual variability in market, export and exchange rate activities, Eritrea has an underdeveloped private investment context from which productivity gains and economic diversification could otherwise prosper. The small-pelagic fisheries sector, for instance, has the potential to yield cost-effective investments at scale while actively contributing to poverty reduction and food security and nutrition. With 2 500 kilometers of coastline, including the Dahlak Archipelago where small-pelagic fish varieties are found, Eritrea’s potential in developing its fisheries sector has been halted by a complex, post-independence socioeconomic context. Recent declines in output, employment and income in the small-scale fisheries sector were not due to overfishing or unsustainable natural resource practices. Instead, this is part of broader programmatic and institutional challenges in national sustainable development plans. The Government of Eritrea has therefore published its Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, identifying three priorities for the fisheries sector.