Case 1-1 Criteria for selecting the target fishing villages for resource management: example of the JICA development study

In the JICA development study, a resource management committee responsible for resource management activities was established in the target fishing villages of the pilot project. Referring to the case of Kayar and the Japanese experience of resource management-based fisheries, the project aimed at resource management with a high degree of initiative from fishers. A fisheries resource management committee was established in Nianing and Yenn in the first year of the pilot project, and in Pointe Sarène and Mballing in the second year, and fisheries resource management activities were initiated.
The criteria for selecting the target fishing villages and their evaluation were as follows:

(1) Fisher resource management awareness: The fishers in Nianing and Yenn were considered to have a relatively high level of education, are fluent in French, and have a high level of moral awareness regarding resource management.

(2)Cohesion of existing fishers’ organisations: this is not only a question of whether there is an existing fishers’ organisation, but also whether the organisation’s problems and vision is shared, whether there is smooth information transmission, whether leadership exists, and whether there is an attitude of commitment and enthusiasm for resource management as an organisation. In Nianing specifically, the fisher’s organisation was coherent, and leadership was present among the core members.

(3) Composing target resources: In Nianing and Yenn, in addition to the capture of migratory fish, there is a large capture of sedentary resources, such as shellfish, octopus and cuttlefish/calamari. Resource management activities for migratory fish must be conducted on a regional basis, involving the surrounding villages; whereas for sedentary resources, resource management can be conducted on a village basis.

(4) Size of fishing villages: Resource management activities targeting small-scale fishing villages have the advantage of being easy to manage, but there is a disadvantage in that there is little ripple effect. Nianing and Yenn were found to be of reasonable size.

(5) Access to markets: To implement highly sustainable resource management activities by community’s own initiative, it is necessary to create a system that allows fishers to carry out resource management activities while maintaining their profits. To achieve this, a mechanism must be put in place to effectively market the fishery products produced by the fishers. Hence, access to markets is one of the selection criteria. Nianing and Yenn have easy access to Dakar, Senegal’s main market.

The criteria for selecting the first target fishing villages to engage in fisheries resource management are as follows: (1) fishers’ resource management awareness, (2) cohesion of existing fishers’ organisations, (3) composition of target resources, (4) size of fishing villages, and (5) access to markets.

Chapter 1 Identifying the challenges of resource management activities and coordinating stakeholder interests

1.1 Identification of resource management challenges

Which village is selected first in the target area for resource management is important for subsequent dissemination. As resource management activities progress, information on the activities will be disseminated to nearby communities. If the activities are well received, the number of interested people in the nearby communities will increase, and the target sites for the activities will gradually expand. The success or failure of the activities in the first village selected will greatly affect the effectiveness of subsequent dissemination.

In community-based resource co-management, it is common to start resource management activities in a specific village first, and then spread successful cases to the surrounding areas. In this case, the selection of the first village is extremely important. This case study will be helpful in considering the criteria to use for selecting the first target village.