CeDePesca Brazilian Lobster FIP

CeDePesca’s Mission: 

To promote mechanisms for participation, exchange, and dialogue between the different actors in the fishing sector.

Grant Project Goal(s):

To achieve an MSC certification. An MSC pre-assessment was conducted and revealed problems in 19/31 indicators, the most crucial being the extended use of illegal fishing gear instead of the only permitted gear (traps).

Background:

The Red Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) and Green Spiny Lobster (Panulirus laevicauda) represent the most important fishing resource of northern and northeastern Brazil. This fishery exports mainly to the US market, with an average value of 60 million USD per year, and can provide for the livelihood of more than 15,000 fishermen. The core of the Brazilian lobster Fisheries Improvement Project takes place in Ceara (Northeast Region), where this fishery developed in the 1950s, and where most of the exporters have their processing plants.

Immediate Objective(s):

To 1) build a traceability system in conjunction with 11 fishing communities; and 2) recover the health of the stock, thus ensuring long term revenues for thousands of fishermen and their families.

Key Learnings:

Learn more at CeDePesca Brazilian Lobster FIP