BCC Norwegian Ecosystem-Based Management Programme (2016-2017)
During 2016/2017, Norway provided financial support to Angola, Namibia and South Africa through the Benguela Current Convention to implement four projects covering highly prioritised policy actions in the BCC Strategic Action Programme (SAP). These include a) the application of Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) to strengthen the fisheries management in the BCLME region. The ERA was applied to hake species and horse mackerel species in Namibia and South Africa, as well as shrimp species, sardinella species and dentex species in Angola (b) the identification of new pollution hotspots in the region; the drafting of monitoring plans; training on pollution monitoring of scientists. In addition, recommendations on the integration of plans into policies to control and monitor water quality standards, control spillage and release of harmful and noxious substances were made. The roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in pollution management were also identified c) updated the National Plan of Action (NPOAs) for by-catch and ghost fishing of seabirds and turtles and a review report on current status and threats to seabirds, turtles and other vulnerable marine species in the BCC region was produced d) development of a framework document on ability to monitor the ecosystem health.
The final report of the EBM programme can be downloaded here – Final Report Ecosystem-Based Management Programme.
Selected documents of the Ecosystem-based management projects are contained under the various projects below.
For the past 30 years or so, Norway has supported Angola, Namibia and South Africa through the Benguela Current Collection of environmental variables (oxygen, temperature, salinity, depth) at trawl stations form part of the surveys. Huge fishery database exist that provide reliable time series for the major fisheries (Cape hake, deepwater hake, horse mackerel and sardinella) in the region. Norway support included training and capacity developed and skills transfer in areas such as fish sampling, acoustics, stock assessments and taxonomy to the scientists in marine research instittues in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem region.
The transboundary surveys were conducted using the Dr Fridtjof Nansen research vessel under the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) contracted out to the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Bergen.
Final report and selected documents under the Science Programme are contained here.
| Survey Area | Objective | Report |
| Luderitz to Cape Agulhas | BCC hake regional survey | Hake Survey Report Feb 2008 |
| Hake Survey Report Feb 2009 | ||
| Namibia and South African west coast | BCC hake regional recruitment survey | Hake Juvenile Survey Report March 2009 |
| Hake Survey Report Feb 2010 | ||
| Southern Angola and Northern Namibia | To map the distribution and estimate the abundance of the most commercially important pelagic species in the Namibia-Angola transboundary area | Pelagic Fish Survey Report Angola and Namibia August 2010 |
| South African west coast between Cape Agulhas and Orange River | BCC hake regional survey | Hake Survey Report Feb 2011 |
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