THE FIP PROJECT
Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIPs) are multi-stakeholder initiatives aimed at improving the sustainability, practices and management of fisheries to meet the standards required by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and MarinTrust.
Since 2018, the Mauritanian Small Pelagics FIP has been part of the MarinTrust Improver Program.
ACCEPTANCE OF A FIP
For a FIP to be accepted on the Fishery Progress platform (https://fisheryprogress.org/directory), it must be transparent, aligned with achieving measurable results, and demonstrate consistent porgress. The key elements of a FIP are:
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Conducting a pre-assessment according to MSC and MarinTrust standards
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Developing an improvement action plan
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Writing and sharing regular progress reports
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Having progress verified by a independent organizationMaintaining a clear timetable and deadline
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Demonstrating a strong commitment to achieving MSC and MarinTrust sustainable fishery certifications
PRE-ASSESSMENT ACCORDING TO THE TARGETED STANDARD
A pre-assessment of the Mauritanian Small Pelagic fishery according to the MarinTrust standard has been conducted at the launch of the FIP in 2018 and was renewed in 2024.
A parallel assessment according to the MSC standard was carried out in 2021. These assessments, along with the progress report, can be accessed here:
Both standards follow complementary approaches, criteria and scoring systems:
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Stock status,
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Resource management strategy,
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Monitoring and control at sea and unloading points,
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Impact on protected species, their habitat, and the environment,
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Socio-economic impacts of the activity on local communities,
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And governance that meets thefishery’s need and allows all industry stakeholders to participate.
FIP ACTION PLAN
The FIP action plan aims to address the improvement points identified during pre-assessments, as well as the recommendations developed during the annual FIP workshops.
Any serious management strategy relies on the availability of reliable data and statistics. Since its inception, the priority of the Mauritanian Small Pelagics FIP has been to improve the data collection system of IMROP (Mauritanian Institute for Oceanographic and Fisheries Research). Enhancing the collection of data on catches, biomass, and fishing effort helps support the government in implementing the Small Pelagics Management Plan (PAP-PP).
The FIP also provides financial support to strengthen IMROP’s existing resources for monitoring the Small Pelagics fishery, as well as all species covered by the FIP. The goal is to promote an ecosystem-based approach to fishery management, including the assessment of by-catches, discards, and interactions within ecosystems. The FIP also encourages strengthened collaboration with neighboring countries to achieve coordinated stock management, particularly for sardine and sardinella, which are shared with Morocco and Senegal.
FIP members are also committed to supporting IMROP and local authorities in strengthening monitoring and control of vessels and processing plants. Since the start of the FIP, the number of participating factories has increased tenfold. Participation translates into enhanced transparency, collaboration with IMROP scientists, and engagement of the factories in the MarinTrust Improver Program with the aim of achieving MarinTrust certification.
Since 2023, a social action component has been added to the FIP following an independent social audit conducted by Partner Africa. This action plan aims to support government policies promoting the development of the human consumption market and the valorization of fish waste into fishmeal. Additional initiatives, led by Mauritanian sociologists with support from international human rights experts, aim to mitigate potential negative social impacts of this fishery.
