Project Oratsimba
In a region where coastal communities heavily depend on lobster fishing as a primary source of income, Project Oratsimba supports community-based, sustainable fisheries management in Sainte Luce and Elodrato.
80% of households within these communities live under the international poverty line and with severely limited livelihood options available, most households are dependent on the local fishery for survival. Unfortunately, lobster stocks in the region have been declining, compounded by migration, climate change and unsustainable fishing practices, further exacerbating livelihood insecurity for vulnerable households.
In the eighties, we would put four pots in the sea and get lots of lobster. Now, we put 25 pots in the sea and we just get half a kilo.
Community leader from Ebakika, Elodrato
The creation of Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA); protected marine zones managed by coastal communities, has proved an effective and sustainable method to protect marine biodiversity and support declining fisheries around the world. With the support of Project Oratsimba, the communities of Sainte Luce and Elodrato have operationalised their own LMMAs spanning a total of 31,000 hectares. Implementation of sustainable management measures, such as seasonal No-Take Zones, aim to ensure the security of lobster stock in the region and the livelihoods of those who depend on it.
These management measures are informed by Project Oratsimba’s Participatory Monitoring Programme (PMP), which since 2015 has worked with local data collectors to monitor the lobster fishery, tracking daily catches and fishing activity. In the last five years alone data collectors have completed nearly 4,000 surveys and sampled over 45,000 lobsters, giving important insights into the health of the fishery.
Alongside support for the LMMAs, Project Oratsimba also works to strengthen the financial resilience of fishing households. For many fishers in the region high variations in catch throughout the year leads to increased financial insecurity. Through financial management training, SEED works with fishers and their partners to facilitate financial savings at the household level.
National lobster landings fell by more than 50% between 2006 and 2012, a situation reflected in the Anosy region.
FAO (2016)
1) Fishers brave the waves in a traditional wooden pirogue in Elodrato. 2) A local data collector measures lobster size as part of the Participatory Monitoring Programme.
Our Progress:
- Establishment and training of two Fisheries Management Committees to represent local fishers in Sainte Luce and Elodrato.
- Formation of two LMMAs spanning 31,000 hectares.
- Establishment of periodic No Take Zones in Sainte Luce and Elodrato.
- Formalisation of customary local laws, known as a dinas, to support enforcement of marine management measures.
- Establishment of the Oratsimba Participatory Monitoring Programme to collect and share scientific data on the lobster fishery.
- Commencement of data feedback sessions with over 300 fishers to strengthen evidence-based adaptive management.
- Completion of regional and national cross visits between fishing communities to share knowledge and best practices.
- Delivery of gender-inclusive financial management training to fisher households.
- Implementation of a pilot savings scheme for the Sainte Luce FMC.
1) Traders buying and selling lobster at Manafiafy beach in Sainte Luce. 2) President of the Sainte Luce Fishery Management Committee.
Donors
Project Oratsimba Phase IV has been made possible thanks to funding from Blue Ventures and UBS Optimus Foundation. Previous phases of the project have been funded by Defra’s Darwin Initiative and the FAO’s SmartFish.
Photo credits: Garth Cripps and Project Oratsimba team
