The Port Bleu project equips fishermen from Haouaria with quality labels and technological solutions for fisheries products

Tunis - The agreement between the Blue Craft Club and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) targets the promotion of the initiative of women and youth to invest in the artisanal fishing sector in the Haouaria region. This agreement was signed as part of FAO's Blue Port project, which is committed to supporting gender equality in access to resources, services, markets, incomes and employment. Its program focuses on the quality and income enhancement of small-scale fishing communities with special attention to young people and women. The project is based on the principles of blue growth, the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and voluntary guidelines for sustainable small-scale fisheries.

During the presentation, Mr Michael Hage, FAO Representative in Tunisia, said that these achievements are part of FAO's support to small family farming and correspond to four Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely Goal 14 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of oceans, seas and marine resources; Goal 8 in relation to decent employment and economic growth, Goal 5 which aims to achieve gender equality and Goal 1 which seeks to end poverty in the world.

More than 150 fishermen and 30 women benefited from capacity building in various areas of their activities related to the artisanal fisheries sector. These areas have included a better understanding of the solidarity and social economy; repair, weaving and assembly of nets and sets of fishing lines; better control of the administrative and financial management of associations; awareness of ecotourism; support for the valorization of fisheries products, marketing and the use of  quality labels to improve prices.

Among the significant results with direct impact for young people, it is worth noting the establishment of small projects for the benefit of 25 direct beneficiaries who have had positive effects on more than 100 indirect beneficiaries. The beneficiaries were provided with fishing nets and small fishing equipment, including hooks, an ice factory unit with a capacity of 500 kg per day and the upgrading of a recovery unit in partnership with the Association Blue Club and the Agency of Ports and Port Infrastructure.

In terms of quality, this project led to the creation of the Assistance, Supervision and Follow-up of Traceability and Labeling of Club Bleu Artisanal Fishing Products in Haouaria. Capacity building of the association's office was carried out in the area of monitoring the safety of fisheries products and monitoring the product origins with a view to promoting the quality of products landed throughout their marketing channels.

In terms of innovation, the project has helped to create technological solutions for the marketing of fishing products through the establishment of an electronic interface through the web. This will make it easier for members of the association to monitor fisheries products, identify their origin, the fishing zone, the quality of fisheries products and follow-up of the marketing. In addition, an Android mobile application has been launched to allow consumers to enter the code of marine products and to identify basic information related to the product description.