Pilot Fishery - Introduction

The action aims at making available to local communities involved in fisheries and related productive sectors a facility for the storage and management of fish, to allow its conservation, refrigeration, commercialization, preparation for delivery to customers and delivery (a comprehensive traceability system for the supply chain in the fishery sector). This is to ease the commercialization of fish at local and international markets.

The three main pillars of the pilot activity on fishery are:

  1. Supporting the definition of traceability and certification paths in the fishery sector according to the current EU legislation (storage, refrigeration and management processes)
  2. Strengthening local training institutions and promoting training courses aiming at enabling young Libyan fishermen to reach the adequate skills required to improve their abilities to contribute to local development in the field of fisheries
  3. Pilot test in one of the five municipalities (previously identified) for infrastructure compliance with EU regulations for conservation, refrigeration, commercialisation, and preparation for delivery to customers.

Target groups: technical staff at municipal level, representatives at local level of national thematic technical and regulatory authorities (fisheries, renewable energies and waste management), vocational training institutions and local economic categories (fishermen, local service providers’ companies and local private sector).

This pilot project is the follow-up of PATH-DEV, a project managed in 2017-2019 by The Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region and five Libyan coastal municipalities (co-applicants in PathDEV) in the framework of the Nicosia Initiative, funded by the Italian Ministry of Interior. The management of the pilot project is led by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region, with the technical support of the Italian National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) acting as technical assistance partner to the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region.

Period: November 2021 – March 2025 (40 months)

Pilot Project Fishery

Project Coordinator: Autonomous Region Friuli Venezia Giulia
Implementor: OGS – National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics

In Libya there is still a strong fishing tradition, both in terms of know-how and training structures. Nevertheless, many supporting structures have been damaged by recent events. In such a context, the partnership promotes cooperation with local stakeholders according to a bottom-up approach to reinforce the traditional fisheries sector. The pilot action on fishery is implemented in the framework of the REBUILD project and involves Libyan municipalities of Sirte, Zliten, Benghazi, Tripoli, Tobruk.

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Storyboard nr 6 (October, 2022)   Storyboard nr 11 (February, 2024)    Storyboard nr 15 (July, 2024)

   

Update on Pilot Project Fishery – October, 2024

The Pilot Action Fishery is progressing as planned, with the implementation of the facility for refrigeration and storage in the fishery port of Zliten. It is a joint process, where the Municipality of Zliten is taking care of the construction of the building at its own cost, while OGS is providing the necessary technical equipment and tools as well as a comprehensive capacity building program for the future operators of the facility .

The definition of the engineering design of the plant was conducted jointly by the Engineering Department of the Municipality of Zliten and the REBUILD (international and local) experts. The Municipality selected a local construction company and the construction works started in July 2024, on the occasion of the fourth REBUILD fishery on-site mission.

Concerning the procurement activity, upon the definition of the list of equipment to be purchased and provided, OGS experts together with the OGS administration dept have evaluated the most convenient solution both in terms of feasibility, cost savings and timing.

Procurement is conducted directly in Libya to reduce transport costs and gain time; installation and commissioning is offered to the same Libyan suppliers, who better know local conditions and circumstances, to secure warranty and after sale assistance in case of need.

In parallel the availability and price levels of the equipment and tools both in Italy and in Libya have been detected through a detailed survey, identifying reliable suppliers and comparing technical features, supply conditions and price levels. Indeed the complexity of such a process required contacting and monitoring various suppliers for each category of product, since the procurement process requires the collection of different products and articles from different providers. From this point of view, the field mission, which took place in the second half of July, has speeded up this process, allowing OGS to start publishing a tender in the same period and then drafting the relevant contractual documents for the awarded company. Therefore, once the construction works will be accomplished, tentatively by the end of October/beginning of November, and as soon as the finalisation and signature of a written agreement between OGS and the Municipality of Zliten is achieved, OGS is ready to allow the awarded company to place the orders of tools and equipment in 3 lots.

Considering all these formal steps, the delivery of the equipment, its installation and commissioning, the financial cycle of the payments, and other logistic-related aspects, the conclusion of this activity is envisaged at the end of 2024 (in case of delays, it will be early 2025).

Until the conclusion of the project (March 2025) the training of the operators identified by the Municipality of Zliten, as well as the simulation of an inspection on EU standard procedures, will take place, respecting the time schedule set at the beginning of the project, unless unexpected delays arise.

REBUILD experts during the on-site mission in July visited Sirte, with the support of the Mayor of Sirte and the engagement of the Mayors of Zliten and Tawergha, who have accompanied the experts during the two-day visit. This has been a remarkable activity that the project was able to organise despite the periodical peaks of instability across the country, both from security and political point of view. Its importance is related to the high potential of the fishery sector in the area, which is given by the very limited exploitation of the marine resources, the subsequent possibility to comply with the perspective of a sustainable catch, compatible with the re-generation of the stock, and the economic development for local communities of fishers and operators. These considerations are complemented by the investments in infrastructures being implemented in the city: vegetable market, retail fishery market, commercial port, airport, etc.).

As for the artisanal fishery port (the only that was possible to visit), a technical sheet is under preparation, to be included in the project report (like done for the other targeted cities), and be delivered to the Mayor.

Another field visit is planned between October and November this year, to check the advancement of works in Zliten, and possibly return to Sirte and/or Tobruk.

Additional activities, not included in the REBUILD Fishery Pilot Project, but originated from its assessment phase, are also progressing:

  1. In Tobruk a first intervention at the Port of Turks, financed by Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, has been drafted and agreed with the Engineering Department of the Municipality. Also here the pursued scheme is based on the construction/adaptation works covered by the Municipality while Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, through OGS, will provide the identified equipment. In early October the Municipality informed REBUILD team that the intervention will not address the identified fishery port (Port of the Turks). The Municipality is currently identifying an alternative facility where to intervene (possibly the city fishery market currently under construction).
  2. In the meantime, the IOM-Friuli Venezia Giulia Region Y-Med project aiming at providing on-the-job-training in the region to 4 young veterinarians (2 from Zliten and 2 from Tobruk), is progressing after the identification of the candidates, the availability of Friuli Venezia Giulia’s public veterinary control depts and local fishery cooperatives. After a preparatory Italian language training course, the candidates are expected to travel to Friuli Venezia Giulia in November for a 6-month on-the-job training there.