Progress report for
New phase of the EAF-Nansen Programme
Achievement at a glance
A new phase of the EAF-Nansen programme was successfully launched in 2024, totaling 1 billion NOK to be spent until 2028. The new phase is working to bridge science and fisheries management to improve ocean governance, while addressing challenges like pollution and climate change, with the primary goal of increasing food security. During the first year of this phase, the meta-database (Surveys Catalogue) and data request portal was established, which allows stakeholders to be informed about the surveys conducted with R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen and request data and information from the surveys. This is a key step in ensuring that data is used and shared. Other highlights so far from the first phase, include the formalization of Senegal and The Gambia's fisheries management plans for the sardinella fishery, while five other countries are being supported for FMP development. In Tanzania and The Gambia, the programme has helped establish dedicated gender desks within the fisheries Ministries to mainstream gender in all activities of the institutions' work within the national fisheries sector. The experience showed that there are different levels of awareness and consideration of gender issues to be considered and that there is a need to build institutional capacity on gender mainstreaming. The programme has also significantly advanced global and local understanding of vulnerable marine ecosystems through discoveries on seamounts in the equatorial and southeast Atlantic Ocean and continental margins of various countries. This data has been crucial in informing fisheries management bodies about the distribution of indicator species and associated resources, contributing to efforts aimed at protecting these vulnerable ecosystems from adverse impacts from bottom fisheries. The programme is also important for climate change research: y generating data on ocean acidification, the EAF-Nansen Programme has created a time series that can contribute to assessing climate change impacts on marine organisms and habitats. Cross-disciplinary studies on cold-water coral reefs in West-Africa and the Gulf of Guinea reveal higher acidity levels and lower oxygen content due to upwelling of carbon dioxide-rich water. These conditions challenge calcification and slow down growth, yet some corals persist, indicating potential adaptation mechanisms to climate change. These observations underscore the need for continued research on vulnerable habitats to better understand their resilience and adaptive capacities in the face of climate change, ocean acidification, and other stressors.Challenges faced in implementation
A key challenge is the increasing cost of operating a research vessel.Next Steps
Johanne FremstadBeneficiaries
The beneficiaries are directly ocean and fisheries researchers in the 32 members countries, as well as their Fisheries management authorities. The end beneficiaries are people dependent on fish for food security and livelihoods.