The Fisheries Data Centre

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Who We Are

The Fisheries Data Centre (FDC) is a non-profit organisation that was established to provide scientific and technical support to facilitate data driven conservation and natural resource management. The organisation’s primary focus is the design and implementation of systems for artisanal fisheries and livelihoods data collection, and the management, analysis and interpretation of quantitative data for management intervention and decision making.

FDC follows a community centred approach through the training and employment of resident fishers to act a representatives of their communities and serve as enumerators for data collection and the rollout of long-term monitoring programmes.

What We Do

Data collection for long-term monitoring programmes and periodic surveys are implemented using digital data collection tools customised to local conditions and requirements of each project. Digital data is streamed from handheld devices when in network to online servers where it is available to data managers. Quality control of incoming data and enumerator performance is undertaken via bespoke online dashboards using predefined metrics to ensure good quality data is being gathered.

The project team has worked extensively with rural fisheries communities throughout Africa over the past ten years, has experience working in remote areas, and has in depth knowledge and understanding of artisanal fisheries and rural livelihoods.

Our Vision:

Our vision is a future where rural communities and resource managers are empowered with innovative digital data collection and management platforms, fostering locally relevant, informed decisions about sustainable natural resource management.

Our purpose is to:

  • Provide tools for community driven fisheries monitoring that provides relevant harvest information.
  • Ensure systematic and consistent data collection across time and space, thereby enabling temporal and geographical comparisons.

Provide technical expertise and support to establish monitoring systems (from individual management units to cross basin monitoring).

Our objectives are to:

Support community driven fisheries management through:

  • Simple, informative and effective monitoring solutions.
  • Increase transparency in management through data interpretation and sharing.
  • Assist through the provision of data driven decision support tools.

 

Amplify women’s role in fisheries by:

  • Bringing gender differences into the fisheries resources management discussions.
  • Measuring women’s contributions in fisheries and fish trading for income generation and food security.
  • Supporting management interventions that empower women in fisheries.

 

Collaborate with Government:

  • The outputs from the fisheries surveys are in a format that is useful to national government.
  • Work with government in ensuring alignment with national objectives.
  • Support and involve local government in managing and monitoring initiatives.

 

Broader livelihoods context:

  • Measure the effects of community driven sustainable fisheries management on food and income security.
  • Provide locally relevant adaptive management strategies for local communities to make the most of natural resources available in a sustainable manner.

Promote women’s empowerment in natural resource-based livelihoods.