We also support an impact-mitigating activity for fishing communities in the zone of influence of our Block 4 exploration operations in the Plataforma Deltana field.
Fishing is an important source of livelihood for many coastal communities in north-eastern Venezuela, including many of the communities within the zone of influence of our project.
To ensure that our exploration operations in no way negatively impact on the livelihoods of communities in the area, and drawing on the recommendations of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) conducted in connection with the project, we decided to support a pilot sustainable fishing project.
The project also accords with the development priorities of the communities in the area, given that fishing is considered to be one of the pillars of local development identified by the regional and local authorities.
On behalf of StatoilHydro, the Universidad Simón Bolívar together with the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research conducted a feasibility study for the pilot project and developed a set of sustainability guidelines and criteria for the project. According to these guidelines, the project should:
- Be inclusive, ensure equal opportunities and promote gender equality
- Mobilise and use local resources
- Define sustainability as both the entrance factor and the basis of the exit strategy
- Make use of local and traditional resources and techniques, where possible
- Be integral and modular - each component should be environmentally and economically feasible and sustainable
The goal of the project is to improve the living conditions of small-scale fishing communities and their surroundings, by making sustainable and economic use of fishing resources in the area.
The project also has the following objectives:
- Increase the ability of communities to handle fish in accordance with international standards and norms
- Strengthen community fishing associations
- Build the relevant skills to ensure sustainable management of fishing resources
- Improve regional capacity in terms of fishing-related research
Drawing on the guidelines and objectives above, the feasibility study identified the community of Irapa in Mariño municipality in Sucre State as a suitable candidate for the pilot project. While Irapa is only within the indirect zone of influence of the Plataforma Deltana field, Sucre State will be the location of a potential future LNG plant linked to the project.
Irapa also has a well functioning fishing association. Its members are well integrated into the community, and it has a higher rate of female involvement in the fishing industry than nearby communities. The benefits of the project were therefore thought to be more sustainable and more evenly distributed among community members.
The project, which started in 2006, will run until the end of 2008. If successful, the project may be replicated in other locations in the region where StatoilHydro operates.
As of December 2007, the following achievements can be noted:
- Beneficiaries: an estimated 1,500 fishermen and community members and three cooperatives.
- The development of a statistics system designed to collect, analyse and communicate statistics on fishing resources
- Improved fish processing, including hygiene standards and commercialisation
- Design plans have also been developed for the following activities, which are expected to be implemented as part of the next regional development plans for Mariño municipality:
- training centre for small-scale fishing, complete with study plans and curricula in sustainable fishing
- community sustainable fishing centre
- fish processing and smoking centre
