In the framework of MED4EBM project (Mediterranean Forum for Applied Ecosystem-Based Management), the Lead Beneficiary, UNDP Jordan Country Office signed an agreement on Thursday August 31st 2023 with Thaghr el Ordon, Aqaba Fishermen Society جمعية الصيادين ثغر الأردن to conduct fisheries management data gathering campaign during the period September 3rd – October 2nd 2023.

The Society represents about 150 fishermen who will actively participate for the first time in collecting field data concerning marine fisheries in Jordan. Fisheries in Jordan represent a real challenge in coastal
management. They have a high heritage value and provide livelihoods to over 150 families, which gives fisheries management high priority at the official and public levels. MED4EBM Project involves two other citizen science data gathering campaigns that will run parallel to the fisheries data gathering. These also relate to high heritage value and livelihoods crafts in the coastal environment, more related to tourism: leisure and awareness diving and glass bottom boats site seeing tourism.

The agreement between UNDP Jordan Country Office and Thaghr el Ordon Aqaba Fishermen Society will result in detailed daily data on the fishing activities demonstrating fishing effort and fishing return and three data analysis reports discussing the status of fisheries based on the collected data findings. In spite of being short and compact, this initiative gains significant importance as it sets the ground and provides the necessary protocols for long term monitoring targeting better understanding of marine fisheries in Jordan that are suffering from continued shrinking due expansion of development on the limited Jordanian Coast of the Gulf of Aqaba that does not exceed 27 km.