CEFAS23-131 Contract for data collection from ALDFG & EOLFG sources in Sri Lanka

Background: The OCPP was announced in 2021 as a key bilateral aid programme under the £500m Blue Planet Fund.

The OCPP is a UK Government-led programme delivered under the Blue Planet Fund. Through this programme, Cefas, in partnership with JNCC and MMO, provide technical assistance to support countries in tackling marine pollution, support sustainable seafood practices, and establish designated, well-managed and enforced Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Requirement: Cefas requires a successful Tenderer to organise and undertake a data collection campaign to collect data on Abandoned, Lost and otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) and End-Of-Life Fishing Gear (EOLFG) which is collected by in-country recyclers in Sri Lanka.

The campaign must cover both the monsoon and non-monsoon seasons in Sri Lanka, noting that the monsoon seasons are different dependent on the location within the country. The Tenderer should consider the monsoon seasons relevant to the place(s) where they propose work will be undertaken. Data shall be collected through the retrieval of ALDFG and/or EOLFG prior to it being either recycled, repurposed or, if no other option remains, going to disposal.

Cefas require the successful Tenderer to: • Identify the source of the fishing gear which is to be recycled, providing details on the location of collection and the amount of ALDFG/EOLFG (by weight) collected. • Provide details of the quantity of each fishing gear type, from each location, for a set time period (week/month). • Collect specific data on the fishing gear including, type of gear, mesh size, panel length, depth by number of meshes deep, weight (kg). • Collect photographic evidence of both the fishing gear collected and the resulted products produced from product recycling.

The successful Tenderer will provide a plan for the collection of ALDFG and/or EOLFG to collect data from. Cefas also require the successful Tenderer to create a plan for the recycling, repurposing, or responsible disposal of any ALDFG and/or EOLFG collected. The successful Tenderer will provide a disposal plan for any waste produced during the recycling process.

The successful Tenderer will be required to submit all data collected as part of this contract to Cefas, in an electronic format (such as excel spreadsheets), prior to the contract end date. The successful Tenderer will also be required to produce a final report, providing summary details relating to the data collected from the nets, additionally, the report should produce a breakdown of the percentage of nets recycled, repurposed, or disposed of following data collection.