http://www.icsf.net/ International Collective in Support of Fishworkers 2008-05-15T21:13:59+00:13 http://www.mercapesca.net/index.php?IDIOMA=ENG&MPRIN=MER&MSEC=MER.NOT&PLANA=2&ACCIO=3017 Indonesian fishermen's fuel oil consumption may exceed 60 percent of their total operational needs. The government has been rather ignoring the fate of fishermen," said Java Legislative Comissioner Fatria Rahmadi. The government has been urged to subsidize fishermen’s fuel oil, the consumption of which has been on the increase recently, member of Commission B of the Central Java Legislative Council Fatria Rahmadi said.The fishermen's fuel oil consumption may exceed 60 percent of their total operational needs. The government has been rather ignoring the fate of fishermen," he said. "Fuel oil subsidy for fishermen has now become so urgent since the government decided to withdraw kerosene supplies for conversion into liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)," he said. http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/6846/report-calls-for-expansion-of-aquaculture Aquaculture needs to expand to "help bridge the growing gap between what the capture fisheries can supply and the growing global demand for fisheries products". The demand comes from a new GESAMP (Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection) report which analyses the environmental impacts of coastal aquaculture globally. By 2050, global aquaculture needs to expand to 80 million tonnes (from its current 62.9 million tonnes) just to maintain the current level of per capita consumption the report records from an FAO report in 2004. With any human activity, zero environmental change is unattainable. The 212 page report develops the process for assessing acceptable levels of change in balance with the expected benefits. The report comes from GESAMP (Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection) Working Group on Environmental Impacts of Coastal Aquaculture in collaboration with experts of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s (ICES) Working Group on Environmental Interactions of Mariculture. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7385171.stm Nets made from a material used in the manufacture of bullet-proof armour and aircraft cockpit doors is being tested on fish farms in the United Kingdom. The trials in Sutherland and on the Western Isles are being run at a cost of £100,000. Part-funded by the Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation, the sector hopes the tougher nets will cut down on escapes of farmed fish. The Scottish Government is one of the partners in the project. Fourteen nets to contain farmed fish are involved in the trials in Badcall Bay, Scourie, and on Harris. The aim of the design is to stop damage - including marine aniamls biting through - from occurring. Last year, up to 30,000 salmon were thought to have escaped from a fish farm on the Western Isles sparking concerns among anglers about an adverse impact on wild fish. Seals were blamed for making two large holes in a salmon cage. The Association of Salmon Fishery Boards and the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland said escaped fish could jeopardise the genetic integrity and survival of wild salmon. http://allafrica.com/stories/200805140466.html President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, yesterday ordered investigation on the sharp decline of Nile perch stocks in Lake Victoria.He said the study should be jointly undertaken by experts in the Ministry of Livestock Development and Fisheries and the Vice-President's Office (Environment). The head of state said statistics indicates that fish stocks were diminishing at an alarming rate. He cited Nile perch stocks which has declined from 756,000 tonnes in February 2006 to only 375,670 tonnes last February. He blamed declined stocks to increased number of anglers and fishing vessels in the lake which have increased from 55,985 and 15,434, respectively, in 2000, to 98,015 and 29,732, respectively in 2006. Dynamite fishing practice is also to blame, said the President.He urged that the livestock and fisheries ministry to closely cooperate with its Kenyan and Ugandan counterparts to ensure that East Africa partner states were not made to import fish products, but rather benefited from surging fish prices at the world market. "The study should also look into widespread claims that some fish processing plants buy small fish below permissible sizes and process them in their factories located in the neighbouring countries.He wondered how come Tanzania with the largest share of Lake Victoria exported less fish fillet compared to the neighbouring countries. The ministry responsible for fisheries should ensure that Tanzania benefits from fish resources in the Indian Ocean, he stressed. Mr Kikwete commended Nicol for being the first fish processing plant in the lake zone to actively involve anglers in weighing their catch and paying them on the spot. http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2008/05/14/n10.html Global conservation organisation World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has identified two pirate purse seine fishing vessels that have recently docked in Malta, and are involved in the illegal bluefin tuna trade, claiming that “French, Maltese and Libyan interests are most likely related to these vessels.” The unregistered vessels, originally flagged as Bolivian, were reflagged as Libyan (using duplicate names of boats already in use) and according to WWF, set sail from Malta to plunder bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean. The European Commission this year closed the bluefin tuna fishing season earlier than usual, to allow fish stocks to recuperate. Conservation groups argue that this is not enough to save the species from extinction, and also accuse European Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg of failing to take adequate action to control illegal fishing. “How can European authorities turn a blind eye to these rogue vessels?” Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean, said. “This catastrophic fishery – which should never have been allowed to open this year – is made many times worse by the illegal fishing that is clearly continuing.” Having repeatedly requested clarification from the European Commission about these pirates, WWF and Greenpeace have submitted a formal joint expression of concern to the body tasked with managing this fishery – the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) – to inform all contracting parties of the alarming anomaly. The current fishing frenzy for bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is a relatively recent development, driven largely by the disproportionate interest in the fish by the Japanese market. Sadly for the species, the Mediterranean variety of the Atlantic bluefin tuna is prized above all other marine delicacies on account of its red meat, which is ideal for sushi. Individual hauls of bluefin tuna can therefore fetch anything up to a scarcely credible EUR15 million on the international market, making the endangered species a lucrative target for pirate fisheries. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7393138.stm A task force is to be set up to help fishermen counter the effects of rising fuel prices, the Scottish Government has announced. The government is also to pay £400,000 towards the annual maintenance costs of life rafts on every vessel in Scotland. A further £300,000 will be used to help meet the cost of the warranties vessels must pay on satellite equipment. The announcement came after a meeting between fishing unions and Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead. The Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) had said prior to the meeting that the industry had survived European quota cuts and the decommissioning of large parts of the fleet. But it warned that hard work was being undone by what it called the "crippling cost of fuel" for trawlers. The industry said that while it was not asking for direct subsidies, it would like to see the Scottish Government bring in a range of survivability measures. It also wants a level playing field with the French and Spanish fleets, which the SFF said receive assistance from their governments. Speaking after the meeting in Aberdeen, Mr Lochhead said he would be seeking a meeting with the UK Government to discuss wider issues of the impact of fuel prices. He also pledged to continue to press the European Union on subsidies, and to work with the industry to develop a fuel efficiency scheme. Mr Lochhead said: "The fishing industry and I share concerns about the serious situation facing fishermen in these times of ever increasing fuel prices. That is why I have today agreed immediate action to both address short-term issues and look for long-term solutions. The fishing industry is of vital importance to people and communities throughout Scotland. We need to make sure that we do not allow the renewed confidence that has developed in the industry over the last year to be undermined. We must work with both the UK and European Governments to help our fishermen in these difficult times. I want the task force to be radical in its thinking so we can all ensure a sustainable and profitable future for the Scottish fisheries sector." The task force will report by the end of August on steps to be taken in response to the fuel price increases and by the end of February on longer-term issues. http://allafrica.com/stories/200805140466.html The Tanzanian President, Jakaya Kikwete, has ordered investigation on the sharp decline of Nile perch stocks in Lake Victoria.He said the study should be jointly undertaken by experts in the Ministry of Livestock Development and Fisheries and the Vice-President's Office (Environment). The head of state said statistics indicates that fish stocks were diminishing at an alarming rate. He cited Nile perch stocks which has declined from 756,000 tonnes in February 2006 to only 375,670 tonnes last February. He blamed declined stocks to increased number of anglers and fishing vessels in the lake which have increased from 55,985 and 15,434, respectively, in 2000, to 98,015 and 29,732, respectively in 2006. Dynamite fishing practice is also to blame, said the President.He urged that the livestock and fisheries ministry to closely cooperate with its Kenyan and Ugandan counterparts to ensure that East Africa partner states were not made to import fish products, but rather benefited from surging fish prices at the world market. "The study should also look into widespread claims that some fish processing plants buy small fish below permissible sizes and process them in their factories located in the neighbouring countries.He wondered how come Tanzania with the largest share of Lake Victoria exported less fish fillet compared to the neighbouring countries. The ministry responsible for fisheries should ensure that Tanzania benefits from fish resources in the Indian Ocean, he stressed. Mr Kikwete commended Nicol for being the first fish processing plant in the lake zone to actively involve anglers in weighing their catch and paying them on the spot. http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20080511/117312.htm With the government of India saying its new coastal zone management (CZM) rules will come into effect at June-end, about two million people living in India's 3,200-odd coastal villages and hundreds of towns fear for their livelihoods. These are the people who harvest almost two million tonnes of fish and other marine resources every year. On May 1 the National Fishworkers' Forum (NFF) began a two-month protest march along the coast. With a 7,600-km coastline, India earns nearly Rs.5 billion a year from sea product exports, about four percent of the country's foreign exchange income. The NFF campaign is called Machhimar Adhikar Rashtriya Abhiyan (National March for Fishermen's Rights). It began from the Gujarat coast and will go along the coast before ending in Kolkata June 27. This 'save the coast - save fisheries' campaign will be followed by a march to parliament by the fishermen in July. NFF chairperson Harekrishna Debnath said: 'Special Economic Zones (SEZ), Special Tourism Zones (STZ), hazardous polluting industries and private ports are thronging along the coast in an unprecedented pace. 'The CZM notification (will) ring the death knell of the coast. To add fuel to fire, foreign fishing vessels are being brought into our waters once again.' The forum has demanded recognition of the 'inalienable traditional and customary rights of fisherpeople over coastal lands and waters'. Reacting to the CZM notification draft, the NFF has objected to SEZs, nuclear power plants, polluting and destructive projects on the coast. It has also opposed intensive aquaculture, which the CZM allows. The NFF has called for lifting of 'all bans on fishing by traditional small-scale fisherpeople using sustainable fishing gear and techniques'. It has also called for a 'regional mechanism to facilitate reciprocal access to adjacent maritime waters of neighbouring countries'. 'Fishworkers should not be made victims of maritime boundary disputes,' Debnath said, keeping in mind the disputes between Indian and Pakistani fishermen on one hand, and between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen on the other. The NFF has asked the government to 'stop foreign vessels from fishing in our waters'. http://www.icsf.net/icsf2006/jspFiles/mpa/casestudies.jsp The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has just released a set of information resources on marine protected areas (MPAs) that focus on issues ranging from the link between fisheries-based livelihoods and biodiversity to community participation in the MPA process, the social costs and benefits of MPAs, and the most appropriate way forward for livelihood-sensitive conservation. The resources comprise five SAMUDRA Monographs, a SAMUDRA Dossier and a website on MPAs that discuss the social dimensions of marine reserves. The SAMUDRA Monographs deal with MPAs in Brazil, India, Mexico, South Africa and Tanzania. They examine the legal framework for MPA design and implementation, and document and analyze the experiences and views of local communities, particularly fishing communities. They also suggest how livelihood concerns can be integrated into the MPA process by engaging local, particularly fishing, communities, as equal partners in the planning and execution stages. The SAMUDRA Monographs are available as print editions and can also be accessed free at: www.icsf.net/SU/Mon/EN/90/ALL.pdf (Brazil) www.icsf.net/SU/Mon/EN/91/ALL.pdf (India) www.icsf.net/SU/Mon/EN/92/ALL.pdf (Mexico) www.icsf.net/SU/Mon/EN/93/ALL.pdf (South Africa) www.icsf.net/SU/Mon/EN/94/ALL.pdf (Tanzania) The SAMUDRA Dossier, titled "Reserved Parking: Marine Reserves and Small-scale Fishing Communities", puts together a collection of articles from the pages of SAMUDRA Report, the triannual journal of ICSF. The articles show that conservation and livelihoods are closely intertwined, and that top-down, non-participatory models of conservation can be counter-productive. Despite being poor and powerless, fishing and coastal communities can be powerful allies in conservation efforts, given their longstanding dependence on natural resources and their traditional ecological knowledge systems. As the examples in the dossier reveal, it is possible for fishing communities to protect and conserve the environment, while continuing with sustainable fishing operations. The dossier is available in print in English, French and Spanish, and can also be accessed online at: www.icsf.net/SU/Dos/EN/96/ALL.pdf (English) www.icsf.net/SU/Dos/Fr/97/ALL.pdf (French) www.icsf.net/SU/Dos/SP/98/ALL.pdf (Spanish) The website on MPAs (www.mpa.icsf.net) provides local and traditional fishing-community perspectives on how MPAs can fit into a broader fisheries and coastal management framework. For MPAs to be useful, for both biodiversity conservation and livelihoods, the website points out, they must be set up only after taking into account the traditional resource-access rights and knowledge systems of local communities. In addition, the French version of the video film titled "The Right to Survive", which looks at turtle conservation efforts along the coast of the Indian State of Orissa, has also been released. The 37-minute film examines turtle conservation and the protection of the livelihoods of traditional fishing communities, as well as the dilemmas facing the various stakeholders, in the context of conservation through protected areas, and attempts to provide a solution for tomorrow. The video can be accessed from the ICSF site, www.icsf.net All these information resources will be useful for policymakers, researchers, fisher and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and anyone else interested in fisheries, biodiversity, conservation, livelihoods and communities. All ICSF resources can be accessed free at www.icsf.net ICSF is an international NGO that works towards the establishment of equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector. http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0513-hance_mangroves.html Weeks after the devastating cyclone Nagris struck Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta on May 2nd, scientists and the media are debating the role in the scale of the disaster played by the region's deforestation of mangroves. According to recent studies, mangrove forests act as a buffer against the effect's of tropical storms like Nagris, though scientists don't yet fully understand the relationship between storm mitigation and mangroves. Mangroves are saline coastal forests that include heavy biomasses of trees and shrubs. Such forests are essential in protecting the coastal regions they surround from erosion, but they have also been shown to help mitigate the effects of tropical storms by buffering coastal communities against hurricane-like winds and tidal surges. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the Irrawaddy Delta—where Nagris struck—lost 83 percent of its mangroves from 1924 to 1999. The deforestation of mangroves began with British colonial rule with their desire to turn Irrawaddy into one of the world's most productive sources of rice. Yet, destruction continued through the democratic republic and the military regime that now rules Myanmar. Mangroves are still destroyed for coastal development and logging. Reports have also stated that the poor of Rangoon consume mangrove forests for fuel. Four days after the disaster Surin Pitsuwan, secretary general of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), spoke about the mangrove-effect in Irrawaddy. As reported by the AFP news, Pitsuwan said that increased population in the delta led to "encroachment into the mangrove forests which used to serve as buffer between the rising tide, between big waves and storms and the residential areas... All those lands have been destroyed. Human beings are now direct victims of such natural forces." Pitsuwan was speaking in Singapore at the opening of a new center to deal with novel security issues such as climate change, new diseases, and environmental degradation. The tsunami of 2004 brought home to many the importance of mangroves. As reported by the BBC, a study conducted by the IUCN found that mangroves in Sri Lanka may have saved thousands of lives. Two people perished in the tsunami in a village protected by mangroves and other vegetation, while a nearby village, lacking mangroves, lost 6,000 people to the tsunami. Such studies have prompted nations like India and Bangladesh to implement programs of replanting mangrove forests as buffers against natural disasters. Although, Bangladesh has the highest population density in the world, it has lost only 1 percent of its total forest cover since the 1990s and has actually increased its mangrove forests. Myanmar's deforestation rate is one of the bleakest in the world, and it's not just mangroves. The military junta has increasingly pressed into Myanmar's once untouched forests for logging, particularly of teak. Much of the wood is illegally exported to China. Between 1990 and 2005 Myanmar lost 18 percent of its total forests. Many scientists see a direct connection between mangroves and their effect on mitigating the scale of storms. However the research of the connection is still young and much of it related to the 2004 tsunamis. It may be some time before scientists fully understand the full mitigation effects of mangrove, though their importance for biodiversity, erosion, and CO2 sequestering should also not discounted.