Global Directions in Bycatch Management - Challenges for the Southeast Asia -

1. Global Directions in Bycatch Management- Challenges for the Southeast Asia - Petri Suuronen FAO, Fishing Operations and Technology Service (FIRO) CTFF Bali, June 15-17 2010

2. Bycatch – What is it? • Much confusion and misunderstanding: • No single definition! • Fish – Juveniles - Turtles – Seabirds - Marine mammals • 2. Economic dimension: • ‘Trash fish’ a major component of catch in many fisheries  increasingly used as animal feed • Food supply, livelihood, employment, income • 3. User conflicts: • Bycatch is lost yield to somebody! • Ethical/moral issues: • Wasteful usage of natural resources.

3. Bycatch and discards quantities 27 mil. t • FAO 1994 “The Alverson Report” • FAO 1998 “FAO SOFIA” • FAO 2005 “The Kelleher Report” Bycatch + Discards 20 mil. t Bycatch + Discards 7.3 mil. t Discards

4. Discarded global catch has reduced: • More selective fishing! • Improved management and enforcement actions! • Increased utilization of ‘bycatch’ species. • Decline of some fisheries having high bycatch rates.

5. Why worry? • Because high levels of bycatch and discards still exist in many fisheries! • Because many fisheries in high-biodiversity ecosystems produces large quantities of low value fish! • ‘bycatch’, ‘trash fish’ • include juveniles of ecologically important and economically valuable species • Because bycatch may represent a significant unaccounted source of fishing mortality!

6. Bycatch – a broad problem • In many fisheries the juvenile fish are increasingly targeted and landed! • There is growing concern that excessive bycatch is: • threatening the long-term sustainability of many fisheries, • decreasing food security, and • negatively affecting the livelihoods of millions of fishers and fishworkers that depend on fish resources. • Bycatch may also has significant broader impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity.

7. Classical symptoms of fishery failures Lost yield due to overfishing and illegal fishing Poor economic performance Great government subsidies Increasing conflicts among user groups Lost yield due to bycatch and discarding Catches consisting increasingly of juveniles Fishing causing excessive pressure on ecosystem

8. “Fishing down the food chain” PAST PRESENT FUTURE? Source: Pauly et al. Science, 1998

9. Challenges in managing bycatch (I) • Time series data on bycatch often not available - amount of bycatch often not known • Overall impacts of bycatch poorly known on: • Resources - ecosystems • Livelihoods - Income • Nutrition - Consumption • Conflicts • Where, when and why is ‘bycatch’ a problem? • What is the acceptable level of bycatch?

10. Challenges in managing bycatch (II) • Major gaps in the current regimes to manage bycatch. • Adoption of mitigation measures heavily constrained by: • Political will • Economic incentives • Poor awareness • Financial and human resources • What are the priority issues that should be addressed in various fisheries?

11. International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards 1 The Guidelines will provide: • Guidance on how bycatch can be integrated in resource management • The framework for actions at national and regional level 1The 28th session of COFI (2009) agreed FAO to develop these Guidelines through Expert Consultation and Technical Consultation

12. Expert Consultation:‘Bycatch’ is the catch that a fisher • did not intend to catch • did not want to catch • did not choose to use, or • which should not be caught for whatever reason

13. Main elements of InternationalGuidelines • Governance and institutional frameworks • Bycatch management plans • Data collection, reporting and assessment; • Monitoring control and surveillance (MCS) • Research and development on bycatch mitigation and discard reduction technologies  identification of best practices • Awareness, communication and capacity building • Special requirements of developing States

14. Tools to manage bycatch and discards • Capacity and effort controls • Measures relating to fishing gear design and their use • size and type of mesh, hook; BRDs, TEDs, SMPs, etc. • technologies to reduce encounters and to increase survival probability • alternative fishing gears and practices • Spatial and temporal closures • closed areas and seasons, MPAs, real-time closures, fishing gear bans, etc. • Limits on bycatch • bycatch quotas, no-discard regimes, etc • Economic incentives – facilitation of the uptake • market-based tools (increasingly important)

15. Performance of measures - case specific • A few universal solutions exist • real drivers have to be identified • fisheries based solutions are needed. • The interests and possibilities of different fleets vary considerably. • Adoption of selective techniques may mean loss of income (in the short term at least). • Incentives are needed to encourage fishers uptake of measures! • what are the benefits and who will get them? • Costs associated with implementation and enforcement vary considerably.

16. Potential benefits to reduce bycatch improved productive potential of fish stocks improved yields in the future larger size of fish, better price positive public attitude (image) better business opportunities reduction of operational costs reduced fuel cost reduced sorting time of catch improved catch quality

17. Special concerns related to SE Asia • Ambitious objectives to address • Widespread Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported fishing (IUU) • Highly migratory species (= management scenarios extend beyond the area) • Endangered marine species • A large area to cover • Conservation measures are vulnerable to ‘outside forces’ • Measures are undermined by mobile fishing capacity and open access • How to ensure stakeholder involvement? • Balance between environmental well-being & human well-being? • Rights & equity & food security

18. No clear strategy on how to • Combating IUU • IUU fishing often undertaken by countries outside of the region • Managing excessive fishing capacity (a driver of IUU) • Monitoring control and surveillance (MCS) • Vessel monitoring systems (VMS) • Developing fishing vessel registers • Port State Measures (to close ports and markets to IUU fish) • Use market measures, certification schemes and ecolabelling • substantial part of markets lie outside of the region • Regional agreements to address the issues • Broad regional level action is required to “cement” together the national activities • Linkages to Regional Fisheries Management Organizations

19. Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries • Fisheries do not exist in isolation - fish stocks are elements of an ecosystem • Increasing awareness of the importance of various interactions in marine ecosystems • Recognition of a wide range of societal interests in marine ecosystems • Poor performance of current management practices

20. Strong co-operation needed • We are all working towards the same goal • There are no easy solutions • Collaboration with all partners is needed • Engagement of private sector to participate in developing and adopting best practices is crucial

21. Thank you!