17 October 2011
Give Fishers a Break, Says Researcher
Demonising fishermen does not help protect fisheries, a leading scientist will tell the “Coral Reefs: Coast to Coast” symposium held at Fremantle on Friday.
“The fishing trade is of huge importance to the livelihoods of many communities in the coastal parts of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia,” Dr Mike Fabinyi of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University says.
“The world may be threatened by a possible collapse of fisheries and destruction of coral reefs, but fishing communities are under constant, daily pressure to feed their families and send their kids to school,” he says.
“Many local fishers in Southeast Asia survive at a subsistence level and are battling poverty,” he says. “Although they are well aware that heavy fishing pressure can lead to lower catches, in many locations they have few other ways to earn an income - so fishing is their only viable livelihood.
“Their urgent need to achieve decent living conditions often outweighs their concerns for ocean life.”
Dr Fabinyi’s research in Palawan, the Philippines, has revealed an increase in the importance of the live reef fish trade for local fishers over the last decade. The increasing demand from affluent consumers in China for live reef fish such as coral trout and other types of groupers has driven up the price of these species dramatically.
“The global trade in live reef fish is worth around $2 billion. A good-sized coral trout can bring a fisherman over $50 a kilogram. As demand increases it is natural that more people will turn to the live fish trade for their income.
“Some groups blame fishers for lacking far-sightedness and for not regulating their fisheries effectively, but these communities are concerned chiefly with putting daily food on the table, improving their living standards, obtaining healthcare and paying for their children’s education.”
Government policymakers, environmental groups and society generally need to be aware of the different priorities of local fishing communities - because reforms aimed at controlling fishing activities will be hard to implement without local support, he says.
“Current attempts at local regulation of the live fish trade are failing because local people are often opposed to measures that would heavily restrict their incomes.
“Poor people will find a way to obtain income from live reef fishing regardless of what the laws say.
“There is likely to be ongoing market demand for live reef fish products and, while an intensive trade can damage the marine environment, the solutions will most likely involve making hard choices about livelihoods and coral reefs. Instead of assuming that we can find win-win solutions, we should be focusing instead on identifying potential trade-offs that might need to take place between promoting better livelihoods for fishers, and better protection of fish stocks and coral reefs.”
Dr Fabinyi will deliver his presentation at 1.30pm on October 21, 2011. Coral Reefs: Coast to Coast is being held at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle on 20-21 October 2011. Media are welcome to attend.
More information:
Dr Mike Fabinyi, CoECRS and JCU, ph +61 (0)7 4781 6358 or 0404 471 399
Jenny Lappin, CoECRS, ph +61 (0)7 4781 4222 or 0417 741 638
Jim O’Brien, James Cook University Media Office, +61 (0)7 4781 4822 or 0418 892449
Mandy Thoo, CoECRS media, 0402 544 391
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies are proud sponsors of the 12th International Coral Reef Symposium, Cairns: 9-13 July 2012.
