Netting Ideas For Fisheries Management

Times are getting tough in the Pacific we hear, and are set to get a lot tougher, according to the talk of resource degradation, climate change and population increase.

This is particularly true for coastal and island peoples, whose living resources are under heavy pressure from development, more efficient or destructive fishing methods, and the general effects of an increased population. Alongside these people-pressures, natural disasters and extreme events such as coral bleaching all combine to directly affect both plants and animals, and areas such as mangroves and coral reefs where they breed and take refuge.

We know that fish catches have reduced. This is widely reported by coastal dwellers and is a worrying sign that these pressures are taking their toll. More worrying is that the so-called "subsistence" fisheries make extremely important contributions to household food security and dietary health, and provide food that otherwise would have to be imported. In many cases people sell a portion of their catch when they can, and thus local fisheries also provide income and employment.

Intriguingly, when national or regional agencies meet to discuss fisheries it is usually tuna fisheries that receive all the attention. True, these fisheries are worth billions of dollars and handle over a million tonnes of fish, but only a minute fraction of this stays in the region. The benefits that inshore fisheries provide to the region's communities in terms of food or income are considerably larger.

So what is being done to prevent a long foretold disaster? National agencies do what they can, usually in line with the training provided by overseas experts or universities. Fisheries and environment departments set policy guidelines, rules and regulations which rely on strong government enforcement. But this is expensive and not usually available in the region's countries.

Subsistence fisheries...make important contribution to household food security and also provide income and employment.

The challenge facing these centralised fisheries management systems is highlighted by recent, highly publicised failures of major fisheries in some developed nations. In fact, in developed nations, fisheries managers are promoting "new" models of management in which the fishers' vested interest in maintaining healthy fisheries is increased by assigning them strong, or even exclusive, rights over the resource.

The idea is that if they manage the resource well, the benefits will come straight to them because they are given (or pay for) exclusive rights over areas or stocks.

Ring any bells? Indeed, coastal resources in many, if not most, areas of the Pacific were traditionally managed in this way, being based on customary systems of resource rights and relying on community governance structures for enforcement.

And sure enough, some of the most promising resource management initiatives in our region are occurring in communities, though their stories are seldom heard. Traditional knowledge and resource ownership combined with a local awareness of the need for immediate action are frequently the starting points for these community driven initiatives. But successful community initiatives such as those found in Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu are not based solely on traditional mechanisms, as communities find ways of adapting traditional practices to modern times and integrating community governance in wider national contexts.

Communities setting up local management will often, though not always, seek to complement their existing knowledge and skills by asking government and non-government organisations for advice and assistance in interpreting scientific knowledge and implementing planning processes.

Given the regional combination of predominantly rural populations dispersed over vast areas, high dependency on coastal plants and animals and poorly funded central governments, many commentators see no viable alternative to greatly increasing regional support for such community driven processes. At least that's if the holy grail of sustainable use and biodiversity conservation is to be reached.

Of course, such a wholesale policy switch will not necessarily be less expensive to implement in the short-term. However, given that the benefits of healthy coastal resources will impact the portfolios of health, employment, public works and trade ministries and not just those of fisheries and environment, it should be possible to share the cost with these sectors and in the process attain truly integrated policies. There are, of course, many challenges. However, these challenges are mainly for outsiders and so-called experts who will need to adopt substantial changes in mindset to be able to support and facilitate community processes, rather than dictate them.

Scientists will need to listen carefully to find out what information communities really need for their decision-making before allocating scarce funds to research agendas.

Policymakers will have to think hard to come up with appropriate legal frameworks, as the unique situation of the region means that few, if any, examples of appropriate policy will be found elsewhere. Governments will have to accept that empowering local communities and acknowledging their often de facto resource rights will be for the common good.

On the bright side, there is much help available. Existing experiences pioneered by communities with government and non-government organisations (NGOs) may provide many useful lessons. NGOs can help national staff develop (or rediscover) skills for working with communities and NGOs, together with regional organisations, can help at the government policy level to incorporate the aspirations of communities into national planning.

A potentially large boost would come if international environmental NGOs can be encouraged to move from their top-down, externally driven conservation agendas and place their skills and considerable resources at the disposal of communities and national organisations in support of a broader, locally determined agenda of sustainable development.

We stand on the threshold of change and the implications will be far reaching. Let's hope we choose to recognise the unique attributes of the region, such as local resource ownership and governance structures, traditional knowledge and strong communities, and incorporate these as a vital part of the way coastal resources are managed rather than obstacles to be avoided.