Background
The UNGA, during its fifty-third session, urged “States, relevant international organizations and regional and sub-regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements to take action, including through assistance to developing countries, to reduce bycatch, fish discards and post-harvest losses consistent with international law and relevant international instruments, including the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries” (Resolution A/RES/53/33).
The GEF Operational Programme “Integrated Land and Water Multiple Focal Area” lists as an expected outcome “the reduction of stress to the international water environment in selected parts of all five development regions across the globe through participating countries making changes in their sectoral policies, making critical investments, developing necessary programs and collaborating jointly in implementing... water resources protection measures.”
One source of stress on the marine environment which is of growing international concern is the impact from capture fisheries, hence the need to develop, promote and implement environmentally-sound technology and practices in the marine fisheries sector, so as to prevent loss of biodiversity and habitat degradation.
The GEF project on “Reduction of Environmental Impacts from Tropical Shrimp Trawling, through the Introduction of Bycatch Reduction Technologies and Change of Management” is a main-phase five year project, starting in mid-2002. The following countries are participating in the project; Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahrain and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). UNEP is the implementing agency and FAO acts as executing agency.
Expected outputs
Four principal results are expected from the Project. These are:
adoption of bycatch reduction devices by national and regional shrimp-trawling fisheries;
improved management of shrimp-trawl fisheries;
increased cooperation among countries in research on, and management of, their shrimp (and fish) resources;
better understanding of the interactions between shrimp-trawl fishing gear and the environment.
National activities
To achieve the above, the main national activities will include an assessment of the impacts of the present shrimp trawling production systems on the environment. This will involve:
collection of more precise data on catch composition;
assessment of present and potential economic value of bycatch and discards;
consideration of the introduction of alternative fishing methods and management measures;
development and/or adoption of bycatch reduction technologies;
fishing experiments with BRDs on commercial trawlers;
introduction of successful BRDs which are developed on a larger scale through training and extension, extensive information campaigns, etc.
Regional activities
To expand activities to other participating countries in the region, the coverage of studies, assessments, experimental fishing activities and commercial trials through joint activities under the lead of the first group of participating countries. Countries included here:
Global activities
These will involve mainly the FAO activities, which will include;
Coordination and management of the project;
Production of guidelines and information material on sustainable shrimp fishing technologies, including:
electronic publication on shrimp fishing methods;
inventory of bycatch reduction devices (BRDs);
inventory of legal and policy frameworks for sustainable shrimp fisheries;
directory of experts and institutions experienced in shrimp fisheries;
collation and distribution of regular annual reports (prepared by the participating countries and other collaborating institutions) about progress in their shrimp fisheries (effort, catches, bycatch problems, technology, management, etc.).
