WORKSHOP AGENDA ITEM 2: UTILIZATION OF BYCATCH

Utilization of shrimp bycatch
Frans Teutscher, ex-staff member, FAO Fish Utilization and Marketing Service

Introduction

Bycatch utilization is an important aspect of shrimp trawl fisheries and their management. However, bycatch can be reduced but cannot be eliminated. With present selectivity technology and management the reduction may not be more than some 30 percent at most, hence in the most favourable case the average global bycatch: shrimp ratio may be reduced from around 6:1 to around 4:1 and a trawler's daily bycatch could perhaps be reduced from around three tonnes to two tonnes. Utilization of unavoidable bycatch helps to reduce discards, adds to the income of trawler and crew, increases low-cost food supplies, creates employment and income on shore, reduces pollution, and it reduces conflict between industrial and artisanal fishermen. In fact most of the bycatch in shrimp fisheries can nowadays be considered as secondary target catch with shrimp as the primary target catch.

The introduction of selective fishing gear and selective fishing methods reduces these socio-economic benefits and therefore it is important to compensate by improving the utilization of the unavoidable bycatch. Bycatch utilization is in line with the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries because it promotes maximum socio-economic benefit of fish catches for local populations. However, quantities caught and utilized must stay well within the limits of sustainability, and therefore fishermen must follow instructions from fisheries managers with respect to catches of fish of certain species and sizes, in particular juveniles, and with respect to time and place of fishing activities.

Scientists and managers need to know all characteristics of the bycatch. This may include quantities, species, sizes, season, location, and time caught, etc. These characteristics need to be assessed regularly and it is only on the basis of these data that management including development can be pursued. The data should therefore be entered in a database to facilitate analysis.

In addition, data are required on the socio-economic aspects of the bycatch, including:

• present and potential loss of commercial species;
• present and potential contribution of bycatch to incomes of trawler and crew;
• marketability of bycatch by species and size;
• facilities onboard;
• arrangements and practices for transfer of the bycatch to shore; and
• the utilization of the products.

Socio-economic studies are usually included in the work plan of the GEF project, but practical research and development of markets for bycatch products is not included. This is however included in the FAO Regular Programme where the Fish Utilization and Marketing Service (FIIU) of FAO is responsible for promoting the utilization of low-value catches such as bycatch and small pelagics. In East Africa FIIU has assisted national institutions in Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania and Kenya to promote bycatch utilization. This has been done through studies, reports, projects, meetings, and publications. The last activity was together with KMFRI Mombasa through a Letter of Agreement between FAO and KMFRI. Probably Gerald Mwatha will report on the study but I would like to call your attention to the fact that such studies do not need to cost a lot of money and that it can help a lot to collect information, organize stakeholder consultations and help in designing fisheries policy, including management and development. FIIU collaborates with the GEF project on bycatch utilization aspects and to some extent this meeting can be regarded as a spin-off from the FIIU-KMFRI collaboration.

Reasons for bycatch utilization

In line with the objectives of the GEF project and the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries there are two reasons for utilization of bycatch:

I. An environmental reason: the main drive being to protect resources and environment through a reduction of discards. Discarded bycatch may affect the ecosystem and cause pollution of water and beaches.

II. A socio-economic reason:

• There is need to contribute to the economic performance of the shrimp trawler. Bycatch is often a secondary target contributing to the income of boat owner and crew, in particular on smaller boats without freezing facilities.

• To contribute to food security, income generation and employment. The effect on poverty reduction and food security can be significant if the bycatch is allowed to enter the traditional food systems in poor coastal areas. In some countries bycatch is used in school feeding programmes.

• Utilization of bycatch ultimately contributes to conflict resolution between artisanal fishermen and shrimp trawlers. While artisanal fisheries communities are affected by damages caused by trawlers, they benefit from access to the bycatch. Stakeholder consultations between the two groups, under supervision by fishery departments, are useful tools not only in conflict management but also in other aspects of fisheries management.

• Bycatch has the potential of polluting water and beaches. This has the potential of scaring tourists away, while traditional artisanal fish processing and marketing has a folkloristic interest for tourists. Therefore the elimination of discarding and the utilization of bycatch in traditional food systems can promote tourism.

• Utilization of bycatch can promote and sustain trade. Consumers in shrimp importing countries are becoming aware and concerned about environmental and social impacts of fisheries. Application of responsible fishing and responsible fish utilization is a wise strategy to sustain and promote trade. Traceability of fishery products should also be considered in this context.

Reasons against bycatch utilization

Owners and operators of freezer trawlers are often not interested in the possible revenues from bycatch or in the needs of crews or coastal populations. This seems to be the case of joint venture operations, in particular when trawlers make long trips of several months. Reasons brought forward against bycatch utilization include the following:

I. Theft of shrimp by the crew and other high-value species such as beche-de-mer to the coastal communities.

Comment: It happens and trawler owners know it but usually prefer to ignore it and don't want to discuss it. However, it would be better for all stakeholders, including the trawler owners, to openly discuss it. It does not occur on smaller trawlers where the captain is also the owner of the boat and therefore has good control over what happens at sea.

II. No space, capacity or time for bycatch. The crew time and facilities onboard are fully occupied by trawling operations and by the shrimp.

Comment: Indeed, shrimp trawlers are not designed to take care of low-value bycatch, but in some cases, such as recently in French Guyana, new boats may be designed with storage capacity for commercial bycatch. Perhaps it is time to rethink the design of shrimp trawlers. In other cases such as in Thailand, Cuba and Madagascar, special vessels collect both the shrimp and the bycatch at sea. And in many countries small coastal craft approach the trawlers at sea and bycatch is transferred to these vessels.

III. Quality assurance considerations; there is the argument that bycatch utilization would not be permissible for sanitary reasons. Import regulations such as those of the European Union require that food safety systems in exporting countries are equivalent to their own. This would imply that shrimp should only be handled by a trained and sanitarily controlled crew.

Comment: Such an argument is false as the EU does not (yet?) include such a requirement. However, normal good handling procedures must be applied including cleaning of the deck immediately after sorting, and storing the bycatch separately from the shrimps.

IV. It would be an incentive to catch more small fish and juveniles. The income derived from low-value. bycatch may deter fishermen from applying selective fishing technologies and management measures.

Comment: This should be managed and controlled by fisheries managers and by the companies themselves.

Examples of bycatch utilization systems

The following are some bycatch utilization systems in some selected countries:

Madagascar

In Madagascar, bycatch must be landed by law, at least 1 kg for each kg shrimp. Fresh bycatch is thus made available to coastal communities in remote areas and frozen bycatch is marketed in urban areas. In other remote areas people in small canoes scoop up discarded bycatch from the water surface. The fish enters the traditional food chain as salted, dried or smoked fish and is sold in rural and urban markets. The PNB Company in Nosy Be has an active community bycatch programme. This is the same company that collaborated with a FAO project on bycatch utilization in 1994.

Mozambique

In Mozambique, fresh unchilled bycatch is kept in heaps on the deck of the trawler. It is collected at sea by coastal communities using non-motorized small boats or canoes. The fish enters the traditional food chain: it is salted, dried or smoked in the villages and sold in rural and urban markets.

Central America

Fresh bycatch without ice is collected at sea by moralleros (bycatch collectors) using small motorized boats.

Cameroon, Nigeria and Tanzania

Selected bycatch is chilled in plastic sacks on board the trawler and collected at sea by small motorized boats and canoes. The fish enters the traditional food chain: it is salted, dried or smoked in the villages and sold in rural and urban markets.

Guyana, Suriname and Mexico

Selected bycatch is frozen in bags on board the trawler, landed in port, and marketed in urban markets through cold chains, often as low-cost fish.

Cuba

Bycatch is iced on board the trawler, landed at special collection points along the coasts from where it is collected by semi-industrial vessels. It is then landed in port and industrially processed to frozen mince, frozen fish burgers. The collector vessel also collects the shrimp catch. Trash fish is not iced, but it is also collected (by a different vessel) and then used for fishmeal.

Thailand

Shrimp bycatch is iced on board the trawler in plastic containers of 80 kg capacity that are collected at sea by a specialized vessel. The bycatch is landed in port and industrially processed to fish balls, surimi, fish sauce and fishmeal.

Trinidad

Bycatch is used to produce products for school feeding programmes.

KENYA (1)

Utilization and the socio-economic impacts of bycatch in Kenya
Jacob Ochiewo, KMFRI, Mombasa

The fishery of Malindi-Ungwana Bay in the northern Kenya coast is open access, and there are two types of fisheries in this area. The artisanal fishery depends on traditional fishing vessels, simple fishing gears and fish for subsistence, while the shrimp trawling fishery is semi-industrial. The shrimps are mostly exported while the finfish caught is sold in the local markets. Both the artisanal fishery and the semi-industrial shrimp industry aim to maximize output to improve profit.

In Kenya, part of the bycatch is retained and sold by the trawl companies in the local market, particularly fish of high commercial value. Table 1 shows the trend in catches of shrimps and retained fish in Malindi-Ungwana Bay semi-industrial shrimp fishery for the last five years, with an increase in the amount of valuable fish being retained. Between 60 and 70 percent of the total fish bycatch is discarded at sea. This normally consists of small-sized fishes, juvenile fish and shrimps, other edible crustaceans, rays and sharks. Most of the discarded fish comprises species that are valued by the artisanal fishing units and consumers. The prevailing demand in the market for these species clearly expresses the consumers’ willingness to pay for discards. However, fish discarding is still being practised by the shrimp trawlers mainly due to the following reasons:

• The trawlers have limited storage facilities on board. They prefer to maximize storage of shrimps in order to maximize profits.

• There is no policy framework and clear legislation to compel the industry to either store bycatch or facilitate the collection of discards at sea by the artisanal fishermen. Most of the bycatch is therefore discarded at sea.

• The discards fetch very low prices in the local markets and therefore there is no profit motivation for trawlers to store the bycatch.

Table 1. Annual catches from the semi-industrial shrimp fishery in Kenya.

However, the true social and environmental costs of bycatch are not reflected in the market. The social and economic impacts of bycatch are intertwined, and the bycatch has both negative and positive impacts. On the negative side, survey results in 2001 show that increased bycatch has led to decreased economic returns to local artisanal fishermen (KMFRI, unpublished data). The artisanal fishery has experienced declining catch per unit effort which the artisanal fishermen have attributed to the negative impacts of trawling on bycatch, fishing grounds, fish breeding sizes and destruction of the benthic habitat. As a consequence, heightened conflicts between the fisheries sectors have resulted. Decrease in catch per effort unit in the artisanal fishery has resulted in an increase in poverty and a decline in the ability of many fishing households to meet their basic needs. The prevailing scarcity of fish has led to changes in consumption habits. Some species that form the bulk of the bycatch such as the wolf herring and ribbonfish are now delicacies in many coastal households. Indeed, even the cooking technology has changed to accommodate those species which require special cooking methods.

On the positive side, the bycatch from shrimp trawlers has created employment opportunities for many coastal dwellers. From 2000, the shrimp trawlers started retaining more bycatch which has landed on the consumer’s table, thereby augmenting protein requirements. Retained bycatch has actually been contributing to the country’s GDP.

Apart from the people employed by the shrimp trawling firms to handle and sell bycatch, there are approximately 500 fishmongers in Mombasa who depend solely on bycatch. The number of fishmongers who depend on bycatch in Malindi is yet to be estimated. These fishmongers support some 3 000 dependants.

There is need to minimize discards. Edible fish should all be landed where it can reach the consumer. The fishing techniques are the main contributors to bycatch. Therefore, shrimp trawling technology should be improved to reduce the amount of bycatch. Reduction of bycatch will have positive ecological impacts and conflicts between the stakeholders will also be minimized.

KENYA (2)

Improved utilization of some low value fish in Kenya
Peter Odour, KMFRI, Mombasa

In the last decade, annual fish production in Kenya was approximately 180 000 tonnes. Of this, coastal fisheries accounted for about 10 000 tonnes and the prawn fishery 350 tonnes. Wastage (discards) from the prawn fishery was estimated at 1 800 tonnes per year. The consumption of fish in Kenya could be more than doubled if presently unused fish resources were brought into the human food chain. Solar dryers and low cost extruders can be exploited as one way of preserving and or processing fish mince, and used to develop some ready to eat shelf-stable products in combination with locally available staple cereals like maize, wheat, millet and other starch sources like pumpkins and cassava (Bala, 2000; Bala and Manol, 2002). An ongoing project in Kenya funded by the European Union aims at improving the utilization of low value fish including waste products by producing extruded and dried products of high nutritional and organoleptic quality in Kenya in combination with staple foods.

The parameters initially analysed were nutritional composition with emphasis on protein content, microbial characterization, fatty acid profile and oxidation during shelf storage of dried products of selected low value fish. The fish species studied included Tachysurus feliceps (Mapanga) and Trichiurus lepturus (Catfish), and the results are presented in this report.

Nutritional properties

The chemical composition of fish varies, depending on species, environment, sex and season (Huss, 1995). The protein level for the two species studied is between 20 percent and 21 percent. Protein levels for most fish range between 16 percent and 21 percent (FAO, 1995). The fish are therefore suitable for human utilization.

Microbiological analysis

Post-mortem events after fish evisceration can cause sensory deterioration, autolytic increases, microbial proliferation, rancidity development and physical changes that consequently reduce product quality.

The initial aerobic plate count of T. feliceps on skin, gut, gills was 450 cfu/10g, 90 cfu/10g and 360 cfu/10g respectively, while the Total Coliform Count (TCC) was 90 cfu/10g for skin-on fillets and 81 cfu/10g for gills. For T. lepturus the APC was 360 cfu/100g for skin-on fillets, 2700 cfu/10g in the gut and 648 cfu/10g for gills. Micro-organisms are found on all the outer regions (skin and gills) and in the intestines of newly-caught fish. The number of bacteria varies enormously, with ranges of 10² - 10⁷ cfu/cm²on the skin being considered as normal. The gills and intestines both contain between 10³ and 10⁹ cfu/g. The levels of bacteria seen in this case study are reasonable and within normal ranges. The levels of coliforms could be due to handling of the fish during processing. Studies on ambient storage with emphasis on bacterial counts, total volatile bases, and organoleptic quality score indicated that the maximum possible storage time was about 4 hr. This is important to know as post-harvest quality of fishery products has been a concern since it directly impacts on consumer satisfaction and knowledge of initial freshness is crucial as procurement conditions do vary. Both microbial and chemical changes occurring over time result in a loss of freshness followed by development of undesirable aromas and flavours (Huss, 1988).

Further biochemical characterization/chemical changes

Attempts made to study fat oxidation and microbiological changes of minced fish flesh in the solar dryer indicated that the temperature conditions in the solar dryer of up to 50°C did not allow for bacterial growth. TBARS and PV however increased in the initial stages then declined. This is probably in line with the mechanism of lipid oxidation which involves initiation, propagation and termination phases (Icekson et al., 1998; Frankel, 1991). Within a 15 day period, the shelf-keeping quality of a fish protein concentrate prepared by solar drying showed no significant difference (p<0.05) when ethanol was used as dehydrating, further defatting or deodorizing agent. The fish protein concentrate will be used to fortify the selected staple cereals.

Preliminary conclusions:

• Spoilage/rejection of all the fish occurred after about 4 hours.

• Protein levels were within ranges reported generally for fish. TVB, Microbial counts and the sensory scores show some similar trends and are useful for freshness tests. T. lepturus has a wider range of HUFA’s than T. feliceps.

• TBAR levels in solar dried fish show more definite patterns than PV. Therefore TBARS can be used as indicators of oxidation in dried fish.

MADAGASCAR

Utilization of bycatch in Madagascar
Guy Rabarison (CNRE) & Olga Andriamiseza (Ministry of Fisheries), Antananarivo

The following table summarizes studies or initiatives related to the utilization of bycatch in Madagascar.

MOZAMBIQUE

Utilization of bycatch in Mozambique
Francisco Bomba, Ministry of Fisheries, Maputo

The Mozambican shallow water shrimp fisheries are in commercial terms by far the most important, with an export of 9 000 tonnes worth US$85 million during 2001. Table 1 shows the shrimp catch by sector in recent years. As shown in the table the highest catches recorded within this period were in 2001, due to the special environmental conditions in 2000, the previous year (rain and others).

Table 1: Shallow water shrimp catches (tonnes) by trawl sector in Mozambique

All vessels in the semi-industrial fleet (using ice) land the bycatch either as frozen or as sun dried products. Most of the companies using semi-industrial vessels have processing plants where the bycatch is sold. The artisanal fishermen use and/or sell the entire bycatch fresh, sun-dried or salted. In comparison, this fishery produced more bycatch under the centralized government planning system than under the market economy system. Table 2 shows the bycatch records in the database of the Ministry of Fisheries. The figures show the lack of information for the period 1988-1995.

Table 2: bycatch quantities (tonnes) landed by trawl sector

The most critical aspects in the utilization of bycatch are:

• Lack of statistical records on the use of bycatch;

• Absence of strong measures against companies not obeying the government efforts to increase utilization of bycatch.

Not all companies have been enthusiastic in supporting government policy to land twice as much bycatch as shrimp. Particularly the companies using industrial vessels in the shrimp fishery have argued strongly and persistently that the freezing capacity on board the vessels is too small for the total catch. Since shrimp is the most valuable species in the catches, the companies prefer to use the freezers only to preserve shrimp.

The collection of bycatch in the shrimp fisheries in Mozambique is not a new phenomenon. Since the early sixties, artisanal fishermen, using dugout canoes, have collected bycatch in the high seas, through exchange of fruits and other products, with shrimp crew members of industrial vessels. Since 1982, the collection of bycatch began on an experimental basis in the northern province of Nampula using small motorized boats. The positive results of these activities were then replicated in other areas of the country. However, administrative and logistic constraints blocked the initiative and further development was interrupted. Later the fisheries sector designed a project based on the experiences gained in the experimental phase. The project was financed by the Danish Government, through DANIDA, and was implemented from 1988 to 1995. The main objective of the project was to improve the supply of food (cheap animal protein) to the poorest of the Mozambican people, through collection, processing and marketing of bycatch obtained from industrial trawlers in the shrimp fishery.

The annual bycatch in the country was estimated to be approximately 40 000 tonnes, from which the project aimed to collect 50 percent per year for human consumption. However, according to the development of the activities, the project only managed to collect 3 175 tonnes of bycatch per year, or 635 tonnes from each of a total of five collection points. Many constraints affected the implementation of the project, including:

• Technical (in the design of the motorized boats)
• Administrative (changes in the social-political system)
• Logistics

The project ceased after the defined project period, but the activities as such continued, as the collection of bycatch became a routine activity amongst artisanal fishermen. However, due to logistic problems such as limited maintenance of the engines, the fishermen continued with improved canoes and not motorized boats. As a conclusion the project found that the use of motorized boats in the collection of bycatch was very costly, and that canoes traditionally equipped with sails were the most appropriate (and economically adequate) method for the collection of bycatch. The number of canoes collecting bycatch has increased in later years because of the general increase in prices for fishing gear in Mozambique, coupled with the increase in unemployment, and because of a low degree of investment in the artisanal sub-sector. At the moment 809 canoes are involved in the collection of bycatch from the industrial fishery. According to records from 1996, the annual volume of the bycatch collection is estimated to be in the order of 7.5 - 8 000 tonnes (IDPPE, 1996).

At the moment, the Ministry of Fisheries has launched a new project called “Project for Raising the Value of Catches of the Artisanal Fishermen and the bycatch of Shrimp”. The project is funded by the Japanese Government and aims to improve the living conditions for people in the fishing communities. The idea is to support fishermen, processors and vendors to increase their revenues by improving the quality of the products caught and the bycatch collected. As the project is still in an early stage, no figures on catches or the quantity of bycatch collected is recorded within this project.

SECTOR REPRESENTATIVE PERSPECTIVE

The Kenyan trawling sector's perspective on bycatch utilization
Basta Paolo, Basta & Sons, Mombasa.

Trawler operators in Kenya admitted that bycatch and discarding of fish occurs in the prawn fishery. While some of the trawlers have adequate storage facilities, others have very limited storage facilities. Due to limited storage facilities and the need to maximize profits, discarding becomes unavoidable. However, of late there have been some efforts to minimize the amount of discard in order to minimize the conflicts arising due to the act of discarding. Currently, more of the bycatch is being stored and marketed by the trawler operators.

Trawlers in Kenya are reluctant to make bycatch freely available to fishermen. There have been several proposals to allow the local fishermen to collect the bycatch at sea but the trawler owners are opposed to this arrangement because of two prime considerations. First, the trawler operators feel that if this is allowed to take place, there is a high possibility that the crew may sell prawns and high quality fish to the artisanal fishermen, leading to loss of catch. Secondly, the trawlers have safety concerns if the operations are allowed to take place in the sea.

On marketing of the bycatch in the area where it is caught, e.g. Malindi, the trawlers reason that this would result in an overflow of the fish in the local markets and this would cause direct competition between the trawler operators and the artisanal fishermen. The argument is that if marketing of the bycatch is carried out in the local markets, it would most likely cause fish prices to plummet causing artisanal fishermen to make losses in their fish products. Due to these considerations, the trawler operators prefer marketing the bycatch in Mombasa, where there is a bigger market and higher demand for fish. The fish dealers in Malindi are therefore forced to travel to Mombasa, a distance of 120 km, to purchase trawl fish bycatch.