During the final session, several main themes which emerged from the workshop were noted. These themes are;
1. Knowledge on the composition and quantification of the bycatch
It was noted that there are limited formal shrimp bycatch monitoring systems in the Western Indian Ocean countries apart from Madagascar and South Africa. Formal monitoring has only recently commenced in the form of observer programmes in South Africa. Madagascar and Mozambique have on several occasions tried to address the bycatch problem through projects, but the efforts have not been continuous. The continuity of these activities is normally affected by staff changes, poor information management and poor accessibility to information. Quantifying the impacts of trawling on the environment requires long-term studies which may be beyond the scope of programmes such as the GEF/UNEP/FAO project. The affected countries need to put in place long-term projects that will provide information to resolve the issues associated with shrimp trawling. e.g. the effect of trawling on the ecosystems. Alternatively, bycatch surveys could be undertaken at regular intervals, say five years, to provide the required information.
2. Bycatch reduction
It was noted that the measures and efforts being taken to reduce bycatch are at different stages of development in each country. Poverty issues and food security for coastal communities, not the maintenance of ecosystem integrity, are the key issues which are driving bycatch reduction initiatives in Kenya, Madagascar and Mozambique. Initiatives to reduce bycatch in Kenya also focus on the reduction of the conflicts emanating from the acts of fish discarding. On the other hand, it could be argued that reduction of bycatch is not seen as a major requisite in Madagascar and Mozambique, given these countries' expressed desire to maximize the use of bycatch. However, countries that export shrimps have made attempts to introduce Turtle Excluder Devices in order to comply with United States' import requirements. South Africa’s focus is more comprehensive and considers the integrity of the ecosystem as well as impacts on other fisheries. The use of Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs) is already at the experimental stage in South Africa.
3. Utilization of bycatch and the socio-economic impacts of bycatch
There is a strong focus on this issue in Kenya, Mozambique and Madagascar. The latter two countries in particular are seeking to maximize the use of bycatch for poor coastal communities, and have initiated programmes to promote increased landing of bycatch.
Overlying these three themes is the issue of bycatch policy and legislation, which does not specifically form part of exisiting fisheries policies in the WIO, i.e. the policy framework for shrimp bycatch is not well defined and developed.
Workshop participants acknowledged that the interventions of agencies such as GEF and FAO in creating global projects on shrimp bycatch are very important. These projects go a long way in supporting efforts of developing countries to seek solutions to a common problem. In particular, the development of further FAO projects on shrimp bycatch in the Western Indian Ocean could assist in building on existing experience as well as developing capacity.
