July 9th. A new study estimates that for more than 50 years the FAO statistics have failed to show the huge volumes of fish being caught by small-scale fisheries. For example, the official catch reported by the Mozambique government to FAO suggests that each citizen is eating about 3kg of fish per year. However, when the scientists looked at the catches being made by subsistence fishing, that consumption rate rose to 9kg per capita per year. Despite this, the Mozambique government was using its reported catch to justify selling off fishing permits to European boats coming into Mozambique waters to fish for high-value shrimp, which often leads to substantial bycatch that is thrown overboard as waste fish – further depleting stocks for the local community. One of the study authors calls the situation a reverse Robin Hood story. "Instead of stealing from the rich to give to the poor, it's stealing from the poor to give to the rich." The underreporting also means that estimates of how long fish stocks can support a given country's populations may also be deeply flawed. The authors are calling on the FAO to take immediate steps to begin gathering more complete statistics. "It is far better to support small-scale fisheries to survive and protect local reefs because that brings real economic development where it is needed", said the lead author. Moreover, "Small-scale fishers are more fuel efficient and can be sustainable if reefs are protected" he concluded.
Sources
Scientific article, Nature, July 9
http://www.nature.com:80/news/2008/080709/full/news.2008.942.html?s=news_rss