Forum global sur la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition (Forum FSN)

Dear all,

Austria would like to take part in the e- consultation concerning the  “Implementing the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small Scale Fisheries” and comment as follows:

With reference to the International Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines), Austria would like to underline that these Guidelines are an important step to secure the livelihoods for a great number of people. Although these Guidelines aim in general at the situation in developing countries they meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (FAO 1995) and support the part-time income of many fisher-families in Austria.

Austria fully supports the holistic approach to the general principles of SSF Guidelines.

Best regards,

Hedwig Wögerbauer

Head of Division III/3, OECD, FAO, Food Aid, Economic Provision

Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management

Stubenring 12, 1010 Wien

Guidelines;

We the small- scale fishing communities find ourselves in an era of exceptional economic, cultural and political upheaval, not one of happiness and success but in an environment of prejudice, alienation and inequality. We have become the prisoners of a belief that we can be fashioned at will to an ideology of that if we are industrialized, it will eradicate the poverty. Even though this creates an uncaring, corrupt, dog eats dog society, with human values an after thought. We no longer live in a communally based society but in social isolation. Global warming /climate change is spoken as the foremost issue, as if it is the only plight we face,but hides the much larger and important environmental problems that affronts the small- scale fishers, -that of pollution, over catching, economic oppression, marginalization, mass extinction of stock, dying coral reefs, unjust laws, and bad management. Food security is thus at risk because the harvesting of high value fish is mainly for export rather than for local food needs in fact Africa has become the bread basket for the rich nations and not for the needy at home. The discussion on the trade issue at the forthcoming Guidelines meeting should set importance to the trade proposals and;

 Admit that economic growth cannot be achieved if we continue  to harvest unsustainably to fuel the economy of the state.

Abandon the obsession with maximin sustainable yields but look to local sufficiency.

Change from the non- caring capitalistic complex economies that has a detrimental effect on the complex frail ecosystem and the vulnerable small- scale fisher folk.

The fluctuation of value of money that leads to high costs of fuel, material, food and taxation keeps the small- scale fishing communities forever in the jaws of impoverishment.

The introduction of the protection of human values beyond and above human rights that is being eroded by Machiavellian economic policies. 

End of part 1

Andrew Johnston,

Artisanal Fishers Association,

Republic of South Africa.

How can progress in implementing the SSF Guidelines be measured and reported in a useful way?

This post is aiming to make a contribution towards the Information and communication aspect of the article, more directly, “how can progress in implementation the SSF Guidelines be measured  and reported in a useful way?”  

Assuming that fishermen have been sensitized and understand the importance of staying in accordance with the proposed guidelines the following are thoughts in which the implementation of these guidelines can be measured. Setting up agencies in different parts of the world, which would be tasked with measuring the implementation of the guidelines by fishermen is one way of collecting data worldwide. Different parts of the world would need to pay more attention to different aspects of the guidelines. The general principle of the guidelines however remains intact. 

One way in which the measurement of the implementation can be done is having the captains of the vessels or boats make a report as to how they have abided by the guidelines provided and hand in that report to officials as they return from sea, or at least before they leave the dock. 

This process may be biased, because the captains would not want to let out any information that would tarnish their reputation and hamper their fish market. 

Another approach is to have agents at the docks and market site who would make records as to what species of fish was caught and what quantity, this would put the agents in a better position to understand where the fishers were fishing, if the stayed within their permits and the quantity would tell more about what considerations were taken when allowing for the ecosystem of the species to survive and strive. This is however, making the assumption that the agencies set up have full knowledge of the ecosystems, their whereabouts, and all other necessary information that would put them in a position to evaluate the data collected by the agents. 

Holding quarterly meetings with fishermen, ecologists and market representatives to obtain their inputs on how the implementations of the guidelines have affected them or their surroundings and to what degree they believe the guidelines are being implemented, and what are their recommendations on bettering the processes. 

These are some of the measures that can be put in place to assist in the collection of data to measure the degree of which the guidelines are being implemented and to some extent their effectiveness.

·         What are your experiences of addressing these types of challenges and what have been successful or unsuccessful strategies and approaches?

The Fishing industry in Guyana according to Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy while addressing the Fisher  Folk convention which was conducted recently at  the Guyana International Convention Centre Liliendaal, It  is an important and significant industry and contributes to the overall development of Guyana. The industry’s success can be characterized into some key indicators. These are as follows. In terms of food security he stated that fishing industry provides a relatively cheap source of animal protein in the Guyanese diet, an essential element in meeting dietary needs, in meeting the caloric intake and in meeting the balanced meal criteria.”   He further discussed the role of fishing industry in job employment in local markets and its contribution to the country’s foreign exchange rate and export levels. These are just a few to which growth in any developing country can be determined. However, there are other indicators on which success are determined.This, seeks to emphasize on the accessability , stability of pricing and ready availability of nutritious food across the populace.

Fishing existed over 1oo years ago in mostly rural areas of Guyana which resulted in a cultural fishing tradition in many households especially those of the Amerindians ethnicity  and as a form of dietary protein.  According to the Fisheries Act, the industry in the earlier days encountered operation challenges in the administrative funding due to institutional weaknesses .Thus, the industry suffered the inability to fathom growth and further strategize on data collection, policy making, implementation, and monitoring growth in the economy.

In the practical case of success in Guyana’s case was not possible and was rather stifled in the past because of miscommunication and lack of information and state failure that existed in this industry. From this point and onwards in this post our group seeks to address how these challenges were addressed through policy reforms, strategies and approaches used by government officials in accordance with the SSF guideline to rekindle the growth that was visible and continues to grow moderately in long run.

In the beginning of the late 198o the fisheries Act was reconstructed and two organizations were formed to overseer the fishing industry. These were Guyana Fisheries Limited (GFL) and Guyana Libya Fishing Company (GLFC) that dealt solely with fishing purposes. Today these organizations no longer exist and they are quite a few new organizations including the Guyana Fishing Association, Ministry of Fisheries, Crops and Livestock  (MFCL),  all under the state and with one of the main objective which is the provision of essential services  e.g. marketing information to the fishing industry. On the other hand, and similarly SSF in Guyana are viewing this industry not as just a mere family tradition and a form of income but as a widely, cheap, and nutritious form of eradicating hunger and promoting not only growth of the economy but longevity of one’s life.  Given the awareness of both parties, i.e. the government and small fishers, especially now with the state there will likely be a continuous flow of information and experiences will be transcended through these networks to facilitate the involvement of  Small Scale Fishers and implementation of the SSF in policy reforms. 

Partnering for implementation:

Small sale fisheries have the potential to contribute significantly to food security and nutrition, economic growth, poverty eradication, rural development, sustainable resource utilization, equitable development and to provide valuable employment opportunities. The economic and biological functions of fisheries are clear; what are less so is the social objectives that fisheries fulfill in their communities. The livelihood of fishing communities on a whole is sustained by the income earned from fishing and other fishing activities along that value chain, and simultaneously these activities form and influence the social structure of communities- giving communities distinct identities, certain dignities, creating and maintaining relations within the communal sphere, and so on.

To emphasize the gravity of SSFs, consider that nearly 100 million people in the world depend in some way or another on fishing as a sole means of income, making more vulnerable to food insecurity and poverty, young people and women in particular within whole vulnerable communities. The small scale fishing sector globally, and Guyana is no exception, is comprised of largely illiterate and innumerate fishers who depend on traditional fishing knowledge and techniques conduct their craft. Much thought is not given to environmental sustainability or conservation and so on. Intervention is badly needed to alleviate the poverty connected to fishing as a means of livelihood in Guyana through making fisheries more productive, environmentally sustainable, better managed with a view to improving the conditions in the communities, and more diverse.

For these reasons, there is genuine and widespread interest in securing their sustainable development altogether and doing so in a way that includes the participation of all actors in this process. The main participants have been identified as fishing communities (not simply fishermen), civil society organizations (CSOs), governments, NGOs, regional organizations, donors and international agencies. The academic world has an important role to play, as it usually does, in documenting data and information collected over the implementation process of these guidelines referred to and in providing a body of research-biological, economic, managerial- from which to access to inform decisions in this process. For instance, out of the FAO’s consultative process, faculty members from universities around the world contributed to crafting the guidelines on sustaining small scale fisheries from their research and experience.

Mr. Odusina Abbey made quite articulate contributions in his paper work on small scale fisheries, suggesting Small scale fisheries actors (at the different levels) should develop and/or strengthen SSF associations/cooperatives to contribute to the sustainable management of the resources and strengthen their voice in decision-making. To facilitate the partnerships being fostered and strengthened, organizations can play roles (and continue to play roles) as service providers, experts, capacity builders, representatives, social monitors, advocates and innovators. CSOs, for instance, have historically played a leadership role in cooperative efforts made by communities, informing, facilitating and mediating between gov’ts and donors and researchers and experts and these groups.

·         What do you think the main implementation challenges are, generally as well as in a specific country context, and how could they be overcome?

Fisheries are important contribution to food securities and poverty reduction in a variety of ways. However, there are threatening issues to the contribution of fisheries to food security.

Some countries are faced with the issue of open access systems, which often translates into overexploitation of resources (fishes). Overfishing will result in the stock of fish being depleted and the fish population’s ability to replenish itself will damage, having makings of both an economic and an ecological collapse. Sustainable management of renewable resources is necessary for the long sustainability of fisheries. Moving from an open access system to a more common property management will help in this sustainability. Common property resources are those owned by a community, without specific assignment of private property rights to individuals or firms. Common property resources can be managed traditional by use of customs or government management, through social mechanism to control the level of access to these fishing areas. Also policy responses to overuse of open-access resources include imposing licenses or quotas. If fishers must pay a license fee, this will reduce the economic incentive for crowed entries into the industry. Implementation of quotas, or catch limits will reduce the overexploitation. Government officials may decide on the quota for the entire fishery and the method of distributing these quotes. 

Another threatening problem is competing demands and access to fishing areas facing local small scale fishers. This is where large industrialize fishing boats compete with the locals fishers for fishing in the same areas, and small scale fisher are the ones to lose out. This has serious implication of food securities in the local areas. For this issue of competing among industrial and local fisher, small-scale fishers’ access rights can be protected through exclusion zones where the industrial fleets are ban from fishing in certain zones.

 Immoral waste of resources is another threatening issues facing Fishers, as a result of large by-catch. Large by-catch affects the sustainability of future fishes and thus likely to reduces the security of food for the future generation. By-catch includes juveniles of commercially valuable species, and biologically important species. The World Wide Fund for Nature estimates the fishing industry discards some 39 million tons globally, while nearly one-third of all fish stocks are considered overfished. To avoid this problem by-catch reduction devices (BRDs) should be adopted by fishers. The fishing officials/Authorities should ensure the use of these devices. If fishers are not abiding by the laws, they should be subjected to a fine and/or ban these fishers form fishing. However, BRDs may be costly for SSF to invest in; other alternatives to avoid by catch are close seasons, close areas and restricted entry.

“If you want to maintain a sustainable supply of fish you have to farm the fish, rather than mine them. So putting your money into fishing fleets that are going to exacerbate the problem by over-fishing is not the way to preserve the underlying asset.”

-Maurice Strong

In this post we would like to address the challenges and opportunities faced by small scale fisheries on a national and local level.

Small scale fishers face many challenges; which severely threaten their livelihood and sustainability due to their vulnerability as a result of utilizing primitive, labour intensive methods. Some of these challenges are:

1. Pollution: sewage, plastics, oil spills and other waste that contaminate the water lie closer to the shores. Since small scale fishers do not possess the necessary technology to fish away from the shores, as large scale fishers, they are unable to benefit from cleaner, fresher waters.
2. Over exploitation of the fish resources and destructive fishing methods by the large scale fisheries: overexploitation of a scarce resource; such as the fish stock, can have detrimental effects on not only small scale fishers, but also other stakeholders.
3. Globalization: even though globalization is necessary for a country to achieve economic growth, this phenomenon can impose disadvantage to local small scale fisheries. This is so because the added competition of foreign large and small scale fisheries can force local small scale fisheries to withdraw from the industry, thus making them worst off.
4. Access to markets: small scale fisheries are usually found in small rural communities. As a result, the sale of their catch is usually restricted to their own subsistence use and the community use; since it may not be feasible to even consider a bigger market such as other vicinities locally because of storage and transportation costs.
5. Deprivation of Land: small scale fisheries do not have access to the same amount and quality of sea and river locations as large scale farmers because of financial and other constraints.

Those are just some of the main challenges faced by the SSF, which directly and indirectly threaten their sustainability. This sector should therefore be protected and given preference in order to prevent any further increase in poverty.

Opportunities for SSF are seldom self-initiated due to financial constraints and lack of skilled labour. However, opportunities can arise from government intervention; such as: subsidies, price ceilings, easy credit, informative workshops and protection of local SSF from the added competition of the international market.

A major opportunity that the government can pursue in order to benefit SSF is to facilitate ‘fish farming’; which addresses the issues of their inability to venture out on sea and over exploitation of the fish stock. Fish farming is basically a technique whereby fish is reared in a tank under controlled conditions. This method will not deplete the fish stock in the sea, nor will it destroy the environment. In addition, fish farming alleviates some of the risks and insecurities that SSF have on sea. However, introducing this technique to SSF will require three major actions from the government:

1. Educating and training the SSF.
2. Provision of subsidies and easy credit to launch this initiative.
3. Monitoring the transition of SSF to this new method.

Fish farming, once initiated, creates many opportunities for SSF simply by being able to provide fish to a larger market. This approach, as ‘small’ as it might seem, will help to sustain SSF; as well as provide a closer step to achieve food security.

Sources:

1.  FAO: Strategies for Increasing the Contribution of Small-Scale Capture Fisheries to Food Security and Poverty Alleviation In The WECAFC Region ftp://ftp.fao.org/fi/document/wecafc/11thsess/WECAFCXI_4E.pdf
2. Fábio H. V. Hazin D.Sc (Year Unknown) The Sixth Meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process On Oceans and the Law of the Sea- Fisheries and their Contribution to Sustainable Development: Small Scale and Artisanal Fishing.

For the implementation of SSF guidelines there is the need for engagement and partnership along different organisations, institutions and actors. Co operation and dedication to the task will make this venture one of success. Every organisation, institution and actors have different roles to play in the enhancement of the SSF guidelines. Fishing communities, CSOs, academic institutions, NGOs, governments, regional organizations, donors and international agencies and organizations all have a part to play in the implementation of these guidelines.

Fishing communities play a pivotal role in the implementation of the SSF guidelines. Fishing communities are mostly located in rural areas. Hence, these communities make the fishing industry function because they provide the supply of fishes based on average demand for fish. Urban communities would buy fish from these communities or buy the rural workers through higher wages to so they will migrate to the urban areas to expand their fishing industry. While, on the other hand academic institutions can be more vocal through the media and through their teaching methods empowering students to be stewards advocating nutrients content and benefits given by fish when consumed.

Therefore, to make the SSF guidelines effective and efficient funds are necessary. This is where the CSOs, NGOs, government, regional organisation, donors and international agencies can function. The fishing industry would have to be enhanced for food security and these organisation can lend their support financially and also in giving their inputs/contributions to the SSF guidelines.

With the help of the different organisations, institutions and actors can make the SSF guidelines an actuality.

Information and communication with regards to securing sustainable small scale fisheries:

First of all, small scale fisheries are businesses that involve mostly labour intensive technology to harvest, process and distribute fishes that were caught in rivers close to the shores of the country. Small scale fishers are members of households constrained by lack of sufficient financial resources, necessary human capital (skills) and equipment. As a result, they compete with large scale fishing companies, at a disadvantage of course, which are privileged with adequate resources such as; finances, information and technology.

Therefore, large scale fishing tends to increase the supply of fish in the market and thus results in a reduction in the price. Hence, inter- industry competition occurs where large scale fishing companies acquire economies of scale; which eventually eliminates small scale fisheries since they are unable to profitably compete in this market.

In order to sustain small scale fishing ventures, relevant programmes must be established. For instance, small scale fishers should be educated with regards to the overall operations and components of the fishing industry; which would inform them about the economic aspects of the market such as the demand and supply of fish. Also, fishers would learn of the theory of ‘price takers’ and its implication; in addition to other relevant information which would facilitate a clearer understanding of their industry. Such programmes could be implemented through workshops facilitated by the Government, Civil Society or the Private Sector.

Other approaches to sustain small scale fishing operations could comprise of easy (or easier) access to credit which would be used to purchase equipment and thus reduce the technology gap between small scale and large scale fishers. In addition, subsidized training should be provided to educate small scale fisheries about the operations of modern technology. Also, subsidized transportation and storage facilities should be enacted in order to enable access to the market. And finally, Government should implement an appropriate price floor (a minimum price that can be charged for the catch); which will act as protection for small scale fisheries from price competition of large scale fisheries.  

Therefore, educating small scale fisheries, as well as providing information on new technology and developments in the industry, can empower them in terms of making them feel more involved, less intimidated and hopefully more successful.

Source: FAO: Strategies for Increasing the Contribution of Small-Scale Capture Fisheries to Food Security and Poverty Alleviation In The WECAFC Region

ftp://ftp.fao.org/fi/document/wecafc/11thsess/WECAFCXI_4E.pdf

In this post we seek to address the question "What best practices with regard to communication would you recommend for SSF Guidelines implementation at local, national, regional and global level?" from the perspective of Guyana and the Caribbean.

Guyana’s fishing industry sustains a small portion of the population’s livelihood by the provision of employment and as a major income earning economic activity. It contributes an approximation of 3% to the country’s gross domestic product. Fish consumption is an important source of protein in one’s diet especially in Guyana with an average of 57 kg per capita in 2011. Ensuring sustainability in the fish industry is therefore of prime importance in all areas thereby ensuring food security. The prawns industry for example failed in the 1990s due to overfishing.  The focus hereon examines how communication practices between the fishing industry and fishery organisations and the government can forester growth at local, national, regional, and global level.

The fishing industry mostly operates on commercialized basis and a traditional one as well in which the small scale fishers are involved. Aquaculture farming also plays a significant part in its contribution to the overall fish production in the country. It was noted that the fish industry continues to expand with revenues amounting to $24M in 2012 compared with $7M in 2011.[1] Even though this seems to be a significant improvement, these fishers are often left without a voice. Communication should thus be enhanced so as to maintain the fishing practices that these fishers undertake, to address problems encountered and to ensure that fishing legislations are made aware to and adhered by all fishers involved in the industry. For the SSF guidelines to be effectively implemented the various current fishing organisations should performing their responsibilities. The Ministry of Agriculture stated that the Fisheries Department maintains sustainable fishing levels of seabob resources by collaborative efforts with the Guyana Association of Trawler Owners and Seafood Processors (GATOSP).  Communication via such an organisation in developing countries on the local level and national levels as a whole ensures that small scale fisheries are monitored thereby securing a sustainable fish population for future protein consumption. These organisations can easily monitor the amount of fishery resources being caught and prevents any wastage in resources. As such, fishers are less likely to encounter problems of overfishing and thus secure their livelihood.

Maintaining food security in the region is also key importance in the regional, i.e. the Caribbean region, and global levels. In the Caribbean communication practices among nations is done for example through the establishment of the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organisations (CNFO). This body aimed to create a network by having countries establish national fisherfolk organisations (NFO) within their country. These NFOs will strengthen the institutional capacities of fisherfolk organisations within countries and ensure proper management of the fishing industry within the country is undertaken.[2] The CNFO acting as an overseer will further ensure that communication of relevant information is done through the respective NFO networks. The Caribbean as a whole is dependent on the fishery sector for their food security and nutrition needs and contributes an average of 7% of some country’s GDP.[3] Thus with the NFOs, small scale fisheries throughout the Caribbean will be better managed and information in relation to new technologies for example will be circulated throughout the region and enhance the development of small fishers in the entire region. Similar practices can be implemented on the global level.