7.1 Awareness campaigns
7.2 A case study - Negombo, Sri Lanka
7.3 Typical poster designs
Awareness-building among stakeholders on the need for, benefits of and mechanisms for cleaner fishery harbours is a key element of fisher harbour management to support operational practices, equipment and facilities to ensure a pollution-free harbour. Pilot projects in the BOBP region have demonstrated that the reception and disposal of garbage can easily be integrated with the municipal system with fairly low inputs. Oily wastes can also be minimized with strict enforcement of quayside regulations to prevent pumping of oily bilge water by vessels in port and by providing adequate reception facilities. However, the lack of pollution-specific rules and regulations makes harbour user support in mitigating pollution vital.
The major purpose of an awareness campaign is to influence the behaviour of harbour users since improvements cannot take place without changes in their attitudes, perceptions and behaviour. Voluntary compliance of port rules is only possible with the co-operation of harbour users. Experience has shown that co-operation occurs only when harbour users understand the benefits of sanitary practices with reference to personal health and economic gains.
For an awareness campaign to succeed, there must be communication between the harbour manager and the harbour user. This can take place through inter-personal communication, persuasive communication using an opinion leader who occupies a position of influence in the area, and mass communication between the communicator and user groups like boat operators, fish traders, suppliers and the general public who use the fishery harbour.
The first step in an awareness campaign is to understand the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the various user groups. The fishery harbour manager can take the help of fishery extension officers, social science faculties or NGOs who are working with coastal communities to conduct a stakeholder study. A careful analysis of such a study will yield clues about the right theme for the campaign; the most appropriate media and the organizational channels that are most appropriate to get the message understood. Harbour personnel responsible for implementing the campaign may need to be specially trained in inter-personal communication while making use of the material, keeping in mind that exposure to media alone may not be enough to achieve behavioural change.
The mass communication media are:
· Newspapers;
· Radio;
· Television where available;
· Exhibitions;
· Outdoor hoardings (billboards); and
· Printed material in the form of booklets, posters and stickers.
Development of communication materials should be handled by specialized agencies - either government information departments or commercial advertising agencies with inputs from the harbour manager.
7.2.1 Pollution assessment study
7.2.2 Stakeholder study
7.2.3 Development of communication materials
A pilot project on awareness-building to promote Cleaner Fishery Harbours was completed in 1997. The main elements of the project are briefly described below.
A study to assess pollution of harbour waters and the surroundings was carried out by the National Aquatic Resources Agency, Sri Lanka. The main findings were that:
· harbour waters were polluted by raw sewage and defecation by humans and animals;· boats frequently pumped out their oily bilge water in the harbour basin;
· fish offal was dumped into harbour waters as there were no facilities for collection and disposal;
· polluted harbour water is used to wash fish and the landing jetty because potable fresh water is inadequate.
The National Institute of Fisheries Training undertook a stakeholder study to understand the perceptions and behaviour of the many harbour-user groups. Some of the interesting findings are:
· Many considered that natural flushing of the lagoon by sea water was adequate to dilute and disperse the pollutants;· Fish could not be contaminated by harbour water since they were caught in the deep sea;
· Using harbour water to clean the fish imparted the fish a better taste;
· Maintaining the harbour was not a community problem but the responsibility of the municipality.
The study also recommended that radio broadcasts by the Fisheries Radio Unit, visual aids like posters, stickers and exhibitions and an illustrated booklet in story form were the most suitable media channels to create an awareness of pollution, and its problems and how to deal with them.
Radio: The media unit of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Fisheries Development was briefed about the objectives. It was agreed that the Fisheries Radio Unit would include in their regular broadcasts, informative stories about harbour pollution and how the listener can contribute to pollution abatement. In addition, special broadcasts of interviews with various stakeholders would also be made to air their views and suggestions.
Posters & stickers: Two designs were made for distribution to all stakeholders and for display at main town centres and schools at various fishery harbours.
Exhibition panels: Six exclusive panels were made highlighting different aspects of harbour pollution. Together with panels from the marine pollution unit of NARA showing marine pollution of the coastal zone and panels from the Post-Harvest Unit of NARA showing aspects of fish quality, an exhibition was held to kick-start the awareness campaign with a Cleaner Harbour Day. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Deputy Minister for Fisheries and other dignitaries including Negombo town officials.
EXHIBITION PANELS
|
Panel |
Content |
Message |
|
1 |
Location of landing centre and its contribution to the pollution load |
Lagoon's capacity to absorb pollutant is not unlimited |
|
2 |
Sanitary handing of fish, avoiding the use of harbour water to clean fish to prevent pathogen loading of fish |
Improve post-harvest fish handling |
|
3 |
Dumping of fish offal, attraction to pests and foul odour |
Collect fish offal for suitable disposal by burial, converting to fishmeal/silage |
|
4 |
Oil pollution due to oily bilge water pumping, dumping of used engine oils, and fuel leaks while bunkering |
Collect oily wastes for recycling |
|
5 |
Pollution from grey waste water, kitchen waste, garbage and plastic litter |
Keep the premises clean |
|
6 |
Better fish quality means better prices, and the lagoon is a public asset to be preserved |
Cleanliness pays |
Booklet: The perception study pointed out that comic books were very popular with fisherfolk, especially on their fishing trips and that an illustrated booklet in story form would hold their interest much more than plain printed text full of do's and dont's.
An eight-page booklet was produced with a simple story line as follows:
i. Youth from a fisherfolk family returns to Negombo from overseas, on vacationii. He is upset by the state of the fish market and the port when he goes to purchase fish;
iii. He has a vision of how to implement a pollution abatement program;
iv. A meeting of village elders is arranged where he describes how to improve the conditions and how to go about obtaining government support;
v. A plan of action is drawn;
vi. He initiates a dialogue with the municipality and other government agencies;
vii. He departs and returns after a year to find that improvements have taken place; and viii. Everyone celebrates.
AWARENESS-BUILDING MATERIALS
A sampling of BOBP awareness-building materials on cleaner fishery harbours.
An illustrated booklet, "Guidelines for cleaner fishery harbours"
7.3.1 Oily bilge water prevention
7.3.2 Wet wastes and pests
7.3.3 Solid waste collection
Origin: FAO TRAINING SERIES
Figure 64: Drawing for a poster to be displayed in fishing harbours to remind fishermen to replace leaking oil seals and to exercise care when replacing engine oil.
Leaking oil seals and oil spillage contribute to create oily bilge water which must then be treated before being returned to the sea. Although it is an offence under MARPOL to dump oily bilge water at sea, very few fishermen seem to understand the process. Invariably, most bilge water ends up in the sea.
Origin: FAO TRAINING SERIES
Figure 65: Poster to be affixed inside the port area where fish hawkers congregate to sell fish.
Although fish gutting and cleaning should be forbidden inside the harbour area, sometimes this practice cannot be helped. In order to avoid the spread of diseases which accompanies the presence of household pests, hawkers should be instructed on the proper disposal of unwanted wastes. Wet waste bins should be provided in ample quantities and placed in strategic locations.
Origin: FAO TRAINING SERIES
Posters indicating the different types of wastes catered for and the respective bins to use should be placed at the entrance to the harbour as well as in strategic locations around the port. The bins for the different wastes (non-toxic, toxic and wet wastes) should be colour-coded and suitable for the kind of waste.
