27. The workshop was held in the Fiesta Hotel in Puntareņas. The main working language was English, but with an English-Spanish simultaneous interpretation. The List of Participants is shown in Appendix 2b.
28. Colombia has shrimp fisheries on both sides of the country on the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts. On the Pacific coast operates 115 units, mainly small boats, 70% of them operating in coastal areas (where artisanal fishers also exploit shrimp and fish resources with other small meshed fishing gear). In 1996, 4 139 tons of shrimp were caught on the Pacific side. At the same time the Pacific fishery is developing quickly, it is estimated that the shrimp resources are over-exploited. Recent progress in technology has lead to diversification of the fishing effort toward deeper shrimp species. Regarding bycatch, the estimate would be 14 664 tons of incidental catch (out of which many juveniles). Normally this bycatch is kept for the local market and in many fishing companies these are sold as a bonus for crewmembers. On the Caribbean coast the fleet consists of various sizes of vessels, but more than half are larger trawlers. The shrimp caught in the Caribbean in 1996 was 916 tons and it is estimated that the shrimp resource is over-exploited. The fishery is decreasing seriously in terms of catch. The bycatch on the Atlantic side would be almost 9 868 tons. It is indicated that 4 kg of bycatch is discarded for every kilogramme of shrimp.
29. Costa Rica has 73 trawlers ("Florida type" with outriggers) that operate on the Pacific side of the country. The annual shrimp catch amounts to approximately 2 000 tonnes. The estimate is a total amount of bycatch of 3 000 t/year, of which around 2 400 t are discarded. There would be around 7.5 kg of bycatch for 1 kg of shrimp. When fishing in coastal waters the use of a Turtle Excluder Device (TED) is mandatory in shallower waters less than 80 fathoms. A Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) exists. High discard rates, particularly of juveniles and overfishing of the resources in general, are reported
30. Cuba has a fleet of 51 fishing vessels involved in shrimp trawling activities, fishing mainly at night and 14 support vessels, which ensure a daily transfer of shrimp and incidental catch to the ports. The annual catch of shrimp is 2000 tonnes in addition to 11 000 tonnes of fish in a combined trawl fishery. The average trawl catch in recent years is close to 6 to 8 kg of fish for 1 kg of shrimp. There is no discard: approximately 22% of the non-shrimp catch are landed for human consumption, the rest is reduced to fishmeal or silage for animal consumption. The shrimp fishing grounds are well demarcated and there are fishing closures during recruitment seasons and other regulations exist for reducing fishing effort and the protection of areas with a known high density of juveniles or large quantities of small size fish.
31. Trinidad & Tobago has a fleet of 126 vessels, of which 19 are industrial trawlers (in 1998) operating, according to existing regulation, offshore in deeper waters while smaller boats fish in more coastal waters. The annual landings of shrimp (several species mixed) are around 1 000 tonnes. A significant quantity of finfish, squid and crabs are caught as bycatch (certain species of finfish may be targeted according to market demand, or during the wet season when shrimp abundance decreases). According to estimates, the small trawlers discard almost all the bycatch, while larger industrial or semi-industrial trawlers normally keep around 40 % of their bycatch on board. In order to conform with US requirements for shrimp exporting nations, the large trawlers carry Turtle Exclusion Devices (TEDs) on board (The local Fishery Authorities give high priority to the development and introduction of a combined turtle and fish excluder). Existing regulations require a different size of mesh according to whether the trawler targets shrimp or fish. A major concern is overfishing and capture of juvenile (prespawning) shrimp. A conflict exists between trawling and other fishing methods (gillnets, pots, demersal longlining, and handlines), because artisanal fishers blame the trawlers for the depletion of the demersal fish stocks.
32. Venezuela has a fleet of 351 trawlers. In 1997, the landings of the shrimp trawlers amounted to 3 665 tonnes of shrimp and almost 20,000 tonnes of fish. The trawl fishery is a combined fishery for shrimp, molluscs and fish. The shrimp component represents between 2.5 and 6% of the general catch. Of the additional catch, 30-35% is normally landed, the remaining 60-65% (mainly fish, with an estimated 80% of juveniles from species of commercial interest) is discarded. In principle, Turtles Excluder Devices are used on board industrial trawlers (however, significant losses of fish and shrimp are reported). For administrative purposes, the fishing grounds are demarcated into zones with a portion of the fleets authorized to fish in each of them. Technological research has been carried out for a number of years to reduce the discards and assess the impact of the use of excluder devices fixed on the net. In addition, regular surveys are carried out to estimate the amount of by-catch produced by the vessels, its composition, size structure, and geographical distribution. Concern is expressed for overexploitation of shrimp resources, particularly in coastal areas, and capture of juvenile fish.
33. The shrimp fishing fleet of Mexico consisted (in 1996) in 2260 registred units (but only 1847 in activity), of which 1475 on the Pacific side and 785 in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbea. For the 1994/1995, there were around 1,200 shrimpers in activity on the Pacific side and around 600 in activity in the Gulf of Mexico. Shrimp vessel are 21 - 27 m long, the most common is around 23 m long with more than 20 tons capacity for an authonomy of 14 to 30 days. The fleet is relativly old, with an average age of the vessels of 17-19 year. In coastal waters smaller boats are used (fiberglass or wooden) on both sides, 5 to 15 m long The shrimp production is (in 1996) around 79,000 tons (around 5 % of the total fish production); its value is estimated to US$ almost US$ 300,000 million. 72% are from the Pacific side and 25 % are from the Gulf of Mexico, The industrial shrimp fishery produces (in 1996) around 39,000 tons. Repartition of the production from industrial sector: (in 1996): Sinaloa, 25.5%; Sonora, 23.6; Tamaulipas, 17.5; Campeche, 13.4 The average production per vessel would be around 15.8 ton of beheaded shrimp on the Pacific side and 18.5 ton in the Gulf of Mexico. TED was made mandatory in 1994 in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbea, in 1996 for the Pacific side.
34. In addition to the standard introduction to the discussion about possible elements to be included in a main phase project by FAO (see Introduction) two presentation were given: "Shrimp bycatch, discards and utilization" (F. Teutscher, FAO) and "the factors affecting the strategy of fishing fleets, in general, those involved in shrimp fisheries, in particular, and proper management taking into account uncertainties and "externalities" (Dr. Juan Carlos Seijo, invited expert).
35. It is observed that in most of the countries of the region, the overall catch of shrimp are levelling out or, in places, even decreasing, while the overall catch of "bycatch" is increasing.
36. The reason for the decrease of shrimp catch is not certain but could result from environmental factors combined with some over-exploitation. The increased bycatch can, to a certain extent, result from the fact that more bycatch is kept and therefore also appears in the official statistics.
37. The increased exploitation of bycatch and the development of market for such products, is mainly explained by the reduced catch of the target shrimps and an increasing demand of cheap fish products. The overall result of the above mentioned changes is that the former shrimp fisheries are practically becoming now more multi-species fisheries.
38. The shrimp catches also consists of smaller sized shrimp than previously, either small individuals of traditional large offshore shrimp or new smaller shrimp species from coastal waters.The problem is that separating small shrimp from fish could be difficult.
39. In general, there is serious lack of the necessary biological data concerning the fish stocks exploited, ecosystems and environmental factors (the last being assumed to be of particular importance in the sub-region of the Guyana-Brazil continental shelf). Efforts to reduce the uncertainties in this field should be given high priority.
40. It is observed that in most of the countries the bycatch from artisanal fisheries is very large, and discarding are often higher than in the industrial sector. Consequently, development of bycatch reduction technology should focus first on artisanal fisheries. However, the artisanal sector should be better documented.
41. A lack of proper organization of the artisanal sector is observed in several countries.
42. Fishermen participation is considered, in general, as crucial and even a pre-requisite for the introduction of any change within the industry. In this connection, the national or local professional organizations, where existing (such as the National Committee in Venezuela) should be strenghtened, as well as structure for extension. It was also stated that when any contribution or information is required from industry (or any stakeholder), it is very important that the "contributor" get a feedback in return (regarding how his contribution or the information was used and any results from it).
43. In many cases, technology transfer is suitable and well appropriate. However, in most cases, adjustments of the technology are necessary (i.e. Mexican Bycatch Reduction Technology which was developed for a sandy bottom should, for introduction to fishing grounds of Venezuela, be adapted for a very soft muddy bottom).
44. In general, the situation varies much, in many aspects, from country to country. It is necessary, before starting a programme, to properly assess the situation in an individual country (as done with, as a first step, the preparation of detailed National Reports in each of the participating countries).
45. Concerning biological aspect, it is worth mentioning that mid-term perspectives considering the potential impact on the ecosystem are important regarding the intensive exploitation of small fish: in this respect, an acceptable compromise should be found between the value, in terms of food and money, expected from the marketing of bycatch and the possible medium-term impact on resources.
46. Regarding the development of bycatch reduction technology, the difficulty to combine on a trawl the imposed TED and, in addition, a new BRD (Bycatch Reduction Device), was pointed out by several participants (and poor results were reported in this respect: loss of fish (often large) and shrimp). With TEDs only after they were imposed, a loss of shrimp was observed.
47. In general, technological research for bycatch reduction is pretty well advanced in Mexico (in spite of the fact that the concerned industry does not seem very keen about any change!).
48. In this respect, the participants indicated that, in general, the shrimp fishing industry, is not very keen to reduce bycatch.
49. The degree of bycatch utilization varies much from country to country: very high in Cuba, low in Mexico. In this respect, it is worth mentioning that the situation in a given country should not, in any way, be taken, as such, as a model since the socio-economic situations may greatly differ.
50. In several countries the local fish markets are, to a certain extent, flooded with low value bycatch (i.e. Venezuela).
51. In Guyana, the fishery authorities require vessels to land 4000 lb per trip of by-catch to fulfil the increasing demand of fish food from the local population.
52. The value addition of the bycatch, including through technological transfer, should be considered.
53. It was pointed out by participants that the increased marketing of bycatch, in general, creates a risk for the existing local fish market.
54. At the end of the second day of the workshop, the participants started having more in-depth discussion regarding the various activities they consider would be important to include in the Main-Phase Project. Table 2 summarizes the suggestions/recommendations prepared by separate sub-groups, each of them elaborating on specific subjects they chose. (The table has been modified to harmonise it with the outcome of the other workshops.)
55. Regarding the overall process, the present phase of project development, as well as the execution of the larger project which may result from it, the crucial role of the FAO Regional Office was underlined to ensure proper coordination of the activities and related programmes carried out in the countries.
56. The representative from GEF stated that cash contributions as co-funding are required. This along with well-defined in-kind country contributions may be sufficient from the countries willing to be involved. In this connection, it was observed that a countries may be able to contribute from national budgets to national programmes more easily than to a regional one.
57. The participants insisted that the process be placed on fast forward. In this regard, they would like a preliminary draft proposal which would provide the context for discussions with the stakeholders in their respective countries and in seeking the participation and inputs of government and industry.
Table 2 Identified problems and proposed activities to be included in the main phase project for the Caribbean and Latin American region
Problem |
Impact |
Project activities |
Output |
Groups involved |
Implementing/funding agency |
I. Lack of information about bycatch level, species composition and discard level |
- Impossible to access the magnitude of the problem
|
- Observer training
|
- Basic information required evaluation impact of a change of fishing practice.
|
- Fishing industry
|
National government
|
II. Bycatch and discarding of fish, particularly juvenile food fish |
- Wastage of fish as food
|
-Develop suitable BRDs for all sizes of trawlers
|
- Reduced capture of juvenile fish
|
- Fishing industry
|
National government
|
III. Improper management aimed to reduce unwanted bycatch |
- Bycatch fishing practice continues
|
- Bio-economic as social analysis of management of industrial and artisanal fleets
|
- Strategies for implementation of more responsible management options |
- Fishing industry
|
National government
|
IV. Possible damage of bottom habitats from trawling activities |
- Possible alteration of biodiveristy |
- Training and information |
- Awareness of any problems related to damage of bottom habitats |
- Fishing industry
|
National government
|
