Report of the Second Workshop on The Biology and Conservation of ...

The group agreed that this set <strong>of</strong> terms has meritbut recognized that <strong>the</strong> term “by-catch” is firmlyestablished in international fishery and conservationcircles and <strong>the</strong>refore must be used per force, withappropriate qualifications as outlined above.The concept <strong>of</strong> “destructive fishing practices” orDFP may deserve to be broadened beyond its usualmeaning, which relates primarily to damage tohabitat (e.g., use <strong>of</strong> explosives, poisoning, bottomtrawling). Extremely unselective or intensivefishing (e.g., wall-to-wall driftnets, using high-techequipment to locate productive sites for “attack”with small-mesh netting) may cause direct harm to<strong>the</strong> integrity <strong>of</strong> ecosystems and <strong>the</strong>refore qualifyas destructive. It <strong>the</strong>refore may be appropriate toincorporate <strong>the</strong> term “destructive fishing practices”into legislation and management policy.It is important to differentiate between overexploitedfisheries and destructive fishingpractices, as <strong>the</strong>y are not <strong>the</strong> same. The firstis related to fishing capacity and intensity,or too many fishermen chasing after too fewfish. The latter is a particular practice thathas an unacceptable environmental impact,wherever and whenever it is pursued. WithDFP, very few practitioners can cause majorenvironmental damage and <strong>the</strong> collapse <strong>of</strong>fisheries stocks. Hence, DFP are highlyunsustainable. For example, by reef-blastinga major grouper spawning aggregation, a fewlocal fishermen can devastate crucial habitatsand decimate <strong>the</strong> marine resources <strong>of</strong> a muchwider geographical region.The term “indiscriminate” may be a usefulalternative to “destructive.”In SE Asia, fisheries are <strong>of</strong>ten characterized asIUU—illegal, undocumented, and unregulated.Often, DFP are illegal but enforcement is lacking. Therecognition <strong>of</strong> DFP as a term to describe highlyunsustainable capture methods is important, as itcan mobilize public support against such practicesand to portray <strong>the</strong>m as socially unacceptable,within coastal communities and ultimately by <strong>the</strong>fishermen. This is especially important in vastarchipelagic nations such as Indonesia and <strong>the</strong>Philippines, where <strong>the</strong> resources for managementand enforcement are meager in relation to <strong>the</strong>extent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> coastline and <strong>the</strong> overall size <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>marine area.5. REGIONAL COOPERATION5.1 Information ExchangeParticipants agreed on <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> sharingaccess to <strong>the</strong> various resources available within <strong>the</strong>region for research and conservation – equipmentand technology, references, funding, expertiseon methods <strong>of</strong> research and analysis, and o<strong>the</strong>rexperience. Suggestions on how to achieve suchsharing included primarily <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> an e-maildiscussion group to enhance communicationamong scientists, NGO representatives, andmanagers concerned with marine mammals inSE Asia. This list has already been establishedat San Francisco State University and is currentlymanaged by Hines. It is unedited. Hines agreedto send subscription information to all workshopparticipants by mid-August 2002.The list was considered to be an opportunity toshare local or regional current events, research92 CMS Technical Series Publication Nº 9 - 2005