RAPPORT GENERAL DE L'ATELIER ... - Nefisco.org

171
Conflict resolution among different resource users
Obnoxious fishing methods practiced by a small number of fishermen entrepreneurs often
resulted in series of conflicts. The most pronounced conflict was between the beach seiners
and non-beach seiners.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION MEETING WITH BEACH – SEINERS AND NON – BEACH SEINERS
The observed tension mounting between beach seiners and non – beach seiners concerning the
ban of the gear on the lake, led to a negotiation meeting to identify strategies for
implementing its ban. The meeting was held using the stakeholder interest analysis approach
to negotiating a win – win resolution of the situation.
Pleas coming from beach seiners touched on the Kainji Lake Fisheries Management and
Conservation Unit and a concession was therefore given to beach seiners in terms of
compensation such as exchange of beach seine nets with double length of gill net of
appropriate mesh size within a specified period of time. At the end of the period, further
concession was given again for exchange on 50% basis of gill net length to submitted beach
seines within another two weeks. This strategy led to the surrender and burning of 306 seine
nets, and the number of beach seiners went down from 690 to 120 (about 83% reduction).
The year 2000, witnessed an intensive implementation of the beach seine ban with local
leaders participating in enlightenment campaigns, while the local police and court staff were
supported in patrols and prosecution of offenders.
Capacity – Building For Effective Conflict Management
In June 2001, a conflict management-training workshop was organized by the project to equip
staff with the skills needed in negotiating and or mediating a conflict situation.
As a result of the outcome of this training workshop on conflict management, a meeting was
held to reflect on what could be done to achieve an effective ban on beach seine. The
resolution reached was a return to the negotiating table taking into consideration all the
mistakes made at the initial negotiation. This led to a second negotiation meeting where all
the stakeholders reached a number of agreements issued in a form of a communiqué duly
signed by all present.
However, the effort has not led to a complete eradication of beach seine operation on the lake
but has helped to reduce it drastically.
6.0 User rights/ legal basis for management plans
User rights
The Lake Kainji fisheries are open access in which a potential fisher has complete autonomy
and access in respect of the use of the lake resources after obtaining permission from the Head
of the fishermen in the area he wants to settle. As long as a fisherman lives in harmony with
his neighbours/ professional colleagues and does not contravene any laid down rules and
regulations, he has the right and liberty to stay anywhere he chooses and to fish in any part of
the Lake area. This open or free access generally accounted for the observed overfishing of
the lake.
l’atelier international sur l’“amplification des ressources halieutiques a travers la gestion participative: Leçons et perspectives,du
12 au 14 Décembre 2002, Bobo-Dioulasso,,Burkina Faso