Illegal fishing of inland water bodies of Nigeria: Kainji experience

It is a common knowledge that illegal fishing which includes use of wrong gears, explosives, excessive exploitation of choice stocks, enhancement and stocking of water body and pollution has devastating effects on the critical biomass of fish biodiversity and livelihood activities associated with fishing. Efforts worldwide to arrest these menace are significant because it has been found that illegal fishing has made fishing non sustainable, resulted in poor fishermen catches, and exacerbated the use of illegal gears in an effort to a must catch. Conflict between fisher folk and policies has continued to generate different strategies in the control of illegal fishing. Some of these strategies at regional and National levels include creation and implementation of fisheries laws, fishing edicts, code of conduct for responsible fisheries, policing of inland water bodies, capacity building and capability through training of fishermen, creating necessary awareness, arrest and punishment of offenders. There are also other initiative on conservation and management of freshwater ecosystems which have interrelation with illegal fishing. This paper examines efforts in promoting and boosting the fisheries of Lake Kainji, through creating necessary awareness, campaign visits, radio programmes, gear control, reward systems, integration and diversification of livelihood activities, community based management and policing. It further analyses what is working, problems, and prospect of fisheries laws, the need to integrate factors of political policies, other global initiative on water management for people and nature. Recommendations on strategies including protection of fishing grounds, establishment of catch data base, integration of other intervention as alternative source of income to enhance livelihood, reduce fishing pressure, and capacity building of fisher folks, development of rules and regulations that is community based are highlighted.

No turning back: Indonesia, illegal fishing

Despite official legislation, Indonesia is yet to institute processes to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Investigating illegal fishing practices on Lake George: a case study of Kayinja landing site, Kamwenge District

The study was done at Kayinja landing site, one of the six gazzeted landing sites located on the eastern side of Lake George, Kamwenge district to investigate illegal fishing practices on the lake. The objectives of the study were to identify the fish species most affected by illegal fishing, factors that drive illegal fishing on the lake, impact of illegal fishing to the fishery and livelihoods of the communities around the lake and to find out the prospect of ending illegal fishing on the lake. A participatory approach was used during the study where fishers and fisheries staff were interviewed for the fish species targeted, current management approach so as to find out species at risk and anticipate the prospect or ending illegal fishing respectively also past records of the daily catch ror a period of five years were used to study the trend henee ascertain the impact of illegal fishing to the fishery and livelihoods of the communities around. Results indicated that the most targeted fish hence other wise affected by illegal fishing is Oreochromis niloticus, the most immediate impact being a decline in fish stocks, whereas defining mechanisms to increase fish stocks through closed seasons and implementation of minimum mesh size policy being the prospect to end illegal fishing on the lake.

Fisheries management in the social domain: perspectives from Tanzania's Lake Victoria fishery

For a long time, the Tanzanian Fisheries Department has managed Tanzanian fisheries without incorporating other stakeholders within its management framework. On lake Victoria, the persistent use of illegal fishing gear and declining catches have led the government to realize that this system of fisheries management may no longer be viable, and have sought to incorporate fishing communities into the management structure. Through the creation of beach management units (BMUs), the Fisheries Departments have sought to persuade fishing communities to implement and enforce Tanzania's fishing regulations and to monitor the fishery. In this paper we explore a recently gathered data set that yields information on, amongst others, how Tanzanian fishing communities perceive the state of their resource base, how they view their relationship with the Fisheries Department, the efficacy of fishing regulations and other variables. We draw on a series of criteria developed by Ostron (1990) for institutional 'robustness' to explore various areas of institutional development on Lake Victoria, and to try and anticipate how the BMUs will fare. We argue there are many socio-political and economic factors that will determine how communities will receive and perceive their responsibilities towards government-imposed administrative structures at the local level, these will become 'socialized' such that they will vary from place to place. While this may bode well for problems of heterogeneity, it does not necessarily mean that fisheries management objective on Lake Victoria will be met

Managing Nile perch using slot size: is it possible?

The fishery of Lake Victoria became a major commercial fishery with the introduction of Nile perch in 1950s and 1960s. Biological and population characteristics point to a fishery under intense fishing pressure attributed to increased capacity and use of illegal fishing gears. Studies conducted between 1998 to 2000 suggested capture of fish between slot size of 50 to 85 cm TL to sustain the fishery. Samples from Kenya and Uganda factories in 2008 showed that 50% and 71% of individuals processed were below the slot size respectively. This study revealed that fish below and above the slot has continued being caught and processed. This confirms that the slot size is hardly adhered to by both the fishers and the processors. The paper explores why the slot size has not been a successful tool in management of Nile perch and suggests strategies to sustain the fishery

Checklist of the shore fishes of the Mentawai Islands, Nias Island and the Padang Region of West Sumatra

This paper presents a checklist of reef fishes of West Sumatra and adjacent provinces. The list includes 362 species of 143 genera and 46 families and contains seven new records and nine probable new species for Indonesia. It also uses information from sources only available in Bahasa Indonesia. The relative paucity of the fish fauna in West Sumatra seems to be related to the habitat destruction caused by illegal fishing with explosives or poisons such as cyanide.

Background Concepts for a Rotating Harvesting Strategy with Particular Reference to the Mediterranean Red Coral, Corallium rubrum

A simple cohort model was used as the basis for selecting the appropriate periodicity and number of separate unit areas in a rotating harvest scheme for a sedentary species, the red coral, Corallium rubrum, in the General Fisheries Management Council for the Mediterranean area. The rotation period in years, and hence the minimum number of unit areas involved, was determined on the basis of the time to maximum biomass by a simple calculation of the yield-per-recruit type, requiring a knowledge of natural mortality and growth rates. Other criteria may be more important, however, and in general for a long-lived species, will result in shorter rotation periods. These criteria may include economic factors, criteria based on the preferred size or quality of product, or criteria that take into account the cumulative risk of illegal fishing of closed areas with time, hence the growing cost of enforcement as harvestable product accumulates. For red coral, although maximum biomass is predicted to be reached after some 15-44 years, the above considerations suggest that a rotation period ofsome 9-15 years would be close to optimal, taking into account a range ofthe above considerations. This article discusses the relative merits of rotating harvest schemes in contrast to quota management for sedentary and semi-sedentary resources or geographically isolated substocks ofa mobile resource, and concludes that this approach may have considerable potential as an alternative approach to resource management.

Innovations to strengthen aquatic resource governance on Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake

Cambodia’s recent freshwater fishery sector reform, instigated at the top level of government, is one of the country’s most significant contemporary policy developments addressing natural resources management and rural development. Implemented in two main waves, the reforms culminated in the complete removal of inland commercial fishing lots. Yet serious problems still need to be addressed, including reportedly widespread illegal fishing, difficulties in protecting critical habitats, and competition among state agencies over resource management authority. This report summarizes the context of the recent fishery reforms, analyzes challenges and opportunities for policy implementation after the reforms, and details the outcomes of local institutional innovations in Kampong Thom Province, followed by a discussion of the implications for ongoing efforts aimed at reducing resource conflict and building livelihood resilience.

Technical report of frame and catch assessment surveys of Lakes Edward and George; and the Kazinga Channel conducted in January and July 2011- 2013

This study aimed at evaluating the production levels in terms of catch estimates of the artisanal fisheries of the Edward-George system in addition to providing information on the facilities and services at landing sites and the composition, magnitude and distribution of fishing effort to guide development and management of the fisheries resources of the Edward and George lakes and Kazinga channel. Specifically, the study was expected to come up with the following outputs:- a) Information on the number of fish landing sites on the basin lakes; b) Information on the facilities available at the fish landing sites to service the fisheries sector ; c) Information on the number of fishers; d) Information on the number and types of fishing crafts; e) Information on the modes of propulsion of the fishing crafts; f) Information on the number types and sizes of fishing gears including the number of illegal fishing gears in the fishery; and g) Recommendations on development and management of the fisheries of the Edward and George lakes and Kazinga channel. h) Beach values in terms of annual catches and annual revenue from the water bodies.

Beel fishery and livelihood of the local community in Rajdhala, Netrakona, Bangladesh

Baseline survey and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) during January 2003 to December 2004 on the fishing community revealed that unregulated fishing, use of destructive fishing gears, poaching of fishes, difficulties encountered in enforcing fisheries regulation and the helplessness of fishers to find alternative sources of income during banned fishing period (June to October) were the major management problems. CBFM (Community Based Fisheries Management) system as an alternative management strategy has been introduced to ensure active participation of the target group-the poor fishers living around the beet who were previously deprived to get access to the beet. Establishing a leasing system for controlled access, ensuring greater user-group participation through equitable distribution of all resource benefits among members, attempting to enforce penalties for illegal fishing linked with surprise checks to enforce management regulations are some of the recent steps taken by the BMC (Beel Management Committee). Chapila fish intake by the community was 31.25 g/head/day before stocking the beel by carp fingerlings. After stocking, they consumed chapila as fish protein from 8.33 g to 20.8 g/head/day during the fishing season (November to May) indicating that due to introduction of carp fingerlings, chapila production has been decreased in 2003-2004. About 77.5% families around the beel were found to be dependent directly and/or indirectly on chapila and other indigenous fishes of the beel for their livelihood, through fishing, marketing and other activities like net and boat preparation and nets mending etc. Particularly fishers' families were found to face serious problem during non-fishing period like June to October for their livelihood. Analyzing the present research result it was also observed that other than declination in biodiversity, the fishing pressure on promising chapila of the beel was found high and that is why the production of chapila has also been decreased. To get sustainable chapila production from the heel, it is suggested to ensure successful spawning and recruitment as juveniles, and hence the chapila should be undisturbed during its breeding period from March to July, and fishing pressure on the same species needs to be reduced for obtaining sustainable fish production.

A characterization of community fish refuge typologies in rice field fisheries ecosystems

In rural Cambodia, fish is a source of food and income to millions of people. However, there has been a real threat to fish populations in natural wetlands due to the degradation of aquatic biodiversity and habitat, illegal fishing, increase of population and demand for fish, and the use of harmful pesticides for agriculture. The Rice Field Fisheries Enhancement Project (RFFEP) seeks to rebuild and protect the fish populations through innovative methods. The project works with communities to sustainably strengthen the rice field fisheries near their villages by improving protected habitats called "community fish refuges". This handbook characterizes rice field fisheries that are connected to community fish refuges. Community fish refuges are designated fish conservation areas promoted by the Fisheries Administration of the Royal Cambodian Government. It also examines the characteristics of rain-fed rice field ecosystems that are connected to community fish refuges in order to further refine descriptive criteria and better understand potential benefits and management strategies.

CRM in the Philippines: Lessons learned

Philippine coastal communities can become capable fishery resource managers and that their management practices can become largely self-sustaining if the project approach focuses on assisting fishermen to learn how to help themselves. Community organization is an essential part of the process and should not be viewed as an end product in itself. There are also no quick fixes, and projects require a complex array of activities if large numbers of coastal residents are to be assisted. In some of these projects, the control of illegal fishing combined with limiting of commercial fishing to offshore areas and good coastal habitat management resulted in a doubling of daily fish catch and income for small-scale fishermen. However, even with the best of management, the total fishery harvest is limited and further increases in individual fishing income can only come from reducing total fishing effort. This will require a system of control on access to the resource to limit the number and kind of fishing gears and to divide the resource equitably. Assisting coastal communities to devise and implement realistic equitable access controls is the major challenge facing coastal resource co-management.

National report of the frame survey 2012 on the Uganda side of Lake Victoria

This is a report on the results of the Frame Survey conducted in the Uganda side of Lake Victoria during August 2012 by the LVFO Institutions, namely: the Department of Fisheries Resources (DFR) Uganda and the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) in close collaboration with the District Fisheries offices of Busia, Bugiri, Namayingo, Mayuge, Jinja, Buvuma, Buikwe, Mukono, Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi, Kalungu, Masaka, Kalangala and Rakai. In the 2012 Frame survey some indicators of fishing effort including e.g. number of fishers, fishing crafts and long line hooks increased; whereas others like the number of gillnets less than 5 inches decreased by 10.4% from that recorded in 2010. The other indicators of fishing effort, which showed decrease in 2012 included illegal beach seines and undersized gillnets (<5 inch mesh size). However, a large proportion (66%) of long line hooks recorded in the 2012 survey were in the smallest size range (hook size >10), which target small Nile perch. The number of other illegal gears, i.e. cast nets and monofilament gillnets showed modest increases (25%) between 2010 and 2012 while beach seines decrease by 15%. Recent crackdown on illegal fishing activities as part of measures for recovery of the Nile perch stocks which are faced with depletion appear to have had an impact but much more needs to be done to eradicate illegal fishing. The fisheries in the Ugandan waters have remained predominantly near shore with 61% of all fishing crafts using paddles out of which 17% were tiny three plank, flat bottomed boats locally known as parachutes. The 2012 survey shows an increase in the number of fishing crafts using sails by 65% from 682 in 2010 to 1125 in 2012. This is an encouraging trend as more fishers are able to access distant fishing grounds using free wind power. The Mukene fishery in the Ugandan waters of Lake Victoria remained underdeveloped comprising only 15.2% of all fishing crafts, of which 31% were motorised which is a great improvement from the situation recorded in 2010. The Catamarans increased to 18 with a majority in Buikwe district where there is a private investor fishing specifically for Mukene. The Catamarans in Kalangala were reported not to be working because of the high operating cost compared to ordinary Mukene fishing boats.

Socio-economic aspects of the fisheries of Nabugabo lakes and implications for management

Fisheries are very important to Uganda's economy. The sector provides a vital source of food, recreation, trade and socioeconomic well being for the people and community globally. The fisheries of small lakes are important for producing fish for local populations who are not near the large lakes. These satellite lakes support important fisheries and other economic activities like fishing, water for domestic purposes and tourism, besides socio-cultural values. A number-of fish;- species, some of which were found only in Lake Victoria have been depleted through over-exploitation, introduction of exotics especiaily Nile perch and environmental degradation. Some of these fishes have been observed to survive in satellite lakes in the Victoria and Kyoga Lake basins. The Nabugabo satellite lakes (Manywa, Kayugi and Kayanja) contain endemic Cichlid fish species acting as reservoirs and therefore very important for conservation of fish biodiversity. Despite the socio-economic importance and uniqueness of these satellite lakes little research on socio-economic studies has been carried out. The sustainability of the lake is being threatened by increasing human activities. The fish stocks and species diversity are declining and this poses a threat to the livelihood of the people who depend on fish for food and income. Arising from this need a study was carried out to establish the socio-economic aspects of Nabugabo fisheries and implications for management, on which basis resource users would be made aware of the impacts of their activities. It was hoped that this would go further to ensure wise use and management of the resources by the users. The specific objectives were identifying activities around the lake, establishing socioeconomic values attached to the lake, identifying problems of the lake and resource users and examining existing local based management institutions. Results show that the activities taking place around the lakes include fishing, farming, watering of animals, deforestation and charcoal burning, brick making, resort beach development and food and refreshment. The major problem facing the lake was found to be encroachment of Hippo grass (Vossia) on the lake, which is decreasing the size of the lake, and limiting open waters for fishing (this only applied to Lake Nabugabo). Other important problems include use of illegal fishing methods, declining fish stocks and loss of cultural identity. The resource users are most pressed by the low incomes resulting from poor fish catches, theft of gears and lack of market. On examining the resource base for the lakes, it was only Lake Nabugabo that had a Landing Management Committee. The other three lakes did not have leadership institutions in place except the local councils for the respective villages. This was probably due to observed limited fisheries activities. Majority of the respondents agreed that Government and other service providers should work jointly to supplement local beach management committees in the management of the lakes resources. This is a good gesture because with increase in fishing effort and rampant use of illegal fishing methods, there is need to strengthen management institutions present on the lake. This would require Government, local community and other service providers to work together in a participatory way to control environment-degrading activities and stop the use of illegal fishing methods. Burning of vegetation on the lake should be stopped since it enhances growth of this grass. Finally, traditional taboos; which are present on some of the Nabugabo lakes, should be enhanced, as away of preserving them.

An overview of the Clupeid fishing gear of Kainji Lake

Fishing gears and methods that target the Clupeids are atalla lift net, light attraction, midwater trawl and dala (Clupeid beach seine).Dala fisheries have been the most lucrative fishing gear on Clupeids within the recent past. However, it has been declared as 100% illegal gear having a mesh size of 0.1 mm, because it catches indiscriminately undersized (juveniles/larvae) commercial fish. The ban on the gear was therefore mounted through promulgation and implementation of special fisheries laws for Kainji Lake (Nigeria). Although, the use of Dala fishing gear and method has decreased due to this management approach, its use is currently increased again. It is therefore suggested that the ban on the use of Dala may not be the answer to indiscriminate fisheries, but modification of the gear and methods for harvesting Clupeids should be the main objective