Marine Resources Fisheries: And Fishing in The South China Sea “Fish are wildlife, and they are the only wildlife we continue to hunt on a large scale…” Carl Safina Fisheries: concentrations of particular aquatic species suitable for commercial harvesting in a given ocean area or inland body of water (lakes, rivers, reservoirs, ponds) the third major food producing system after cropland and grazing land Remember, living sustainably means living off interest and not the capital that supplies the interest. Miller (2003): Chapter 16

Marine resources: provide 20% of all the animal protein we eat ~1/3 of world fish harvest: used as animal feed, fish meal, oils 60% of fish consumption: by the developing world In Asia, 1 billion people rely on fish as their primary source of protein. Fishing employs ~200 million people worldwide

Fishery Terminologies Aquaculture: farmed or cultured fish Capture fisheries: wild-caught fish fish from the sea (marine) from inland bodies of water, such as lakes and ponds (inland) Stock: the population of a species that is exploitable

Fishery Terminologies “Fish” is a broad term that encompasses: Finfish: the true fish, which are further divided into: demersal fish: live on or near the seabed (e.g. cod, flatfishes) pelagic fish: live in the water column (e.g. tuna, salmon, anchovy) Finfish make up the majority of world fish catches. Shellfish: includes crustaceans (shrimps, crabs) and molluscs (squid, octopus, clams, mussels) Also, smaller scale fisheries based on: Echinoderms (sea urchins, sea cucumbers) Jellyfish

World’s Commercial Fishing Industry Dominated by industrial fishing fleets using Satellite positioning equipment Sonar Huge nets Spotter planes Factory ships (that can process and freeze catches)

Sources of Annual Commercial Catch ~55%: ocean ~99% of this catch from plankton-rich coastal waters (but, coastal pollution!) ~33%: aquaculture raising marine and freshwater fish in ponds and underwater cages ~12%: inland freshwater fishing (lakes, rivers, reservoirs, ponds)

Total Fish Production Global capture fisheries and aquaculture production (2000; U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)): 1997: 122 million tonnes 1998: 117 million tonnes (because of El Niño effects on some major marine capture fisheries) 1999: production recovered to an estimated 125 million tonnes. Capture fisheries have peaked and remained stable  extra 20 million tonnes over the last decade was mainly from aquaculture

World Total Fish Production Million Tonnes Aquaculture Capture Fisheries

Capture Fisheries Production There was a time when the oceans and fisheries resources were considered to be so vast that they could not be damaged or depleted by Man. 1950-1970s: capture fisheries increased by 6% per year 1970-1980s: average increase was only 2% per year In 1990s: rate of increase in fisheries production was almost zero

Fish Utilization World excluding China Population (billions) 100 80 60 40 20 1950 1970 1980 1960 1990 5 4 3 2 1 Population (billions) Fish utilization (million tonnes) 30 10 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 Food Feed World excluding China China Source: FAO (2000)

Fishing Trends This levelling off of total world catch follows the general trend of the world’s fishing areas – apparently have reached maximum fishing potential, i.e. fish stocks are fully exploited. Recent global patterns of fish production owes much to the activities of China  China’s fish production now (in weight) = 32% of the world total

Top producer countries of marine and inland capture fisheries in 1998 Capture Fisheries Production Top producer countries of marine and inland capture fisheries in 1998 (Data: FAO 2000)

Status of Fisheries Resources There is a large amount of evidence that many marine resources have been overfished. Overfishing: the taking of so many fish that too little breeding stock are left to maintain numbers Prolonged overfishing: leading to commercial extinction of a fish stock (e.g. Newfoundland Cod) (when the population of a species declines to the point at which it is no longer profitable to hunt for them) As one species becomes overfished, we simply move on to another species and overfish that as well

Fisheries are also depleted by high levels of bycatch (the non-target fish that are caught in nets and then thrown back into the sea, usually dead or dying) Depleting marine biodiversity Does not provide food for people 60% of the world’s important fish stocks: in “urgent need of management”

Increasing Fishing Efforts Despite warnings of a slow down in production rate of marine capture fisheries in the 1970-1980s, the fishing industry increased fishing efforts. Boats became bigger, more powerful, and fishing technology has improved. Many fishing vessels are packed with high-tech fish-finding equipment: Echo-sounders Sonars Global positioning systems (GPS) Even spotter planes!

The Tragedy Of The Commons Overuse of common-property or free-access resources  environmental degradation Such resources Owned by no one Or, owned jointly by everyone in the area Available to all users at little or no charge

Does this logic work? Degradation of renewable free-access resources Tragedy of the Commons User reasons: “If I do not use this resource, someone else will. The little bit I use or pollute is not enough to matter, and such resources are renewable.” Does this logic work?

Fish should be a renewable resource – as long as enough fish are left annually to reproduce Ideally, an annual sustainable yield should therefore be established for each species Difficult to estimate mobile aquatic populations Sustainable yields shift from year to year (climate change, pollution, etc) Traditionally, the seas were regarded as common property and fishermen were free to go where they liked and to catch as much as they could  If they did not catch the fish, some one else will – “Tragedy of the Commons”

Overcapacity of Fishing Industry Too many boats fishing for a decreasing number of fish. Today, the fishing industry is twice as large as necessary. This overcapacity is global: Norway: 60% overcapacity Western Europe: 40% overcapacity

Fishery Management Fishery regulations Economic approaches Impose fees for harvesting fish and shellfish from publicly owned and managed offshore waters (money used for government fishery management) Reduce or eliminate fishing subsidies Reduce bycatch levels Using wider-mesh nets Enacting laws to prohibit throwing edible and marketable fish back to sea Having observers on fishing vessels

Hong Kong Fisheries Fishing in Hong Kong has little or no restrictions Aberdeen, HK. ~ 5,000 fishing vessels 11, 900 fishermen working abroad in the fishing industry AFCD Fishing in Hong Kong has little or no restrictions  HK waters are now heavily overfished In 2000: an estimated 157,000 tonnes of fish were produced, with 90% of the catch coming from waters outside Hong Kong

China’s Fisheries China’s fisheries Have entered a period of rapid growth since 1985 Average annual growth rate ~14%, much higher than world average However, problems now facing China are: Inshore fishery resources with the South China Sea area: heavily exploited Water environments: deteriorating Aquaculture: serious fish diseases Fishing in offshore and long distant waters: has been constrained due to new international marine law

Sustaining Fisheries in S. China Sea The South China Sea: One of the most productive regions in the world Produces on average ~10% of global fisheries catch annually China has adopted various measures to conserve such resources and implement a sustainable marine development strategy: Various closed fishing seasons Closed fishing areas Marine sanctuaries set up Moratorium systems (fishing ban) Restricting size of net meshes In 1979: fishing permit system introduced Since 1995: a midsummer moratorium system

Fishing Moratorium In 2003, fishing moratorium of the South China Sea (fishing ban in the South China Sea area north of 27°N): June 1 to August 1 All fishing operations in the South China Sea suspended (except gill-netting, long-lining, hand-lining, cage trapping) Some 1,400 HK fishing vessels affected The ban was imposed to conserve fishery resources and promoting sustainable development of the fishing industry.