1. FAO, Fishing Operations and Technology Service (FIRO)
Global Directions in Bycatch Management - Challenges for the Southeast Asia -
Petri Suuronen
FAO, Fishing Operations and Technology Service (FIRO)
CTFF Bali, June

2. Bycatch – What is it? Much confusion and misunderstanding:
No single definition!
Fish – Juveniles - Turtles – Seabirds - Marine mammals
2. Economic dimension:
‘Trash fish’ a major component of catch in many fisheries  increasingly used as animal feed
Food supply, livelihood, employment, income
3. User conflicts:
Bycatch is lost yield to somebody!
Ethical/moral issues:
Wasteful usage of natural resources.
The question of why bycatch has local - national and global dimensions is because of the nature and characteristics of bycatch
What is it
Why is it a problem?
How big a problem is it?
What are the drivers behind it being a problem?
Who is forcing the issue? Local conflicts – regional trade – environmental damage – climate change – food availability – International instruments
What are the characteristics of the problem

3. Bycatch and discards quantities
FAO “The Alverson Report”
FAO “FAO SOFIA”
FAO 2005 “The Kelleher Report”
27 mil. t
Bycatch + Discards
20 mil. t
Bycatch + Discards
7.3 mil. t
Discards

4. Discarded global catch has reduced:
More selective fishing!
Improved management and enforcement actions!
Increased utilization of ‘bycatch’ species.
Decline of some fisheries having high bycatch rates.

5. Why worry?
Because high levels of bycatch and discards still exist in many fisheries!
Because many fisheries in high-biodiversity ecosystems produces large quantities of low value fish!
‘bycatch’, ‘trash fish’
include juveniles of ecologically important and economically valuable species
Because bycatch may represent a significant unaccounted source of fishing mortality!

6. Bycatch – a broad problem
In many fisheries the juvenile fish are increasingly targeted and landed!
There is growing concern that excessive bycatch is:
threatening the long-term sustainability of many fisheries,
decreasing food security, and
negatively affecting the livelihoods of millions of fishers and fishworkers that depend on fish resources.
Bycatch may also has significant broader impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity.

7. Classical symptoms of fishery failures
Lost yield due to overfishing and illegal fishing
Poor economic performance
Great government subsidies
Increasing conflicts among user groups
Lost yield due to bycatch and discarding
Catches consisting increasingly of juveniles
Fishing causing excessive pressure on ecosystem

8. “Fishing down the food chain”
PAST
PRESENT
FUTURE?
Source: Pauly et al. Science, 1998 8

9. Challenges in managing bycatch (I)
Time series data on bycatch often not available - amount of bycatch often not known
Overall impacts of bycatch poorly known on:
Resources - ecosystems
Livelihoods - Income
Nutrition - Consumption
Conflicts
Where, when and why is ‘bycatch’ a problem?
What is the acceptable level of bycatch?

10. Challenges in managing bycatch (II)
Major gaps in the current regimes to manage bycatch.
Adoption of mitigation measures heavily constrained by:
Political will
Economic incentives
Poor awareness
Financial and human resources
What are the priority issues that should be addressed in various fisheries?

11. International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards 1
The Guidelines will provide:
Guidance on how bycatch can be integrated in resource management
The framework for actions at national and regional level
1 The 28th session of COFI (2009) agreed FAO to develop these Guidelines through Expert Consultation and Technical Consultation

12. Expert Consultation: ‘Bycatch’ is the catch that a fisher
did not intend to catch
did not want to catch
did not choose to use, or
which should not be caught for whatever reason

13. Main elements of International Guidelines
Governance and institutional frameworks
Bycatch management plans
Data collection, reporting and assessment;
Monitoring control and surveillance (MCS)
Research and development on bycatch mitigation and discard reduction technologies
 identification of best practices
Awareness, communication and capacity building
Special requirements of developing States

14. Tools to manage bycatch and discards
Capacity and effort controls
Measures relating to fishing gear design and their use
size and type of mesh, hook; BRDs, TEDs, SMPs, etc.
technologies to reduce encounters and to increase survival probability
alternative fishing gears and practices
Spatial and temporal closures
closed areas and seasons, MPAs, real-time closures, fishing gear bans, etc.
Limits on bycatch
bycatch quotas, no-discard regimes, etc
Economic incentives – facilitation of the uptake
market-based tools (increasingly important)

15. Performance of measures - case specific
A few universal solutions exist
real drivers have to be identified
fisheries based solutions are needed.
The interests and possibilities of different fleets vary considerably.
Adoption of selective techniques may mean loss of income (in the short term at least).
Incentives are needed to encourage fishers uptake of measures!
what are the benefits and who will get them?
Costs associated with implementation and enforcement vary considerably.

16. Potential benefits to reduce bycatch
improved productive potential of fish stocks
improved yields in the future
larger size of fish, better price
positive public attitude (image)
better business opportunities
reduction of operational costs
reduced fuel cost
reduced sorting time of catch
improved catch quality

17. Special concerns related to SE Asia
Ambitious objectives to address
Widespread Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported fishing (IUU)
Highly migratory species (= management scenarios extend beyond the area)
Endangered marine species
A large area to cover
Conservation measures are vulnerable to ‘outside forces’
Measures are undermined by mobile fishing capacity and open access
How to ensure stakeholder involvement?
Balance between environmental well-being & human well-being?
Rights & equity & food security

18. No clear strategy on how to
Combating IUU
IUU fishing often undertaken by countries outside of the region
Managing excessive fishing capacity (a driver of IUU)
Monitoring control and surveillance (MCS)
Vessel monitoring systems (VMS)
Developing fishing vessel registers
Port State Measures (to close ports and markets to IUU fish)
Use market measures, certification schemes and ecolabelling
substantial part of markets lie outside of the region
Regional agreements to address the issues
Broad regional level action is required to “cement” together the national activities
Linkages to Regional Fisheries Management Organizations

19. Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries
Fisheries do not exist in isolation - fish stocks are elements of an ecosystem
Increasing awareness of the importance of various interactions in marine ecosystems
Recognition of a wide range of societal interests in marine ecosystems
Poor performance of current management practices

20. Strong co-operation needed
We are all working towards the same goal
There are no easy solutions
Collaboration with all partners is needed
Engagement of private sector to participate in developing and adopting best practices is crucial

21. Thank you!
Total budget USD 10, , 3,400,000 from GEF. 2 to 1 co-financing confirmed.
Duration 4 years.
Work closely with SEAFDEC. 21