SAMUDRA Report No.12, April 1995

Item Type monograph

Publisher International Collective in Support of Fishworkers

Download date 29/09/2021 19:09:29

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/33110 INTERNATIONAL COLLECTIVE IN SUPPPRT OF FISHWORKERS Contents SAMUDRA No. 12 APRIL 1995 TRIANNUAL REPORT OF ICSF

COMMENT 1

MADAGASCAR Scars of labour 3

MEXICO No women, no sustainable fisheries 8

AQUACULTURE Up in arms 10

INITIATIVE A damn fine effort 12

NETWORKING Before the beer, some sober thinking 17

NORWAY No way to transfer fish quotas 19

INDIA Bad custodian of the sea 21

FOCUS The poor, lonely, homely turbot 27

FOCUS The beginning of the end 31

FOCUS Beyond quotas and mesh size 34

FOCUS Flying the Canadian flag 37

FOCUS The fish need peace 40

OPINION Shame! 43

RESPONSE Liberal economics not the answer 44

WOMEN A long way to go 45

ANALYSIS Whose seas? Whose freedom? 46

DOCUMENT The NGO statement 50

VIEWPOINT The First Worlds’ big bluff 52

NEWS ROUND-UP Vietnam, Thailand, India, US, Tanzania, Lebanon 54 Comment After the sound and fury

Who in the world of fisheries could have ignored all the sound and fury generated by the recent fish war between Canada and Spainthe passion, the venom, the rhetoric, the drama? Certainly not SAMUDRA. To reflect, as objectively and topically as possible, the many dimensions of the issue, this edition contains five articles that focus on the ’Turbot War, putting forward differing points of view from Canada (including one from the Minister of Fisheries), Spain and the UK.

Readers, understandably enough, might wonder why a South-based Report should devote so much space to a conflict over fish stocks in the far North between two rich industrialized countries like Canada and Spain. The answer lies in the simple fact that fisheries problems cannot be viewed in isolation. Fisheries crises in one part of the world are a threat to fish stocks and artisanal fishing communities anywhere else in the world. This truth has only become more apparent with each successive crisis.

The enormously excessive global fishing capacity and the increasing technological sophistication in harvesting and processing methods have shrunk the world’s oceans into one large lake, so to say, placing fishing grounds around the world under the threat of predatory and unsustainable fishing practices. The huge subsidies in the industrial- ized countries combined with a dangerous clause in the UN Convention on the Law of the Seathat total allowable catch in excess of a country’s capacity to fish would be made accessible to other statesensure that the powers that those vessels have to deplete stocks will be efficiently transferred to underdeveloped parts of the world. These resources, unfortunately, fall mainly within the jurisdiction of the countries of the South.

Given the compulsions of global capital, market forces are clearly incapable of any ’affirmative action’ against ’inelastic’ stocks under pressure of collapse. To maximize return on investment, the large fishing vessels of the world, left to themselves, will only rake and sift the sea columns for all commercially valuable species, ravaging one fish stock after another.

Fishworkers in Africa, Asia and Latin America are already concerned about a plethora of fisheries agreements and joint ventures that are being entered into, especially with the European Union. Given the very meagre and often erroneous data on fish stocks, the poor understanding of prey-predator relationships, and the impact of fishery-de- pendent and independent factors, as well as the almost non-existent monitoring, control and surveillance mechanisms, the potential impact of these agreements and joint ventures can be devastating for the artisanal fishing communities.

As Monica Justo from Galicia points out in her article elsewhere in this issue, the writing on the wall is very clear: there is no more ’freedom’ of the high seas and distant-water fishing nations should start training their fishworkers to meaningfully adapt to a new way of life which would imply taking up non-fishery related activities. By the same token, coastal states can not now continue to pile the blame on distant-water fishing states whenever there is a crisis within the 200-mile zone.

In the ’turbot war’, this seems to be the time of a ceasefire. The fisticuffs are over, the jingoism looks jaded, the TV crews have left. Only one important question remains: will the coastal states now rise to the occasion and show the world that ocean resources are far safer in their hands?

C MENT

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 1 Madagascar Seafaring workers Scars of labour

Ill-treated aboard foreign shipping vessels, Malagasy fishermen are organizing to fight back

adagascar’s fisheries resources Sometimes, they are entirely Malagasy, as, are estimated at 500,000 tonnes, for example, on the boats of Refrigepeche. Mof which 320,000 tonnes come from the marine sector. Production from In July 1992, Madagascar renewed the both sea and fresh-water sources barely fishing agreements with the EU, which touches 100,000 tonnes. Potentially, the authorize ships of the EU to fish in catch could easily triple. Malagasy territorial waters. The first accords were signed with Japan in 1971. In the artisanal sector, 42,556 persons are The EU accords started only in 1986, with engaged in fishing, while 3,500 work in an agreement which since then has been industrial fishing. These sectors produce renewed every three years, the last ending 84,426 tonnes and 12,277 tonnes its term in 1995. The financial component respectively each year. In monetary terms, of the accord amounts to 1.35 million production has risen to 188 billion FMG, a ECU—payable in three parts—for a catch value addition of 173 billion FMG, which volume of 9,000 tonnes per year of tuna. represents 4.8 per cent of the national GDP. The fishing zone is located beyond two Exports of fisheries products have nautical miles, but the Malagasy port has brought in 68 billion FMG. Since the neither the qualitative nor quantitative collapse in the price of traditional raw means to ensure compliance with this materials like coffee and clove, fish measure. The residents on the coast have products are quickly and profitably often protested against big ships fishing substituting them on the world markets. close to the coastline and spreading nauseating odours from the refuse and Realizing the increasing importance of catch thrown on to the coast. this sector, government officers are organizing meetings and seminars, as well “Other than economic waste, these as signing agreements and treaties. disposals cause degradation of the However, this is being done by excluding beaches and lead to protests by coastal fishermen, those who are truly affected. residents and traditional fishermen”, recognizes an official ministerial Shrimp fishing dominates the industrial document on fishing. fishing, which also includes tuna fishing and aquaculture at an experimental level. Royalty payments The annual catch volume of 9,000 tonnes Shrimp production is entirely tuned involves the payment of royalties. This towards exports and this sector is on the measure is applied with great difficulty. way to becoming the main source of Fishing companies employ several foreign exchange for Madagascar. collection ships and the practice of transfer of catch at sea is quite current. Shrimp fishing is dominated by foreign Only ships, which disembark at the companies, Malagasy companies being Malagasy port, declare the quantity of controlled by the majority equity of their catch. Japanese, French, Indian and Pakistani companies. The crew of the boats are Only if the Malagasy government has the mixed (Malagasy and expatriates). real political will to ensure that it is respected does this measure make sense.

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 3 Madagascar Madagascar

n Madagascar today, overfishing no fishermen, the effects of the accord are longer constitutes a mere risk—it is a practically nil. The veritable question Ireality. Since the means of control can remains: for whom is the protocol of never be efficient, the depletion of agreement meant? resources is patent. Apart from the ships of the EU, the The creation of a scientific research Malagasy waters are attracting more and programme to improve knowledge on more foreign fleets. The new arrivals are migratory species is inscribed in the eight South African ship~ and an equal protocol of the accord with the EU. The number of Spanish ships, as well as EU contributes up to 375,000 ECUs to this Indonesian and Taiwanese ships. effort. As a result of being unable to implement However, since the agreements were a national policy for fisheries signed, the royalties have never been development the Malagasy government is used for the development of fisheries. The adopting the easy solution of giving benefits from this new accord are quite fishing licences to foreign vessels. The meagre, compared to the products and purely commercial character of the accord the profits the ships get from Malagasy and the need for foreign exchange force a waters. level of secrecy.

It should be emphasized that the fishing From 11 to 12 June 1992, the Ministry of licences of 1989 should bring 2.13 billion Animal Husbandry and Fisheries FMG (US $1.3 million). However, the Resources organized a round table amount actually received is 245.5 million conference with funding agencies on the FMG. The difference is because there was programme of development of fisheries no transfer carried out under the heads and aquaculture. Up to 95 per cent of the ‘Financial Compensation’ and ‘Scientific funding, evaluated at US$10 million, was Programme’, as the ministerial document accepted. on fishing once again states. Obviously, the Malagasy side has trouble getting Promise of funding these accords respected. Among the projects, which received promise of funding, is the pilot project of Further, study results remain classified the FAO, for which the fishing project is and their diffusion is especially restricted the implementation agency. During this by the deficiencies in the means of meeting, the Japanese Embassy gave an communication. For the 50,000 artisanal order to allocate Japanese funds for the

4 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Madagascar east coast component of the pilot project. bribe the captain to be able to work. The Notwithstanding the official declaration officers had little choice, faced with the of the suspension of the implementation need to feed corruption to enable the of accords with Taiwan, the presence of fisherman to work to feed his family after the Taiwanese delegation among the a long period of unemployment. funding agencies was very noticeable. To measure the extent of such havoc, it is n the area of tuna fishing, under the enough to refer to the reconstitution in framework of the Indian Ocean June 1991 of the association IVIA (Iray ICommission, a regional Tuna Project Vatsy Iray Aina). The seamen and has been set up to promote tuna fishermen in difficulty, thinking that IVIA exploitation in each member country, would be a trade union, became members namely, Comoro Islands, Madagascar, en masse—372 in 1991, of whom 80 per Mauritius, the Reunion Islands and cent were unemployed. In order not to Seychelles. For the east coast, the pilot disappoint the expectation of these project is sought to be associated with the people, IVIA organized itself as an agency implementation of the devices for fish for maritime employment. The seamen aggregation. and fishermen themselves took the decision to reserve the first boats, which In collaboration with the Japanese would arrive, for those who were long Institute of Research of Marine Resources unemployed. (JAMARC), a study of tuna migration in the Indian Ocean has been started. The project Different committees (for training, to establish an organization of information, finance and social/health) tuna-producing countries—owners of the were set up so that the fishermen felt resources—initiated by the Seychelles, useful and had responsibilities. will allow the adoption of a common Strengthened by this dynamism and strategy for migratory tuna resources. The solidarity, they found boarding on processing company, Fish and Cold of the different ships. Better still, the company Indian Ocean at Artsirana, will preserve KALETA even refused the offers of and treat 50,000 tonnes per year of tuna. boarding of the maritime district agencies to admit only the list of fishermen The Malagasy Maritime Code has been in proposed. This can also be explained by effect since June 1960, the time of the neutrality of the authorities, the independence. Chapter III on fishermen company being assured of taking on deals with the maritime appointment fishermen who were not indebted to the contract. This anachronistic text enables recruitment agents. shipowners to skirt the law, with economic crises and unemployment Since 1990, the Mauritius company, Sea aiding brazen violations. Two specific and Falcon, has operated in Mahajanga. On recent cases at Mahajanga and Toamasma the one hand, it recruited Malagasy corroborate this. It seems all the more fishermen on presentation of their identity unsolvable, given the dubious role of the cards, without either a contract or written maritime administration. document, to work on the Mauritian shelf.

In the Mahajanga case, each company has Mother-boats a maiming agency in charge of recruiting On the other hand, two of its the navigation personnel. The agency mother-boats, Star Hope and Faki, executes a promise or bond of equipped with motors or Doris launches, embarkation, which enables the maritime fished in Malagasy waters. The entire district authorities to obtain the production was destined for export. professional passbook of the fisherman. Mistreated and reduced to a clandestine But, in reality, because of galloping status, the Malagasy fishermen were at the unemployment, vacancies are expensive mercy of the company. During stopovers and the manning captain only takes on the in Mauritius, they were holed up on the fishermen in return for high amounts. On boats and drinking water, electricity and several occasions, officers of Mahajanga food rationed or cut off. Compared to their had to advance money to the fishermen to Mauritian counterparts, they were

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 5 underpaid. Worse, some of the pay-slips Malagasy fishermen, were recruited by of the Malagasy officers indicate flagrant the Mauritian company for its four ships swindling of the company—deduction of at Toamasina. exorbitant social expenses, while the fishermen did not receive any social The company proceeded to enroll security. The only recourse for the candidates whose antecedents had been

Madagascar Madagascar Malagasy fishermen was repatriation as disfavoured. This was brought to light by soon as possible to Madagascar. the fishermen of Mahajanga through

he seamen and fishermen from the • televised communications Mahajanga region mobilized to try Tand break this logic. According to • agreement between associations, a February 1992 report of the Apostolate trade unions, maritime of the Sea, “What is well known administration and owners movement, which arose on the occasion of the Gasikara affair and which • written contracts countersigned thereafter developed.” by the maritime administration between fishermen and owners, a Sudden awareness was expressed first for the Malagasy fishermen concerning the need for an urgent increase of • drawing up a basic salaries, taking into list for every account the present cost loading of seamen of living. Protests also There was also a very strong and fishermen, to arose about the call to rework and update the be put up at the conditions of maritime district employment on Maritime Code, especially on and to be reviewed social security matters, with and signed certain points not clarifications on regularly by the adhered to in the seamen and Maritime Code. There appointment contracts, fishermen’s was also a very strong remuneration, overtime, rest organizations. call to re-work and update the Code, and leave... The shipowner asked a especially on social Malagasy lawyer to draw security matters, with up contracts for the clarifications on categories of persons to appointment contracts, be on the ship. That was a rate of remuneration, overtime, rest and manoeuvre to avoid Mauritian conditions leave, etc. and to seek refuge behind a contract under Malagasy legislation, particularly with There were also strikes by the navigation regard to remunerations. crew of CMN (Malagasy Navigation Company) and, in end June 1991, by the Approximately 260 seamen and fishermen of Refrigepeche East. At the fishermen effectively boarded and the same time, there was a strike by port four ships returned on 23 June 1992. workers of Tamatave. Different mandate In January 1992, just before departing for It is not the Sea Apostolate’s mandate to fishing, 900 seamen of Somapeche struck encourage or stop fishermen and seamen work to obtain increase in salaries. from embarking on ships. The Following this urgent action, the basic organization’s role is limited to salary of an ordinary sailor rose from negotiating written conditions, which 38,250 FMG (107 French Franc) to 70,000 give maritime workers a choice. FMG (194 French Franc), an 84 per cent increase. But the operation was too quick for the different parties to be able to pretend to In the Sea Falcon case at Toamasina, have mastered it. Clearly, the following around 300 seamen, 200 of whom were unstated and shadowy areas will be

6 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Madagascar exploited by the shipowner to swindle the instead of being paid immediately on fishermen: disembarkment.

• the real catch not allowed to The maritime workers’ organizations set surpass the price limit of 250 up a common committee comprising FMG/kg. trade unions, namely, AMUMATO (Friendly Society of Seamen and • 45 to 90 days at sea, when the Occasional Workers) and STMCM (Trade fishermen had in fact embarked Union of Christian Malagasy Maritime between 13 to 55 days Workers), and associations, namely, FIRAISANKINA NO HERY and FIRAM • 10 kg. of fish offered free after (Fikambanan’ny Tanora Mpanjono) arrival reduced to five kg. Unfortunately, the solidarity displayed by nformation meetings were held by the the people of Toamasina was used by the fishermen on their return. This first company to weaken the movement. Iwave of embarkment was blotched Embarkment was made exclusively for with irregularities, which the fishermen Mahajanga fishermen (with a mass did not fail to denounce in their reports delivered by the Apostolate of this locality transmitted at different instances. on board!). The company blamed the fishermen’s organizations for successive Dozens of persons not enrolled on the delays in embarkment, disowning its own basic list and never having been at sea responsibility. were appointed. The complicity of the owner and the district authorities was Associations in the pay of the owner were denounced by seaworkers’ organizations. also formed and, through radio and TV communiques, they declared themselves It was the subject of meetings held at the to be the only representatives of seamen district. An extract from a letter dated 6 and fishermen. There has also been August 1992 from the Apostolate of the falsification of contracts already signed Sea of Mahajanga sheds more light on this between the owner and fishermen’s subject: “They took on new persons to organizations. But the fishermen of complete their staff because 17 fishermen Toamasina held off from June to were sacked for sabotage and threatening November 1992—nearly five months Mauritian seamen with knives. These 17 without work. The first embarkment on persons were unable to stand their the basis of the new contract started only seasickness, they were incapable of on 8 November. fishing, and among them were a butcher and a vegetable seller, who had never set Need for recovery foot on a boat”. Madagascar is going through a turning point in its general policies. Though a sure The fishermen were constrained to live in prognosis is not possible, it is certain that intolerable living conditions—no spoons, the poverty of the Malagasy people will no sheets, bug- and cockroach-infested only worsen. Therefore, there is an rooms, bad food, mouldy cigarettes, absolute necessity for a national economic inappropriate work clothes. Work and recovery and for external aid. security conditions were precarious—no safety life jacket, no sails or life-saving-flares.

On board, the contracted oyster fisherman often becomes the refrigerator boy or sailor asked to paint the boat, while fishermen are made oyster-catchers This article by Jean-Baptiste without receiving corresponding salaries. Rakotoniaina of the Fisheries Project The fishermen feel cheated in the Toamasina, Madagasar, was weighing of fish, which they were not translated by Malavika Shivakumar authorized to assist in. Sometimes, salaries are deferred by several days

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 7 Women in fisheries No women, no sustainable fisheries Mexico Mexico

To ignore the role of women in fisheries is to brush aside their potential to strengthen the sector

h, lady, how sad my life is, on fishing for their livelihoods has nowadays I can hardly afford to affected the entire community and is Oeat... changing relationships between men and women. Women have developed multiple In the fishing town of El Bellote, this is survival strategies to compensate for the how they begin telling the life story of fall in production. Rosa, mother of 11 children. El Bellote is situated on the edge of the Mecoacan Women increasingly go fishing with their Lagoon, in the humid tropics of Tabasco husbands, brothers or fathers, an active State in Mexico. The main fishery is for role, which was previously almost oysters, which, along with other species exclusively a man’s. More women are also caught in the coastal strip, used to be working as traders, filleters in salting and sufficient to provide the basic food and drying, in packing and de-shelling. subsistence needs of the local population. Nowadays, it is common for women to But, since the arrival of ‘development’, enter the job market as cooks, workers in things have changed. During the decade fish and shellfish restaurants, as of the 1960s, Mexico entered the era of the housemaids or in small enterprises. petroleum boomthe ‘black gold’ became Others have entered the ‘non-formal the force driving national development. economy’, as street or door-to-door The daily export of oil from Puerto de Dos saleswomen, doing stitching and maquila Bocas in Tabasco was 437,000 barrels. (assembly work).

The construction of infrastructure Women’s contribution to household transformed the environment, damaging income in cash or kind has not diminished marine fauna and flora. There were their traditional roles. Looking after the frequent oil spillages and accidents, children, cleaning the house, cooking and which caused fishery production to fall. other domestic duties are now Jn 1992, a crisis occurred in Mecoacan, supplemented by other work. This is not when oyster mortality reached 70 to 80 very different from the fate of women in per cent of the total production. This is other sectors who perform a double role. but one example repeated with different Work commitments of Third World actors but with similar consequences, women have become so great as to force along the entire coastline of our country. them to ‘work round the clock’.

The environmental impact on the Household routine quantity and quality of artisanal fish However, in the case of fishing, there are catches in Mexico has become a central some differences. For example, the routine problem for coastal dwellers. To this and hours of catching fish determine the phenomenon has been added a fierce daily pattern of household activities. competition for resources, due to the Many fishermen leave for fishing at night. increase, in the number of producers and If their wives work during the day, there the proliferation of small boats. Thus, is little or no opportunity for family life. pollution and overexploitation are the two principal causes of the fall in income Another issue is that fish is highly of coastal fishermen. The deterioration in perishable and fisherfolk have few places the quality of life of families dependent for storage, and also lack facilities to

8 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Mexico preserve the quality of their products. substances. The lack of research linking Unless the fish is sold immediately, they health with environmental problems lose the opportunity to get the best prices makes it difficult to decidedly establish from the middlemen waiting on the beach. the causes of such diseases. But these growing health problems affect women Thus, it is common that women are found more, as they are the ones traditionally selling fish in the community or in the responsible for the sick. regional markets, immediately after the men have landed. These jobs oblige the Once communities ‘enter the market’ women to leave their children alone, or women also find less access to the put their eldest daughters-often still sustainable use of natural resources. They girls-in charge of the household. The also lose options to produce food in family consequences are not only economic and gardens or to raise domestic animals. So physical, but also emotional and too in many other aspects which, in the psychological. end, result in a deteriorating standard of living for coastal families. All of these There are also other factors intrinsically issues have hardly been considered in the associated with the environment, which debate on environmental problems, have repercussions on the quality of life in which ignores the impact on different coastal communities, particularly for sectors of the population. women. For example, some health problems have got worse. It is common for Evidently, there is a need to design the so-called poverty-related diseases like policies, which address and alleviate the stomach and respiratory infections, situation. In Mexico, as in many other cholera, malnutrition, etc. to be found countries, coastal fisheries are low on the more in communities with environmental list of government priorities, despite being problems, such as pollution of water an important source of food for many bodies, lack of health services and people and low-cost protein for those with atmospheric pollution (especially in areas scarce resources. of petroleum industries). Traditionally subordinate New diseases are evidently appearing. This marginalization is far worse for For example, a medical study in the women, due to the traditionally Tabasco region found an increase in subordinate role that society bestows on leukaemia. In the northern border area, them. Even traditional fishermen’s babies are born with anancefalia, possibly organization like co-operatives, unions associated with the presence of toxic and other organized groups, do not provide space or a voice for women.

Apart from an in-depth analysis of the situation of women in fishing communities, what is more important is to promote them as social actors with the potential to improve their family situation, their communities, the fishery and their country. It will be difficult to have sustainable fisheries without the participation of women.

This piece is by Hilda Salazar Ramirez, on environmental activist who works with the fishermen’s union in Mexico

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 9 Shrimp culture Up in arms

Aquaculture Aquaculture The women of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh decide to oppose the newfound craze for shrimp culture

eports are mixed on the prospects get the support of their new federation, for shrimp culture in India. On the the MLA had convinced the local village Rone hand, government agencies leaders—the kappoosto allow him to describe in glorious terms the lucrative proceed with the construction of the jetty. earnings from shrimp culture. On the The MLA could also overcome the other, there are reports by concerned objections of the forest authorities who environmentalists and village folk on the opposed the jetty that illegally intruded detrimental effects of the recently into the coastal forest. introduced shrimp culture in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh There are several such cases where other and Tamil Nadu. elected representatives are in the process of not only constructing a massively In September 1994, a few Gandhians and expensive distillery—in a state where many village folk in Thanjavur district women have vehemently agitated against were arrested in the quiet of the night, the distilling of arrack, the local brew—but because the small farmers were on the also converting over 300 acres of warpath, resisting the conversion of rich low-lying land into shrimp farms. paddy lands into prawn farms. They were protesting because prawn culture In early October 1994, there was an would lead to the salination of food lands, outbreak of cholera in a village of Andhra fresh water would be overused and Pradesh called Gundayapalam. This arose eventually contaminated, and because from the water in the wells getting prawn culture would not result in any contaminated by excessive pumping of food or work for agricultural labourers. ground water for the shrimp farms, and also because of the indiscriminate release Protests have been numerous in Andhra of polluted water from the shrimp farms Pradesh. According to a newspaper into open streams. report, over 5,000 acres of perumboku (revenue land) have been given to big Although some fisher people have landlords for shrimp farms. In a state opposed the selling of village lands to the where the power of the landlords is still shrimp farmers, in Rajupalam strong and where the elected Chinnapattupalam, for instance, other representatives of the people, including fishing communities have been lured by government ministers, do not bat an the lucrative prices that investors are eyelid in flouting laws, the people have willing to pay for the land. This is backed been so intimidated in the past that they by the fact that coastal fishermen have are often afraid to react. been facing decreasing returns from fishing due to the encroachment of Yet, in Kanapathipalam in trawlers. Nagaluppalopadu Mandal in Prakasam district, where the local Member of the Seed collection Legislative Assembly (MLA) is With the construction of shrimp farms but constructing a pipeline and jetty to pump no hatcheries in operation as yet, natural seawater to the shrimp farms at a price, seed collection has become the main the local people violently opposed him occupation of the fishing community, all and damaged the initial stonework for the way from Machilipatnam to Nellore in the project. Before the fishermen could Andhra Pradesh. Fine-mesh nets are fixed

10 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Aquaculture

in the sea and the collection from the net farther to collect water. They mourned the sorted out on the shore. Large quantities fact that some coastal people are migrating inland in search of manual of migrating inland in search of manual small fry of all kinds are dumped and work, as they could no longer survive on work, as they could no longer survive on the coast. only the shrimp fry are retained, the coast. These women plan to take the issue up Interestingly, the price for fry also varies. with the authorities at the district level. It has dropped from Rs 2 to half a rupee But, unfortunately, the officials have their per fry of monodon and to a tenth of a hands tied. Many months have passed rupee for indicus fry. With the recent fall since the Department of Fisheries drew up in exports due to the plague scare in India, an ‘Environmental Bill’ on a code for there is no market for the fry. Fishermen aquaculture. This bill is wilfully not being and women have to just sit back and await tabled in the state legislature because the better days, having sold their outboard local politicians are buying time to first motors or finding that their catches do not establish their infrastructure to build up help them break even in their daily an open case. If and when the bill gets sustenance. passed, the damage would have already been done. Realizing they have to take things into their own hands, large groups of women No movement from the fishing community have recently Unfortunately, there is no fishworkers’ come together to decide they will neither movement in Andhra Pradesh. Though collect the shrimp fry nor work on the there are numerous NGOa working in the shrimp farms. At the village level, these coastal parts of the state, in the absence of women have organized themselves into a fishworkers’ movement, no real Mahila Samajams (Women’s Societies), resistance can be built up. supported by a voluntary organization called SNIRD based in Ongole. At a recent local meeting, many women leaders spoke articulately on the problems caused by the shrimp farms and their own This report is by Nailni Nayak shortsightedness in collecting fry. They co-ordinotor of the Women in said they need to protect the sea resources Fisheries programme of ICSF for their children, that it would increase their burden if their well-water got polluted and they were forced to go

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 11 Displaced fishermen A damn fine effort Initiative Initiative

A unique bottom-up attempt to rehabilitate reservoir fishermen of the Burgi dam area in India promises to succeed in the face of problems

lose to Jabalpur in the central castes—continued to stay nearby, as the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is dam had not yet come up. Many had Cthe Burgi Dam, the first dam to migrated to the city to live in slums, doing come up in the massive—and, by now, menial jobs like pulling rickshaws. Most internationally known—Narmada of those who remained lived on the fringes project which envisages the construction of the reservoir—technically, illegal of 30 dams or so. The Burgi Dam is very occupation of forest land. large, about 5km. long, with a massive reservoir stretching to around 75 km. and When the dam did finally come up and cutting through three districts of the state. submerged all the 162 villages in the area, these people were suddenly left high and As one of the early dams, it pre-dates the dry. They had no one to help them. Only movement against the Narmada project around 1992 did the NBA become really led by the Narmada Bachao Andolan active and organize those ousted and take (NBA), which first took roots in the up the initiative to seek genuine western part of the state. The Burgi Dam rehabilitation, as opposed to earlier thus came up without much fanfare or half-hearted and misplaced government protest. efforts. Large groups of people were mobilized to fight for rehabilitation The construction work on the dam began through direct action like rallies and in 1974. By 1986, 40 per cent capacity was pickets. achieved and by around 1990, the dam was completed. According to a survey All the money officially spent until then done then, 162 villages would be on rehabilitation had only gone into submerged by the waters of the reservoir. infrastructure which the people never asked for, like a school building in an area The people to be affected—in the early where nobody lives. There are even 1980s the population around the buildings set up in the name of reservoir area was basically tribal—were rehabilitation which are now under the given some cash compensation by the dam. With the ‘Save Narmada’ campaign government. This was assessed at very gaining prominence, the government was low rates of around Es 300 to 500 per acre totally exposed on the question of since, at that time there was hardly a rehabilitation, having done virtually market for land, which could, therefore, nothing. be bought dirt cheap. Genuine interest As a result, many of the Gond tribals of At that time, the state of Madhya Pradesh the area who owned large tracts of land was ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party. and were living comfortably as peasants In 1994, when the Congress (I) party came and farmers, were suddenly deprived of back to power, the new chief minister, their land. They could no longer do any Digvijay Singh, seemed to be more open agriculture. on these issues and genuinely interested in solving problems, even though his The little money they got as proclamations appeared a bit too populist. compensation was quickly spent and He actually spent a day in the affected these displaced people—approximately area, listening to the grievances of the 100,000, mostly from the backward distressed people. He now seems willing

12 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Initiative to go out of the way to ensure some kind federation for all the co-operatives was of rehabilitation measure. Therefore, on formed, it would give the entire reservoir paper, at least, the government of Madhya on lease to the federation for fishing. This Pradesh appears really committed to these was the first concrete rehabilitation displaced people. measure. In that sense, it was a great success for the NBA. he challenge now is to get the various government departments The NBA was given the mandate to form Tinvolved to come together and the federation. Called the Burgi Dam coordinate their activities towards this Oustees’ Fisheries Co-operative end. Though there are not many Federation, it was registered under the traditional fishermen in the area, some Co-operative Act last year, with its office fishing was being done in the river before at Jabalpur. It actually commenced the reservoir came up. Once it was built, operation in October 1994. the rights to fish in the reservoir were auctioned off annually to contractors, as in As a venture by a co-operative many other Indian states. organization of reservoir fishermen marketing their catch in a distant market, These contractors procure the the effort of the Burgi Dam federation may fish—mainly rohu, catla and mrigal, the be a first and unique exercise. three principal Indian carps—from whoever fishes in the reservoir and Great challenge market them mainly in the fresh-water Nonetheless, the NBA faces a huge fish market of Howrah in Calcutta. challenge because now it has to take over the entire organization of production and A few years back, the NBA organized marketing. The members of the around 54 co-operatives of tribal co-operatives of the federation are those fishermen who have been fishing for the oustees who were fishing in the reservoir. last two to three years in the Burgi Dam reservoir and selling their catch to the Though carps are the main species caught, contractors. These contractors also one group of fishermen of the area used to provided some inputs, the price for which catch much smaller quantities of another would be deducted from the value of the traditional species not stocked. (The catch of the fishermen. reservoir is stocked by the Madhya Pradesh Fisheries Corporation, which When the new government took over in gets a royalty from the contractors for each Madhya Pradesh, it announced that if a kilogramme of fish caught). When the

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 13 federation was formed, the status of this vehicles hired to procure fish. They group was unclear at first. But the purchase large quantities of ice daily and federation has since incorporated them. then dispatch the catch to the Howrah market in three insulated vehicles, hired

Initiative Initiative he 54 co-operatives now have from Andhra Pradesh at a monthly rate of around 600 boats—each capable of Rs 30,000. Each vehicle makes about four Ttaking two persons for trips to Howrah each month. fishing—and also another 200 dugouts. Today, around 2,000 families of the area The organizers faced several problems, as are in fishing. This represents not more they had to formulate the entire logistics than 20 per cent of the total population from scratch. Ice plants, for instance, needing rehabilitation. would demand higher prices, refusing to supply at the rates given to the If more equipment and inputs are contractors. provided, a larger section could be rehabilitated. The merchants who lost the contract to market the fish from the There seems to be reservoir were keen that the adequate fish resources The government’s federation should not in the reservoir and, if succeed. They hoped that stocking is done well, thinking appears to be to whatever trouble they could the reservoir can force the NBA activists to initially create would ensure support more the collapse of the federation. fishermen. come up with solutions by throwing the issues back But clearly, they had not On the question of at them and handing over bargained for the federation rehabilitating the members’ fortitude and remaining population, the responsibility to them. perseverance. This ultimately the government Yet the government does whittled down the organized appointed a committee opposition from the and put it in the charge not see it fit to provide merchants. At present, only a of a key person adequate administrative certain amount of illegal sale involved in the struggle back-up. of fish seems to be taking of those ousted from place. their land by the Narmada project. The Small local market government’s thinking There is a small local appears to be to force the NBA activists to market—around 15 to 20 per cent of the come up with solutions by throwing the total catch from the reservoir—for which issues back at them and handing over the most of the fish probably comes illegally responsibility to them. from the members of the federation themselves. Yet the government does not see it fit to provide adequate administrative The total catch reported by the federation back-up. for the six-month period from October 1994 to March 1995 was 405 tonnes. The Despite being initially unclear about the peak season seems to be from October to marketing aspects of this new venture January, with rohu being the most and burdened by a host of limitations, the productive species. people who organized the Burgi Dam federation have done a remarkable job. The main problem that remains for these co-operatives is a lack of infrastructure. They have taken over the system earlier They now depend entirely on hired run by the contractors, retaining the same vehicles and ice supplies from outside landing centres and labour (for loading, sources. unloading and cutting fish). During the lean season, for instance, the Further, they have set up a small central quantities of fish caught were so low that depot near Jabalpur, which receives the it was not economical to retain all the

14 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Initiative hired vehicles. So the insulated vans were Jayant Varma, a journalist, the editor of a sent back and the federation hoped to local paper, who took leave from his job to survive by supplying only the local organize the people on behalf of the NBA. market. He works closely with the board of elected representatives of the federation. owever, they had not really developed a marketing system. The entire system also revolves around a HThough they were able to offer a couple of competent retired officials from lower price of Rs 26 per kg., as against Rs the government co-operative and fisheries 40 prevailing in the local market, the departments. They look after some of the offtake was limited. To overcome the routine aspects of administration. Further, demand problem, the federation is now there are fishermen leaders among these thinking of venturing to nearby markets oustees who take care of the procurement like Nagpur. activities.

Had it owned the vehicles, the situation In fact, the president of the federation, would have been different. The federation Rajesh Tiwari, camps in Howrah to ensure now plans to build its own infrastructure that the entire catch is sold and the price on commercial terms as it now feels reported is actually recovered. All these confident of raising and repaying loans. key persons work in an honorary capacity.

Apart from the lack of infrastructure, No political interference there are organizational difficulties fri Although there is currently no managing the substantial workforce. In interference from political handling the fish, for example, around 100 parties—especially since the government persons work directly from nine landing at the highest level has handed over the centres in the only nine villages accessible rehabilitation work to the NBAlocal bodies by rudimentary roads (many of the other like the corporation are lukewarm about villages can be reached only by boat). the efforts of the federation. Fortunately, they do not interfere blatantly or create The federation is also hamstrung by the outright trouble. absence of professional management. It now depends on the committed cadre of Technically, since the the NBA to run the system. federation—received working capital loans and subsidies from the government, But business decisions, as well as key the state can, if it really wants to, impose organizational decisions, are taken by its own management on the federation via

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 15 the co-operative department. It can thus take over the whole system at any time and kill the initiative of the NBA.

Initiative Initiative aced with such a possibility, one wonders how the NBA and the Fpersons involved will manage to strengthen the organization, bring in professional managers and still retain its autonomy, now that it is actually working, geared up, and has already posted profits of about Rs 60 million in the last six months.

Another problem is likely to crop up soon. From next year onwards, the federation, not the government fisheries corporation, is supposed to do the stocking of fish in the reservoir. In that case, the question of payment of royalty will have to be reviewed.

The members of the federation have yet to apply their minds to these issues, busy as they are in running the difficult marketing operations.

At present, they are, in a way, trapped in the system. The government has thrown them a challenge and so, success is now also a matter of prestige.

It would also be worthwhile to get a development NGO involved to pay for the services of a professional who could be seconded to the federation to streamline systems and implement projects. That would make the federation reasonably viable in the long term.

This report is by V. Vivekanandan, Chief Executive of the South Indian Fishermen Federation (SIFFS), Trivandrum, who recently visited the Burgi Dam area

16 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Networking Halifax workshop Before the beer, some sober thinking

For the participants at the Halifax workshop on networking for sustainable fisheries, it was more work than fun

etween 10 and 12 August 1994, a by the Mik’maw people and their current fine blend of fishworkers from the struggle to establish their fishing rights. BNorth and South, as well as a Prosper’s calm and measured explanation number of environmentalists and social of the aboriginal perspective was very activists, met at Halifax, Canada. Most powerful and provoked thoughtful were members of the Oceans Caucus but discussion. His talk was followed by a there were also outside participants. The slide show by Margo Hearne of British occasion was a workshop on sustainable Columbia, who included information on fisheries conducted by ECO-PEI, with help the efforts of the Haida fishers in her from the International Collective in family and community to gain access to Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), the Ecology fisheries and management rights on the Action Centre and the Environment and west coast. Development Coalition. The meeting rooms were provided by the Maritime Over the rest of the day, Ray Rogers Museum of the Atlantic, whose staff was provided a thorough and provocative unfailingly helpful. On the whole, the analysis of the crisis in the east coast meet turned out to be a great success. fisheries, while Peter Hennebury of Lord’s Cove, Newfoundland, spoke from his Each day began with informal heart of the impact of the collapse of conversations over coffee. This set the northern cod stocks on coastal tone for the entire meet, which was communities. characterized by avid talk and lots of good humour. Most people had such a cheerful By the end of the formal presentations, the time swapping fish stories that it was workshop participants, primed with often difficult to get them to sit down for information and moved by the testimony presentations. To their credit, though, all of fishworkers from so many different the speakers kept to the duration allotted cultures and circumstances, worked for their presentations, and all scheduled together with a sense of urgency to events began on time. identify common problems and suggest practical actions to help save the world’s Thanks to the energetic troupe of fisheries and coastal communities. The volunteer interpreters, we heard about the participants’ labour was captured on conditions of fisheries in Chile, Senegal audio tapes and will be used as inputs to and India. The expositions were a written ‘Practical Action Plan for compelling, and the similarity of Sustainable Fisheries’. problems in fisheries worldwide became very obvious. After the first day’s formal Working overtime programme ended, participants viewed The working group was forced into videos on fisheries in Canada and overtime. We had to scramble out the door overseas, including some historical to make it to Sambro for our scheduled footage from the 1940s. The inaugural day tour of Sambro Fisheries, followed by was capped with a South American dinner at the local restaurant. The fish supper. plant tour was of great interest not only to our Southern guests but also to those On day two, the first presentation was by environmental and social activists who Chief Kerry Prosper of Afton, Nova had not previously experienced a working Scotia, who spoke of the history of fishing fishing enterprise at such close quarters.

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 17 Networking

or everyone, it was a real treat to For many listeners, it seemed that the UN finally get out of doors beside the negotiators had completely forgotten the Fsea. Supper featured absolutely fish and the human lives and livelihoods fresh fish, cooked to perfection and at stake. Judith Swan was interrupted and served with liberal doses of Nova Scotia further review of the technical document hospitality! abandoned in favour of a discussion on the rightful mission and mandate for Friday was spent discussing the United delegates being sent to the UN. The debate, Nations Conference on Straddling Fish which carried through lunch and into the Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. afternoon, re-visited the material A background paper on the Law of the presented by the various speakers. It Sea and Agenda 21 was provided for the resulted in the drafting of a joint statement information of all participants, to provide of concern from the workshop a context for the discussions. participants. The statement was later welcomed by other NGO participants at To start off, Sebastian Mathew of ICSF and the UN and was published in full in the Irene Novaczek of Oceans Caucus, who NGO journal, EW. had attended previous sessions of the UN Conference, reviewed its history and No more cares progress. Judith Swan, a legal expert on While a working group re-drafted the text fisheries matters and the representative of of the joint statement, others enjoyed the Ambassador of the Canadian videos and slide shows. After another fine delegation to the Conference, brought us supper, and a final look at the draft text, up to date on the inter-sessional we cleared the tables, broke out the beer, negotiations that bad taken place since turned up the music and happily danced March. our cares away.

Her reading of a revised version of part of the negotiating text had a dramatic—even traumatic—effect on many workshop participants. The gulf between the dry technical text of the This report is by Irene Novaczek of proposed Convention on high-seas Oceans Caucus, Prince Edward fisheries and our sense of urgency Island, Canada regarding the ocean’s ecosystems and coastal communities was painfully obvious.

18 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Norway Individual Transferable Quotas No way to transfer fish quotas

By experimenting with different forms of quotas for its cod fishery, Norway is ignoring the lessons of other countries

he existence of stocks of Arctic cod for the Norwegian Society for the forms the basis of the settlements in Conservation of Nature. The organization Tthe northern part of Norway. The also warned that a quota which is sold is end of the 1980s saw a sharp decline in legally protected by the constitution. If, at these stocks due to extensive trawling. a later stage, the government wishes to cut This led to heated debates in the country quotas, it might have to buy them back on responsible fishing and the future from boatowners in order to execute the structure of the fishing fleet. necessary regulations. Einar Hepsoe, the leader of the fishermen’s union, called the As part of the debate, the government proposed set-up a “tragedy for the coast”. proposed to introduce individual transferable quotas (ITQs) in the fishery. The coastal people can not accept the idea These sought to ensure an ‘optimal that someone should own the fish in the allocation of resources’ in the context of ocean. Fish was a common resource and the overcapacity of the fishing fleet the fishermen fished on behalf of the resulting from the decline in stocks. ITQs community as a whole, and not as owners were meant to eliminate the need for of the resource. This fact has been an detailed management of the fishery, important part of Norwegian culture. leaving it to the market and the industry to allocate fishing rights—a sort of ‘stock The debate spotlit certain events in market’ for fishing quotas, with certain Norway’s history, like the ‘Trollfjord restrictions to safeguard the smallest boats battle’ of 1989, when a steamboat had set and ensure regional distribution. up a net, closing the mouth to the narrow Trolljford in Lofoten. This infuriated the The government held up Iceland and New hundreds of fishermen outside the area of Zealand to showcase the advantages of the net. They attacked the steamer whose ITQs. It was claimed that the numbers of crew retaliated with jets of steam from the fishermen were reduced and where boat’s engine. But the fishermen managed fishing rights tended to get concentrated to break through. in a few hands, limits were set on the transfer of quotas from one fleet or region. That incident led to the banning of purse-seining in Norwegian cod fisheries. The Norwegian fishing industry’s The Trollfjord battle became a symbol of reactions to the concept of ITQs were the common rights to fish resources. diverse. The trawl owners argued that the restrictions would inhibit the proper Idea abandoned functioning of the system. “We need The pressure on the Labour Party bigger markets and fewer restrictions on government against ITQs grew and during the transfer of quotas between the fleet the election campaign in the fall of 1991, groups,” said Audun Marak, secretary the idea was abandoned. The experiences general of the trawl owners’ union. of other countries suggest that this may have been a wise step. Iceland, which was Environmentalists and the small-scale the Norwegian government’s prime fleet reacted in the opposite fashion. example, has seen a drastic rise in its “Privatization of fishing rights will only trawler fleet and a drop in fish resources. allocate them to the capital intensive The ITQ system makes it more tempting to fleet,” said Bente Aasjerd, spokesperson fish in the high seas, where the quotas are

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 19 ‘free’. The Icelandic trawler fleet is now up having to pay more for the services of fishing Norwegian Arctic cod beyond these other skills. The municipality also Norway’s 200-mile EEZ. loses tax that these craftsmen would have otherwise paid. Norway This has been strongly opposed by the Icelandic coastal fishermen too, not only Traditionally, local fishing grounds in for moral reasons but also because money Norway have been managed by the made from high-seas fishing is used to community as a whole. When this system buy up quotas from a coastal fleet in breaks down, the small fisherfolk no economic difficulty. ITQs thus favour the longer have a voice and the management big, mobile fleet and forms yet another is left to larger coastal vessels like the threat to the small-scale fleet. Danish seiners.

When the ITQs were stopped, the Open access to fish resources is the Norwegian government settled for a backbone of Norwegian coastal culture. system of boat-quotas. Depending on its Limits must therefore be set on the size, each boat gets a certain quota. This capitalization and the efficiency of fishing closure of the commons has led to severe fleets. Only this will ensure flexibility for problems in recruiting for the coastal the community at large and not just power fleet. People used to enter fishing by for the rich few. starting out with a small boat, fishing in the evenings or on weekends and holidays, to first get a feel of the skill.

But now that fishing rights are given only to registered vessels, this option is unavailable. Very few youngsters can afford to buy a vessel with fishing rights, which is much more expensive than one without a quota.

In a way, the system still is one of transferable quotas. The only difference is that quotas from several vessels can not be now bought and acquired for a single large vessel nor can one person own many vessels.

Now that this system has been in operation for a few years, its weaknesses have become clear. It takes away from the coastal communities the control over the transfer of their own knowledge.

Today, the skills needed to become a fisherman must be ‘bought’ from the school system. It is much more difficult to start up as a coastal fisherman since you must put up with three years of expenses at ‘school’, in addition to the annual expenses on boat and gear.

The new system also threatens society in another way. In small communities, This article is by Gunncar Album of people combined fishing with farming or the Norwegian Society for the other skills like plumbing or electrical Conservation of Nature, Leines, work. When fishing is closed, many of Norway them move out to bigger regional centres. The communities they leave behind end

20 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 India Joint ventures Bad custodian of the sea

The rush by the government of India to grant licences for joint ventures to fish in the country’s deep seas is laden with danger

s strikes go, this one was the operations of shrimp trawlers. All particularly memorable. On 23 along the coastline, their clashes have led Aand 24 November 1994, the to grave law-and-order problems. marine fishing industry of India, spread across nine maritime states and covering But, on this occasion, they drowned their a coastline of over 7,500 km. came to a differences and stood side by side to virtual standstill. confront a bigger, common foe—the newly arriving, larger fishing vessels from During these two days, nearly one million foreign waters, who have been given a persons struck work. They stayed away ‘blank cheque’ to the fishery resources of from their work at sea, in processing India. plants and markets. This was a symbolic act of protest against government policies As part of the post-1992 liberal economic permitting joint ventures almost free policies of the government of India, access to the fish in the Indian Exclusive monitored by the IMF-World Bank, the Economic Zone (EEZ). country’s EEZ has been opened up to joint ventures between foreign and Indian In India, this is an industry dominated companies. The economic rationale is that largely by motivations of livelihood and since these ventures are 100 per cent subsistence. What happened on these two export-oriented, they will augment the days, therefore, was no mean foreign exchange earnings on the current achievement. Importantly, a great many account. fish consumers—estimated at nearly 300 million.also consciously chose a fish-free To date, about 170 licences, involving diet on those days. around 800 vessels, are said to have been issued. It is not known how many have The credit for the success of the strike goes actually begun operations. After the strike to the National Fisheries Action call by the NFACAJV, the authorities Committee Against Joint Ventures became very tight-lipped on this matter. (NFACAJV), spearheaded by the National However, considering that the move to Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF), which is the allow such joint ventures was taken at the federation of small-scale, artisanal country’s highest political fishworkers’ unions of the various decision-making level, there seems to be maritime states in India. little chance of an easy reversal of commitments. Ironically enough, the NFACAJV was actually a consortium of strange However, in such a hostile environment, bedfellows—traditional enemies, so to a few of the foreign enterprises who have speak. Owners of the small mechanized received licences may fight shy of actual trawlers, along with operators of export investments on joint ventures. processing facilities, joined the artisanal fishermen in this protest. Political compulsions At the political level, joint ventures are The first two groups have traditionally made out to be a fait accompli. But, given been at loggerheads with the artisanal the state of the resources in the waters of fishermen, especially during the monsoon India and its brief history of deep-sea months, over the question of regulating fishing using large fishing vessels, it is

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 21 worth pondering over the impact of these resource per sq. km. is about 70 per cent new joint ventures on the country’s fish higher in the inshore zone (11 tonnes) than economy. Estimating the living marine the offshore (6.5 tonnes). Based on these India wealth of the country has not been a official resource estimates and informed major preoccupation of its fishery industry sources, the market value of the scientists. unexploited resources in the offshore zone—theoretically, the realm of he estimates being officially operations of joint ventures—were also quoted with biblical authority recently calculated. Ttoday are based on an article by three scientists, which appeared in 1977 As much as 48 per cent of the resource in a nonprofessional publication. (0.54 million tonnes) is valued as ‘low’ (i.e. According to this, the maximum between US $500-1000 per tonne) and 38 sustainable yield (MSY) of the 2.02 million per cent (0.43 million tonnes) as ‘very low’ sq. km. Indian EEZ was placed at 4.47 (i.e. below US $500 per tonne). The real million tonnes. commercial resources—those assessed at over US $1,000 per tonne—account for Of this, 2.26 million tonnes (50 per cent) 0.164 million tonnes. Of this, 60 per cent was located in the inshore zone, between are on the west coast. the coast and the 50 m. isobath. Big business’ involvement in Indian New estimates of 1988, however, placed fishing is not really new. There was a the MSY at only 3.921 million tonnes but phase when the Indian subsidiaries of indicate the potential in the inshore zone well-known multinational corporations to be 2.28 million tonnes (58 per cent) and like Unilever and Union Carbide made in the offshore zone (50 to over 500 in.) at forays into the sea. This phase did not last 1.641 million tonnes. very long.

Such estimates of relative abundance are, Too many regulations however, no substitute for knowledge One reason was the labyrinth of about their spatial and seasonal regulations in the country’s erstwhile concentrations. On the whole, the industrial licensing policies. The other resources have a rather low density. This was the organized opposition to ‘big, bad, makes them mostly unsuited to MNC’ capital by ‘small, nationalist’ capital. large-scale commercial exploitation. This played an important role in curbing Considering the area of these zones and and finally phasing out the involvement their MSYs, the density of the fishery of big business in Indian fishing.

22 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Analysis aving achieved this, ventures by diversifying its activities and equipping it national capital, encouraged by with better on-board technologies like Hthe, liberalization of the early winches, hydraulic long-line drums, etc. 1980s, and with the backing of specialized For this, managers, skippers and crew credit agencies, began to dominate the should be trained and motivated. The scene. Post-1985, there was a rush into study foresaw some problems in adopting ‘deep-sea fishing’, with chartered vessels this approach, particularly “recent and newly purchased boats. The number policies of the development of industrial of deep-sea fishing vessels in India rose fisheries in India, which rely excessively from 68 in 1984 to 180 in 1991, taking the on foreign input and interference”. accumulated horsepower rating up from 28,700 HP to 81,200 HP. Given this status of offshore fishery resources and the history of deep-sea All efforts were concentrated in the Bay of fishing in India after 1985, why should Bengal to harvest shrimp. In five years, new foreign investors and their Indian most of the 180 vessels were toting up counterparts vie for joint venture licences? heavy losses. The credit institutions found Part of the answer lies in the present themselves saddled with large white situation in global fisheries. elephants at sea. Global marine fish catch has stagnated An FAO study for the Association of Indian around 85 million tonnes since 1989. Fishery Industries and the government of According to FAO statistics, between 1970 India examined what was needed to and 1990, in nine of the areas for salvage and rehabilitate the fishery, and monitoring global marine catch, there has redeploy and upgrade the fleet. This study been a visible downward trend. extensively analyzed the resources from biological and economic perspectives. It FAO estimates that the annual operating also comprehensively reviewed the costs of the entire global fishing fleet in history and problems faced by the existing 1989 came to US $22 billion—greater than deep-sea fishing fleet. total revenue, with no account being taken of capital costs. The study asserted that the critical situation did “not reside in the Distant-water fishing vessels the world technologies applied, which are over are in particularly bad shape. Their appropriate, nor in the shrimp market, capacities were built up with massive which is still strong”, but rather on six state subsidies which promoted easy other reasons: entry. Unfortunately, once built, a fishing vessel has a fairly long economic life but • competition from small-scale precious little other use, except as scrap mechanized fishing boats metal. For the owners, therefore, redeployment to other less exploited • over-capacity of the deep-sea fleet fishing areas is the only solution to remain in the main shrimp fishery in business.

• lack of attractive markets for the Russian vessels by-catch Moreover, much of the large distant-water fleet of the erstwhile Soviet Union is up for • absence of commercially valuable sale for a song. These vessels are, on alternative fish resources (other average, very large. Many of them were than shrimp) basically constructed for the total onboard processing of any living sea resource. • dearth of professional managers Consequently, second-hand vessels for for the fleet new joint ventures—which is what the foreign partner brings in as • poor stamina of the sea-going and contribution—are available much cheaper shore personnel than ever before.

What was needed, the report concluded, These vessels are ecologically was to redeploy the existing fleet by inappropriate for multi-species tropical

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 23 waters. Further, more often than not, they pays for his kerosene to run his are far beyond the required outboard motor) specifications. These issues, however, do India not bother the investor. • 100 per cent export, with permission to trans-ship at sea, iven that the Indian Ocean is one ensuring no check on the nature or of the least exploited oceans quantum of the resource taken or G(though the least productive the level of discards too), there is a general movement towards this region by distant-water fishing • no compulsions to dock in an vessels in search of a fresh lease of life. Indian port during operations (no forward linkages into the Thus, the liberal Indian offer seems to economy) have come at the right time. All the tabs have been taken out of earlier norms for • permission to use any foreign port joint ventures. as base of operation for fishing in Indian EEZ (encouragement to The state has made the Indian EEZ one involve in activities other than huge ‘open-access regime’ and the fishing, which may jeopardize resource is up for grabs. In such a regime, national security) there are no ‘property rights’—it is ‘possession’ that is proof of property. Implications What is likely to happen if those who have Hence, the scramble to get in quickly been awarded licences actually come to before too many join the fray. The rush is fish? The majority of these have been really not for any particular variety of given for operations along the west coast commercially valuable fish. of India. In quality and value terms, the potential resources in the offshore It is for any fish resource which can be (beyond 50 m. isobath) of this region are harvested quickly in order to grab a profit the greatest in the Indian EEZ. Over 75 per on the investment made in the joint cent of the resources considered ventures. The Indian government, on its commercially valuable and over half the part, has dangled every bait to attract resources regarded as ‘low’ and ‘very low’ foreign investment: are found here. The inshore sea of the west coast, particularly off the states of Goa, • subsidized fuel (cheaper than Karnataka and Kerala, are the most what the traditional fisherman productive in the Indian EEZ.

24 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 India However, this is also the region with the foregone conclusion. But urban highest density of fishermen. They are consumers need not be dismayed. An also among the most skilled, fishing in advertisement appearing in a national small-scale vessels in waters far beyond newspaper at about the same time as the the 50 m. isobath. Today, these fishermen strike assures urban Indian fish eaters, are also the most militant and who buy their fish from cold storages, that well-organized. They have provided the “Norwegian fish will be flying into India”, NFACAJV the main impetus to oppose the as though to compensate for the loss of joint ventures. Thus, we have here the domestic perches to the joint ventures! right recipe for bitter conflict. This honour of being able to eat day before the national fish strike, Norwegian fish is also the flip side of the the government proudly new liberalization policy which permits Aannounced that the conflict easy imports into India. The ruin of potential would be reduced by a ‘corridor’ resources and the exploitation of workers at sea, to be enforced by the coast guard. on board the fishing vessels go hand in This plan only further reveals the total hand, particularly if the enterprise’s aim is lack of understanding of policy-makers of to get away with quick profits. socio-economic and ecological realities. The majority of the crew and the deck The compulsion for quick profits, along hands on these new joint ventures are not with the unchangeable nature of the likely to be Indian fishworkers. They will resource distribution at sea, will combine most likely be composed of the to ruin the fishery resource. In a tropical ‘traditional’ crew of such deep-sea sea ecosystem, the species interactions are vessels—Filipinos, Thais, Taiwanese, highly complex and little studied. Even if Mauritians and a few Indians. the joint-venture vessels fish in the real ‘deep sea’, their impact on the rest of the Evidence suggests that the recruitment ecosystem and the resource is bound to be practices, employment terms and damaging. working conditions of these workers leave much to be desired. The implementation Many of the species are ‘straddling of relevant ILO conventions pertaining to stocks’, which move in and out of the fishermen is often flouted by asserting inshore, offshore and the deep sea at that the type of fishing vessels used takes different points in their life-cycle. them out of the purview of these Consequently, just because resources are conventions. harvested in the offshore waters there is no guarantee that the valuable resource Redeployment base in the inshore zone will be safe. Such an open-door policy for joint Scientific knowledge and understanding ventures has globally proven to benefit of this subject is still limited. This lacuna only a handful of financiers and warrants a more precautionary approach merchants. It promotes global to the management of the fishery. Adding redeployment at the cost of national more investment into these waters—and redeployment. It thus fails to create indiscriminately at that—is far from independent and genuine national desirable. fisheries enterprises. Available evidence points to the fact that very few of the During the week of the strike, one Indian counterparts in the newly licensed joint-venture vessel (originally from the joint ventures have any demonstrated erstwhile USSR) called at the port of history of involvement in the fishing Cochin in Kerala. Its catch was composed industry. Very few of them reportedly 2,000 tonnes of large perches and even belong to the Association of Indian snappers—the mainstay of the Fishery Industries. hook-and-line fishermen in the southern parts of Kerala and among the most India is a country with a rich maritime relished varieties in local markets. fishing tradition. It has a highly skilled and enterprising fishing community If joint ventures take hold, the prospects along the whole coastline and a of less fish for local consumption are a demonstrated national technological

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 25 India

capacity to make its own hardware for It is, therefore, reasonable to conclude that every sector of the fishing industry. this new policy is led and fuelled by motivations and considerations obviously Allowing joint ventures free play is the designed to favour a few but wrapped in surest way of sounding the death-knell of the packaging of liberalization and the national industry. A careful and free-market ideology, today being touted selective choice of joint-venture as the only path left to solve our problems. collaborations, where the nature of investment made is based on national Inter-generational heritage priorities and needs, by investors with a To permit this new policy on joint good track record, is what is needed. To ventures in fisheries to proceed is achieve this, there should bean ‘umbrella’ tantamount to allowing a handful of body which represents the interests of all bureaucrats and politicians to usurp the the stakeholders in the fishery, including custodianship role of the state and trade the consumers. Such a body must guide this inter-generational heritage of our and monitor joint-venture operations marine resources to parties who are towards the larger social good, without openly interested only in short-run depriving the genuine investors adequate profits. This is an affront on civil society at and sustainable returns. large. It must be opposed.

In a natural resource, when no explicit property right is defined within a country’s territory, we regard the state to be its ‘custodian’, on behalf of present and future generations. In the context of the living resources of the Indian EEZ, at stake is more than just the ‘benefit’ of earning foreign exchange or the ‘cost’ of ruin of the resource. Today, in India, we are confronted with a situation where the A slightly different version of this artisanal fishworkers, the small article by John Kurien, a social mechanized boat operators and a section scientist and Associate Fellow at of the deep-sea fishing operators with the Centre for Development some past involvement in fishing, are all Studies, Trivandrum, appeared up in arms against the present earlier in the Economic and Political joint-venture policy of the government. Weekly, Bombay

26 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Focus The turbot war The poor, lonely, homely turbot

As the whale world of fisheries watches with great interest, Canada and the EU continue to glower at each other across the fish battle lines

oor, lonely, homely turbot—this is Canada’s EEZ. Although Canadian fishers how Canada’s Minister of Fisheries, have not exploited turbot heavily PBrian Tobin, described one of the themselves, there is a recent history of last commercially exploitable groundfish joint-venture fishing, with Russian factory stocks left on the once-rich Grand Banks trawlers operating inside Canadian of Newfoundland. waters, in collaboration with a Canadian processing company. These boats did With their slimy skin and bulging eyes what mobile gear does best—they delicately arranged at art angle atop their targeted the spawning aggregations of heads, turbot are undoubtedly homely. turbot in deep waters off Baffin Island, They must also be as lonely as any fish can and they fished with brutal efficiency. get, with the northern cod and other historical friends and relations now so However, there is also evidence that greatly depleted. indicates that the fish have not simply been fished out. An alternate hypothesis is But, in fact, the homely turbot has never that, in response to recent changes in been a prized commodity. The only reason ocean water temperatures, they have for its current popularity is because fishers migrated east and south in search of have little else to harvest. The pattern of warmer, deep-slope water—a migration ‘pulse overfishing’ targeting species that has taken many of them beyond down the food chain and into deeper Canada’s EEZ to the nose of the Grand waters is part of the tragedy of the Banks. ongoing crisis in world fisheries. This migration, if it did occur, would have The piteous turbot may also be lonely for taken them out of the reach of the their own kind. Whether or not the stock technology used by Canadian fishing is actually strong enough to withstand any vessels and into the deep-water trawls of further exploitation is one of the the Spanish fishing fleet (operating, in unanswered questions. Certainly, the data some cases, below 1,000 m. depth). collected by Canadian fisheries scientists over the past few years shows a Until 1980, the existence of turbot in precipitous decline in turbot biomass all deep-slope waters had not been over the traditional fishing grounds, investigated and the high-seas turbot which lie mostly within Canada’s fishery was unregulated. Once the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Spanish fleet came in search of limit and extend from the Grand Banks unexploited stocks in the late 1980s, north to Davis’ Strait. however, the estimated catch rose from 7,600 tonnes in 1989 to over 45,000 tonnes Particularly disturbing is the fact that the in 1991, 1992 and 1993. remaining fish include very few of reproductive size. Turbot are very Small-mesh trawls slow-growing, long-living fish, and the By 1994, the retorted catch was close to disappearance of spawning biomass 60,000 tonnes. At the same time, Canadian means that recovery will be very slow. research vessels observing the high-seas fishery documented declines in fish size One does not have to look far for a possible and the increasing use of small-mesh reason for declining stocks inside trawl nets.

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 27 Focus Focus

he Spanish fleet, which has of 27,000 tonnes, with only 3,400 tonnes recently returned to the Grand being apportioned to the EU, whose boats TBanks after being expelled from took 60,000 tonnes in 1994. Namibian waters, is desperate for fish to support their coastal communities in The EU promptly contested this allocation, Galicia, which are suffering greatly from awarding themselves 18,630 tonnes the worldwide downturn in fisheries. instead. Their fleet continued to fish hard, at a rate which would have exceeded the This fleet uses very destructive total allowable catch very quickly. bottom-dragging technology, combined with sophisticated fish-finding abilities Concerned with the depletion of and skilled crew. straddling stocks of cod and other fish which had migrated to warmer deep The Spanish also have a long record of waters in recent years, the government of arrests and disputes related to Canada in 1994 exempted itself from the non-compliance with management and authority of the world court with regard conservation measures in a variety of to fisheries and amended a domestic law jurisdictions. called the Coastal Fisheries Protection Act.

Their motivation is a vigorous domestic This amendment unilaterally gave the market which happily consumes fish of government the right to board, inspect any size—even very small, and, if necessary, seize any stateless or non-reproductive fish. Therein lies the flag-of-convenience vessel fishing in basis of the dispute between Canada and contravention of NAFO conservation the European Union. measures in the NAFO fishing areas beyond 200 miles. Due to clear evidence of declining biomass, condition and size of turbot in Vessel arrested the traditional fishing areas, the Under this new law, Canada arrested the Canadian government slashed quotas for Cristina Logos, a Portuguese-Canadian domestic fishers and lobbied the vessel which became temporarily stateless Northwest Atlantic Fisheries while fishing outside of 200 miles. The Organization (NAFO) to introduce quotas Cristina Logos’ hold bore cartons of tiny for turbot. fish labelled x, xx and xxx small—clear evidence of a fishery directed at baby fish. In a meeting in February 1995, NAFO The net on board had several layers of members agreed to a total allowable catch small-meshed liners.

28 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Focus anadian authorities monitoring an investigation launched. Investigators the activities of Spanish vessels found duplicate fishing logs which were Cfishing turbot outside of 200 miles significantly different. became increasingly concerned through January, February and March of 1995. The In the logs being kept for NAFO, catches of rate at which biomass was being caught turbot were over-reported for 1994 and indicated to scientists that the boats must under-reported for 1995. Catches of be using very small-mesh nets, because by-catch species under moratorium, Canadian boats with legal-size nets could particularly American plaice, were also not catch enough fish to cover their under-reported, compared to the operating expenses. captain’s private log. Inspection of the holds revealed tonnes of immature turbot However, under existing international and plaice. The Estai’s net was retrieved law, there was no recourse beyond and found to be illegal in mesh size, with requesting Spain to monitor and enforce an even smaller mesh liner in the cod end. NAFO rules on their vessels. The request was made, but no action was taken by EU For the government of Canada, the timing authorities. was opportune. With Canadian boats tied up, Canadian fishworkers were In March, Canada amended the Coastal demanding action to curb overfishing of Fisheries Protection Act once more, stocks that represent their only hope for a granting themselves authority to board future fishery. and, if necessary, arrest not just flag-of-convenience vessels but also Focusing attention on foreign fishing Spanish and Portuguese vessels deemed vessels distracted Canadians from the to be fishing in contravention of NAFO thorny issues of the use and abuse of agreements. Actions specifically allowed technologies in their own fisheries, past under the amended CFPA included the and future, and the problems of deciding cutting of trawl warps and boarding of who would benefit from allocations in any vessels. future fishery—corporations or communities. The stage was now set for a fish war. The rest of Canada was also in the mood On 9 March, after issuing warnings to the for a diversion. After a brutal Spanish vessels fishing on the Grand deficit-slashing budget and with the Banks, Canadian fisheries officers closed separatist referendum looming in Quebec, in on the vessel Estai and asked leave to finding an external enemy was a standard board the vessel in order to arrest it for political manoeuvre. illegal fishing practices. Further, there was the United Nations This vessel had been noted in 1993, when Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and the Canadian authorities asked the EU to Highly Migratory Fish Stocks scheduled investigate the Estai for fishing species for the end of March to mid-April—the under moratorium. The investigation was perfect media opportunity. never pursued. Masterful media event As the Canadian fisheries officers Fisheries Minister Brian Tobin brought all attempted to board the Estai, the crew cut these together masterfully in a media the warps on their nets, letting it fall to the event in New York Harbour on 28 March. ocean floor, and then, after casting off the Three busloads of reporters were given a ropes, steamed away into the fog. ferry ride across the harbour to a barge upon which was a crane holding up the The Canadian boat pursued the Estai for Estai’s net. several hours, while other Spanish vessels attempted to run interference. The Estai There, to explain how the net worked, stopped and was boarded after Canadian were two young fisheries officers who had officers fired four bursts of gunfire over escorted the exhibit down from her bow. The vessel was escorted to the Newfoundland. The net was artfully port of St. Johns, the captain arrested, and arranged to frame the view of the UN

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 29 agenda, just as suddenly as it had surfaced. This reflects the true agenda of Canada’s current government—deficit

Focus Focus reduction at any cost. In the recent national budget, aid to developing countries and north-south NGO project assistance were both slashed.

At the time of writing, Canada and the EU have not come to any agreement. The Spanish boats are still dragging tiny turbot off the deep ocean floor, even though nobody knows whether the year’s total allowable catch for turbot has been caught or not. According to the new agreement, these boats must now carry an independent observer who will report to NAFO any violations of their fisheries management policy—for instance, the use of illegal small-mesh nets or the by-catch of endangered stocks. The fleet will also be under surveillance by satellite. buildings in the background. In addition to measuring the mesh size with We are waiting to see whether the EU NAFO-approved calipers, the officers Canada- agreement will be displayed tiny turbot and plaice taken implemented and enforced, and whether from the hold of the Spanish boat. there will be the political will in the EU to prosecute any of their vessels that may be Then Minister Tobin made his reported by the observers to be violators. impassioned speech to save the lonely, homely turbot—part of which he referred More importantly, have these measures to as a planetary treasure and an essential been put in place in time to save the turbot component of the protein needed to feed from commercial extinction? And what the world’s people. As a will be Canada’s future policy on the consciousness-raising effort, the New exploitation of spawning biomass by York media event was terrific. In terms of joint-venture or domestic draggers the UN Conference, however, it was not so operating inside the 200-mile limit? positive, as wrangling between Canada Conflicting needs and the EU dominated comments on the floor at a time when delegates needed to Unless the UN Conference on Straddling concentrate on co-operation. and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks makes a rapid and major forward movement, we Most disheartening of all was the can only expect more fish wars to erupt, as evidence that the Canadian delegation stocks continue to decline and was not going to follow through on their governments wrestle with the conflicting Minister’s dedication to conservation. needs of long-term conservation and immediate economic returns. In a discussion on the practical application of the precautionary approach in fisheries management, Canada argued that this section of the convention should not be mandatory because, although they were, of course, committed to a precautionary approach, This article is by Irene Novaczek of the poor developing nations could not the Oceans Caucus, Canada afford it. Therefore, it should not be mandatory for any nation. Suddenly, preserving fish for the common good of all people on the planet was off the

30 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Focus The turbot war The beginning of the end

Canada may have become the Guardian Angel of the Atlantic, but the losers in the fight over halibut can only be the Galician fisherfolk

he slashing of halibut quotas in the TAC of 27,000 tonnes, objected to the final waters of Northwest Atlantic allocation of quotas, which allowed 56 TFisheries Organization (NAPO) is boats—Galician and Portuguese—to yet another nail in the coffin for the catch 3,400 tonnes of halibut for 1995, and long-distance fleet of Galicia, hit by the fixed an overall quota of 18,630 tonnes for worst fishery crisis since the 1980s. its fleet. The NAFO agreement incorporates a clause by which members can raise In March 1994, Canada unilaterally objections on quota allocations. In declared a law which, in violation of response, Canada applied a moratorium international maritime rights, empowers throughout the entire fishing ground, them to inspect and arrest foreign which the EU did not accept. fishermen in international waters, under the guise of marine conservation. The The tension and threats finally spilled Canadian threat to Galician and over to the fishing grounds. On 9 March, Portuguese boats began from that time. Canadian patrol boats, violating Galician crews working in the NAFO area international law, chased, fired on and denounced this law that very year. This captured the Vigo fishing boat Estai, was the first part of the strategy planned accusing it of illegal fishing in by the government of Ottawa to expel the international waters regulated by NAFO. European fleet from the area adjoining the Grand Banks. In Galicia, the response was one of complete indignation. The community The NAFO meeting in Halifax last came out in force against this arrest, and September rewarded Canadian pressure 100,000 people demonstrated in Vigo in with two victories. Not only did this support of the fishing fleet and demanded international organization for fisheries the unconditional release of the boat and development fail to denounce the law to its captain. extend the EEZ, but NAFO went on to reduce the total halibut quota to 27,000 Contravention tonnes, thereby limiting access to In the meantime, the day after the arrest of European fishing boats. the boat, the EU negotiated a new quota allocation with Canada, the nation which Existing data on the halibut fishery in this had contravened international region suggests the need for caution in regulations and rights. The negotiations exploiting this species. Hence, NAFO continued while the fishing fleet remained decided to impose, for the first time, a powerless against new attacks from the TAC (total allowable catch) limit. The, Canadian navy, also in international scientific committee of the organization waters, which included cutting the trawl recommended limiting catches to 40,000 cables, endangering sailors’ lives. tonnes. However, Ottawa fought to get this reduced to 27,000 tonnes. There The results were exactly what one would followed a very close voting in which expect from negotiations carried out Cuba’s support proved decisive. under armed threat. Canada doubled its halibut quotas and vigorously maintained Under pressure from the fisheries sector the extension of its 200-mile zone, and the governments of Galicia and Spain, promising not to arrest any more the EU, which did not initially oppose the European boats, and the EU reduced its

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 31 Focus Focus

fishing opportunities by a quarter. The Atlantic have caught, on average, 62,000 terms and conditions of the conditions tonnes of halibut annually. Of this, 43,000 under which the agreement was tonnes came from the Galician fleet. The negotiated have created a growing 1995 fishing quotas for these fleets have mistrust of the EU within the Galician been cut to 11,000 tonnes by the bilateral fishery sector. agreement. This was accepted by Spain but rejected by Galicia and not ratified by irmly, and supported by arguments Portugal, the other EU country affected. of conservation rejected by FGreenpeace, Canada began a Today there are 38 Galician freezer campaign to discredit the European fleet, trawlers with 1,250 crew members accusing it of committing repeated working in this fishery, where the 180 or infringements. The Canadian authorities so boats which used to operate in the forgot to report to their countrymen the Namibian waters have relocated after the violation of a rational agreement on moratorium in 1990. fishery resources within their own waters. They used this ‘crusade against The halibut fishery indirectly generates foreigners’ to momentarily resolve their around 9,000 land-based jobs, which internal political problems, the demands range from storage and marketing to the for independence and the need to satisfy manufacture of nets, fishing gears, their 40,000 unemployed fishermen. The boatyards, and rope making. The Canadian government presented itself to combined catching and processing sectors the world as the Guardian Angel of the of the halibut fishery generate a total of 20 Atlantic. billion pesetas annually.

The Canadian campaign of Worsening crisis self-promotion was even well received With the quota cuts, revenue loss will be within the EU. It was chiefly England and as high as 18 billion pesetas, according to Ireland who openly supported the the estimates of boatowners. They fear Canadian position during the conflict and that the economic crisis will only worsen, the negotiations, thus breaking the with a greater loss of market for halibut in principle of unity within the EU and Europe, including Italy and France, and creating a breach across the defence of foreign markets like Japan. These cuts will Spanish and Portuguese interests. make redundant two-thirds of the existing crew members and some 7,000 shore Until this year, boats from Galicia and workers. The entire fishery employs Portugal fishing in the north-west around 30,000 people, almost four per cent

32 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Focus of the active workforce. The overall The FAO statistics are quite clear on the socio-economic impact of reduced catches situation of exploitation, overexploitation in every fishing ground worked by the and decline of this planet’s fishing Galician fleet is far more serious. grounds. There are no industrial fishing fleets which abide by the rules, and ver half the Galician Galicia, as the leading fishing power of population—three million Europe, has to take its share of the Opeople—live along the coast. responsibility too. Fishing and fishery-related activities like processing and shellfish extraction make Namibia, Boston, the Malvinas, Morocco up the economic fabric of the coastal and Argentina are all destinations for the communities. Every seagoing job Galician fleet. The reduction in the indirectly generates four more number of boats is a necessity imposed by shore-based jobs. The fishery accounts for the current state of the stocks and the more than 6.5 per cent of the Gross increasing development of the fishery Domestic Product. sectors of coastal nations in the Third World. The region of Morrazo, next to Vigo, along with others farther from Vigo, like La Long recession Guardia and Ribeira, are among the areas For almost two decades, Galician fishery worst hit by the agreement between the EU activities have suffered from an and Canada. Half the active workforces uninterrupted recession. In spite of an here live off the sea, mainly working on annual loss of thousands of direct and the long-distance fleet. Unemployment indirect jobs, the fishery sector is still not and poverty will convert these fishing recognized as one needing communities into social dustbins. rationalization. Boatowners have been systematically subsidized by the EU to Apart from the grave socio-economic scrap and export their boats. However, for consequences and the implications of the crew, there are no alternatives to early having accepted the outcome of retirement or unemployment. negotiations under threat of violence, the halibut war also underlines the inability of The role of unions and governments is to international organizations to manage put in place measures to train and fisheries. NAFO still has not called a joint redeploy sailors in other activities, to meeting to address the serious problem encourage the development of businesses which has arisen in the waters for which and co-operatives, in short, to guarantee it is responsible. the workers’ rights to a source of work.

The member states of the organization, Until now, it has been easier to pay except Poland, have preferred that boatowners to decommission their boats Canada and the EU reach a bilateral or redeploy them to other fishing grounds. solution, instead of negotiating a joint But now there are no free seas left. For the resolution to the conflict. Galician fleet, the halibut war marks the beginning of the end. Ever since its foundation, NAFO has witnessed an increasing degradation of the resources under its management, until it has had to impose moratoriums on fishing some species due to stock collapses.

NAFO, like other bodies which regulate fishery zones, legally protects signatories who do not fulfill agreements on quotas This article, by Monica Justo, from and other conservation measures. To this the fishing port of Vigo Province of limited management capacity is added the Galicia in north-west Spain, has lack of political will of the fishing powers. been translated by Brian O’Riordan But one cannot continue to merely play at management.

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 33 The turbot war

Focus Focus Beyond quotas and mesh size

Though Newfoundlanders may have wanted tougher measures in the Canada-EU skirmish, the real message in the ‘turbot wars’ is a much larger one

he recent dispute between Canada communities. This has made all the more and the European Union over devastating the impact of the disastrous TGreenland halibut (turbot) quotas decline in key groundfish stocks. on the Green Banks has drawn widespread international attention to the As recently as 1988, quotas for the major tragedy that has befallen fishing groundfish stocks fished by communities on Canada’s Atlantic coast. Newfoundlanders—cod, flounder, turbot, redfish and others—were slightly The high-stakes, high-profile dispute over 500,000 tonnes. By 1994, these had dominated European and Canadian dropped below 45,000 tonnes—a decline newscasts and newspapers for weeks and of over 90 per cent in just six years. attracted a great deal of attention elsewhere in the world as well. The prognosis for the future of these stocks is not encouraging. A total of Now that the dispute has been resolved, fourteen stocks are under moratorium, the tens of thousands of Atlantic including the stock that was historically Canadians who have been displaced by Canada’s largest, the so-called Northern the crisis in our groundfish resources will Cod stock, which for centuries supported be watching closely to see if this dispute a fishery ranging between 200,000 and will mark a real turning point in our 300,000 tonnes annually, all of which was struggle to rebuild our fishing society. fished with fixed gear until the advent of the distant-water factory-freezer trawler Nearly 40,000 Atlantic Canadians have fleet from Europe in the 1950s. been affected by the closure of 14 principal groundfish stocks on the On 2 July 1992, when Canada’s Minister of Atlantic coast. Approximately 30,000 of Fisheries and Oceans closed the Northern the affected workers live in the province Cod stock for two years (later extended by of Newfoundland, which has a total five more years), the effect on our employed workforce of just over 200,000. province was overwhelming. The economic impact was partially offset by a To understand the significance of the government compensation programme turbot dispute, it is necessary to for the affected fish harvesters and comprehend the nature of processing workers. Newfoundland society. Two years from now, we will be commemorating the Centuries old 500th anniversary of the discovery by But the greater impact arose from the European settlers of Newfoundland, abrupt halt to centuries of activity that had Canada’s most easterly province, which been passed on from generation to today has a population of about 577,000, generation. As one fishermen put it in an scattered in 700 communities over 17,500 interview shortly after he was put out of km. of coastline. work by the moratorium, “If I’m not a fisherman, what am I?” It was the tremendous abundance of fish off Newfoundland’s coast that attracted Since then, the situation has worsened, as settlement in the first place. For centuries, more fisheries have been closed in a the fishery has been our main employer desperate attempt to let the stocks recover and the mainstay of most of our coastal from all-time low levels. Dozens of fish

34 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Focus plants were closed and hundreds of large EU reported a catch of 851,600 tonnes. But, and small vessels decommissioned or just according to the estimate of Canadian left tied to the wharf. For many years, enforcement authorities, the Europeans fixed-gear fishermen have been warning actually caught 1,362,600 tonnes. Even the about the decline in our stocks. catches they reported came to more than fivefold the quotas awarded to them by hough shellfish and some pelagic NAFO. fisheries still exist, for generations Tthe groundfish stocks have NAFO, unfortunately, has been a toothless provided most of the employment in the tiger. It has only 10 per cent observer Newfoundland fishery. Significantly, coverage, and that too by the flag state. Canada’s 200-mile EEZ does not There is no provision for real-time encompass our total continental shelf. An reporting and the enforcement regime is accident of nature has given us a full of loopholes. That is why, in May 1994, continental shell which extends beyond the Parliament of Canada passed a law 200 miles, and a number of our most authorizing the federal government to important fish stocks straddle the designate classes of vessels against which 200-mile limit. it can take enforcement action beyond the 200-mile zone. While Canadian fishermen and fish-plant workers were forced to absorb the The government initially designated cutbacks and closures outlined above, flag-of-convenience countries, outside the European vessels just beyond our jurisdiction of NAFO. The designation of 200-mile limit have actually increased these countries and bilateral pressure on their fishing effort. With callous disregard the various states by Canada effectively for quotas, mesh sizes and other fisheries drove the flag-of-convenience vessels off management regulations, the Europeans the so-called ‘nose and tail’ of the Grand have played a primary role in the Banks, the key fishing areas just outside destruction of our crucial stocks. 200 miles.

From 1988 to 1994, the Europeans had Howls of protest quotas totalling 164,400 tonnes from the Effectively, this act and the accompanying Northwest Atlantic Fisheries regulations extended the boundaries of Organization (NAFO), the international international law. The EU howled in body responsible for managing the area of protest. The reason soon became clear. Canada’s continental shelf which lies Earlier this year, NAFO had set a total beyond 200 miles. During that period, the allowable catch.

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 35 100 per cent observer coverage, 35 per cent satellite coverage, improved inspection, hailing and reporting of catches, and other

Focus Focus measures intended to give the authorities the tools to enforce and police quotas, mesh sizes and other fisheries management regulations.

To be sure, the settlement is not ideal. Newfoundlanders would have preferred tougher enforcement measures which did not give any more fish to the Europeans. Having said that, we believe the new agreement is a major step in managing straddling fish stocks. We expect that there will be problems with the new regime and it will require further amendment and correction.

This agreement at least holds out a glimmer of hope for a fishing society whose future has looked very bleak for a This totalled 27,000 tonnes for the long time. There is now some hope that declining Greenland halibut stocks and the painful cutbacks we have had to the EU was awarded only 3,400 tonnes. endure, may not have been totally in vain. The EU announced that it would take It has also been very encouraging to see advantage of the ultimate loophole in the the support that we have received, not NAFO Convention, the so-called only from across Canada, but from other “Objection Procedure”, which allows any countries, notably Great Britain. NAFO member country to file a formal written objection to any quota and During the course of this dispute, we have thereby choose not be bound by it. exposed to the international community an issue that is vital to our livelihoods. We When this happened and the Europeans believe the outcome pushes the whole fished more than their quota, the debate on the management of straddling government of Canada acted, arresting fish stocks and all fish stocks, in general, the Spanish trawler Estai. With that arrest, to a higher level. The message has to go came the disclosure of dual logs on board out that fishing countries and fishing the vessel, a high percentage of people are serious about conservation and undersized fish, and the discovery of a enforcement. hidden hold containing 25 tonnes of American plaice, a stock under The so-called ‘turbot wars’ always stood moratorium. Canadian authorities also for more than mere turbot. They are about retrieved the Estai’s net, which, to no all straddling fish stocks in the northwest one’s surprise, carried undersized mesh Atlantic. But they are really about the containing an illegal liner or inner mesh. fishing crisis that has gripped the world fishing community. This led to the protracted dispute that included a diplomatic war of words, Canadian patrol ships cutting the ropes of another Spanish trawler, protests and This article is by Earle McCurdy, demonstrations on both sides of the president of the Fish, Food and Atlantic, and ultimately, a settlement, Allied Workers (FFAW/CAW), which against which Spanish fishing interests represents over 20,000 fish are still protesting bitterly. The settlement harvesters and processing workers of the turbot dispute gave the EU in the province of Newfoundland approximately three times as much and is affiliated with The Canadian. Greenland halibut as they received under Auto Workers Union the original NAFO Convention. It includes

36 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Focus The turbot war Flying the Canadian flag

The pro-Canada zest that recently swept through UK and Irish fishermen should not hide the fact of interdependence in fisheries

t was nationalism at its farcical peak. Tory seats and local elections which A feverish zest for Canada swept caused Major to be so outspoken. Ithrough British and Irish fishing communities, as the European Union’s Superficial analyses proclaimed a racist Fisheries Minister slogged it out with element, and that disenchantment with Canada over quota allocations on the EU was leading people to be nostalgic Newfoundland’s Grand Banks. While the about Commonwealth ties. Spain charged formal EU position condemned Canada Canada with organizing a smear for piracy on the high seas, the British campaign against it, and said it had been press rejoiced in the defeat of the ‘Spanish made a scapegoat for Canada’s fisheries armada’. problems.

Canada fervour reached dizzy heights Whatever the reasons and circumstances when a Cornish fishing boat from which led to the strong support for Newlyn—the Stereden Va Browas Canada’s cause in the UK, there is a long mistakenly arrested by French customs. It and bitter history to Hispano-Britannic was flying the Canadian flag, and the local fish disputes—most recently in the authorities assumed it was Canadian and so-called tuna war in August 1994 landing fish in France illegally! (SAMUDRA No: 10 & 11, December 1994). UK fishermen have little faith in the Overnight Canadian flags became a craze enforcement of fishery regulations in all over the UK. The first reported sightings Spanish ports, where, they claim, of the distinctive red and white maple leaf undersized fish and those beyond quota insignia came from Newlyn in Cornwall. limits are landed with impunity By Easter, Canadian flags were flying from masts in many British and Irish They also feel that British fishing interests fishing ports. For several days, the are being traded against other Canadian High Commissioner was kept concessions, for example, in agriculture. busy traversing the country, handing out They think that if the UK unilaterally Canadian flags and drumming up declares a 200-mile exclusive fishing zone, support for his country’s cause. Britain, nearly 80 per cent of the EU’s fish stocks especially Cornwall, rapidly became the would belong to the UK. The ‘Save British most favoured tourist spot for Canadians. Fish Campaign’ wants the UK to leave the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and As the negotiations grew more heated and thereby gain exclusive access to these fish intractable, Spain demanded that stocks. sanctions be applied to Canada. The British Prime Minister, John Major, risked Similar situation a diplomatic breach with Spain and a clash In many Ways, Spain faces almost the with the European Commission by same situation that the UK fishing industry speaking out forcefully in support of faced in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Canada. He strongly opposed trade When Spain joined the EU in 1986, it was sanctions on Canada, and asserted that subject to a restrictive list system of vessels long-standing Commonwealth ties were which were allowed limited fishing more important than obligations to opportunities in EU waters. These another EU country. Cynics said that it was restrictions are to be reviewed prior to more an issue of concern over marginal Spain’s full integration in January 1996.

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 37 ith Spain’s entry into the EU in them as disrespectful of the law. They also 1986, the European fishing strongly identify with the Canadian capacity is said to have swelled charges against the Spanish vessel, Estai,

Focus Focus W by 75 per cent. Spain’s fishing fleet is this was particularly strong among the Europe’s largest—17,000 vessels and fishermen of Ireland, where, by end 1994, 92,000 persons sailing them. It is often 24 of the 39 fishing boats detained in Irish said that, due to its powerful fishing waters were Spanish or UK-registered interests, Spain is the tail that wags (’flags of convenience’) Spanish boats. European fishing policy. In December 1994, all 12 ministers of the UK fishermen are sore that the size of EU met in Brussels to discuss, among other Spain’s fishing fleet forces other things, the terms of accession of Spain and European states to cut theirs to match the a review of the restrictions applied on that resources available. They feel Spain country. should have been asked to reduce its own fleet size before it was allowed to enter the The council of fisheries ministers agreed CFP. to lift some of these and allow the Spanish limited entry to the waters of the so-called Although its access to EU waters is ‘Irish Box’ an area of protected (limited severely restricted, Spain has the capacity access) waters around Ireland. This to catch four times its current allocated caused an uproar in the UK and Ireland. quotas. British fishermen feel threatened by this, especially since Spain is losing Fuelling concern access to many of its traditional UK fishermen are also concerned that, over distant-water grounds. the next eight years, Spain will build a track record of fishing stocks to which As one of the world’s largest consumers they are denied access, thus allowing of fish—1.9 million tonnes annually, over them to claim ‘traditional rights’ thrice the rest of the EU—the Spanish also thereafter. Fuelling this concern is a recent have a reputation for eating small, deal between France and Spain in which immature fish. This is something that the Spanish have traded 9,000 tonnes of particularly worries UK and Irish anchovy quotas for cod, haddock, saithe, fishermen. monk fish and hake. These are nominal amounts. Rightly or wrongly, many British and Irish fishermen harbour a deep suspicion However, it now means that Spain can of Spanish fishing companies, regarding catch all these species in areas formerly

38 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Focus

denied to it. It is claimed that Spain has been given an enhanced fishing opportunity ‘through the back door.

ith feelings running high and many Cornish and Irish boats Wnow preparing for high-seas tuna fishing, a repeat of last year’s violence seems inevitable.

Somehow, common ground must be found for fishermen from Spain and other EU nations to sit down and talk with one another. In the UK and Ireland, Spanish fishermen may appear villains, but without Spanish markets, many British fishing operations would simply not be viable.

Annual British fish exports to Spain are estimated at 137 million pounds sterling. Most of the tuna caught by Cornish fishermen is also sold in Spain.

There seems to be an important issue of interdependence: British fishermen need Spanish markets, and Spanish fishermen want access to ‘British’ fishing grounds. Surely the time has come to sit down together and negotiate.

This article is by Brian O’Riordan of Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG), UK

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 39 The turbot war

Focus Focus The fish need peace

Freedom to fish must now be circumscribed by international provisions to come up under the aegis of the UN

part from a handful of experts Canada, fish stocks that lived and and the representatives of the reproduced across the 200-mile line and Agovernments directly involved, other fish stocks whose long-range the world had barely taken note of the peregrinations bore no relevance to an proceedings of the United Nations arbitrary line on a map. Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. The Law of UNCLOS simply contained a perfunctory the Sea Convention, negotiated between call for co-operation among states and 1973 and 1982, had finally come into force thus the stage was set for eventual clashes in the fall of 1994 and surely whatever between the coastal states that saw their had been left out was not worth worrying resources inside 200 miles threatened by about. unregulated fishing outside and the distant-water fishing states (DWFS) who And then, suddenly, just before the UN remained attached to the traditional Conference could start its fifth session in unrestricted freedom of fishing on the March of this year, news agencies around high seas. the world reported that Canada’s Mounties (Federal police) had boarded It is to fill this vacuum and prevent those the Spanish fishing vessel, the Estai, on clashes that the United Nations the high seas, arrested it and taken it to Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and the port of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Highly Migratory Fish Stocks was where charges were laid against the convened but, unfortunately, not soon vessel and its captain. enough to be of use as regards the mounting tensions between Canada and What could have prompted peace-loving, the European Union (EU) over the Spanish peace-keeping Canada to apparently fleet’s fishing practices and the violate the sacrosanct freedom of fishing unavoidable consequent confrontation. on the high seas against its long-standing friend and NAFO ally, Spain? The immediate cause of the dispute was a matter of allocating quotas for Greenland It had long been known that the UN halibut (turbot) to the EU out of an agreed Convention on the Law of the Sea Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 27,000 (UNCLOS), even at its early stages of tonnes. When the Northwest Atlantic development, had ignored calls by Fisheries Organization (NAFO), a regional countries such as Canada for a fisheries organization that regroups 15 countries, legal regime which would have granted including Canada and the EU, allocated coastal states exclusive rights to their some 3,400 tonnes to the EU and a much offshore stocks throughout their range. larger share to Canada (over 16,000 tonnes), the EU then had recourse to Instead, UNCLOS preferred a NAFO’s objection procedure, a legal device straightforward, if simplistic, that meant that the NAFO allocation would all-encompassing limit of 200 miles. That not apply to them. this 200-mile limit brought great benefits to the world’s coastal states is undeniable. Unilateral But it left a gaping lacuna in so far as there They further unilaterally allocated to existed in many areas of the oceans, such themselves over 18,000 tonnes. Since as the wide continental shelves off everyone agreed that the TAC should

40 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Focus remain at 27,000 tonnes, it was obvious strongly argued with the EU that their that the legal quotas when added to the action, although legal in the strict narrow EU’s unilateral quotas would produce sense, amounted to total disregard and total catches greatly exceeding the TAC complete undermining of NAFO’s arid further threatening the resource itself. endeavours to properly manage and safely conserve the resource. he two positions that could not be reconciled were based on a The EU, refusing any negotiation on the Tthree-year old claim by the EU to a substance of the dispute, went its merry large portion of the stocks outside the way and established its unilateral quota. 200-mile limit and on a Canadian claim Canada was left with the alternative of based on 13 years (1977-89) of fishing for either caving in and watching its last 75 to 80 per cent of the stock inside the commercial stock disappear or standing 200-mile line. firm on the grounds of necessity.

The EU resort to the objection procedure Canada stood firm! was not without precedent. In the 1980s, interestingly enough, after Spain joined Much has been made of the events that the EU, the Europeans had followed. Shots across the abandoned their bow when the Estai refused traditional cooperation to stop at first, boarding by within NAFO and had an armed party which is taken, year registering It proved beyond the the norm, anyway), the their objections to many shadow of a doubt that the recovery of the net which of the quotas for stocks the Estai discarded and that straddled Canada’s Spanish fishing fleet had which turned out to be 200-mile limit, into areas been fishing for everything undersize and included an that are called the Nose it could catch, in complete even smaller liner, a catch and Tail of the Grand consisting of mostly Banks. Those areas are the disregard of existing juvenile fish, fraudulent more sensitive as they regulations and simple logbooks, also a hidden correspond to the compartment with an spawning grounds for conservation standards. excessive amount of most of the stocks. by-catch, etc., etc.

Canada, at that time, was It proved beyond the beginning to realize that shadow of a doubt that the its principal fish Spanish fishing fleet had stocks—northern cod, redfish and been fishing for everything it could catch, American plaice—were declining. in complete disregard of existing Recognizing its own shortcomings and regulations and simple conservation responsibility, Canada established ever standards. Previous observation and more restrictive conditions on its some NAFO inspections had already fishermen, eventually total moratoriums. pointed out these violations to relevant authorities but the EU and Spain whose Meanwhile, the EU unilaterally set its own flag protected these vessels were either quotas and fished the same stocks very unwilling or unable to correct the hard on the Nose and Tail. Stock after situation. stock simply disappeared as commercial assets. Throughout that period, there was No more encounters nothing Canada could do to counter EU Apart from the clean cutting of the warp objections. Freedom to fish according to of another Spanish vessel, the Pescamaro one’s wishes, irrespective of legally Uno, no further physical contact took agreed decisions in NAFO, appeared to be place on the high seas during the the only law. following five weeks, even though the north-west Atlantic Ocean in winter time Given that background, Canada, in 1995, is not to be compared for comfort to a could simply not tolerate a repetition of Swiss lake. Fortunately, there were no the disastrous practices of the past and accidents.

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 41 anada and the EU eventually 21) which, for the first time, attempts to entered into serious negotiations provide reasonable solutions for the kind and on 20 April 1995 signed an of problems Canada was recently faced

Focus Focus C agreement which not only settles the with, i.e. what does one do when agreed quota allocation question (10,000 tonnes rules are disregarded and when the state each for Canada and the EU) but, more responsible is unwilling or unable to act? importantly, establishes, as a pilot A new text, in the first instance provides, project, a scheme that will ensure the under the umbrella of regional presence of an impartial observer on organizations or arrangements, for right every EU or Canadian ship fishing on the of a member state to board and inspect the high seas. Many other enforcement vessels of any other state whether or not mechanisms are also provided for. the latter is a member of the regional organization. The lesson from all of this is quite clear—and leads us back to the UN Secondly, it recognizes that it is the right Conference. With 70 per cent of the world of the flag state to intervene and take fisheries resources being either fully or appropriate action in respect of an alleged overexploited, coastal states’ regimes violation, but it goes further than existing must be reinforced and the lacuna that international law by allowing the exists for straddling fish stocks and inspecting state to act by itself if the flag highly migratory fish stocks must be state does not choose to do so within three covered. working days. At last, we will have the assurance that something will be done Freedom of fishing on the high seas, when it has to be done and it will no longer which, under UNCLOS, was already be necessary to resort to extraordinary and subject to the rights, duties and interests dangerous measures to solve problems. of coastal states, need not be abolished but it must be exercised according to Freedom with restraint binding, enforceable rules, as agreed by There will now be a sixth and last session the international community as a whole of the Conference in July/August this or by regional or sub-regional fisheries year. Hopefully, by then, some of those management and conservation distant-water fishing states that have so organizations. far been reluctant to renounce one iota of their cherished freedom will have come And that is what one may optimistically around to understanding that, given the predict is about to happen at the UN state of world fisheries, that freedom must Conference. be exercised with some restraint. As indicated above, the rights of the flag At its recently concluded Fifth Session, states are not being denied; flag states are the Chairman of the Conference, only being forced to exercise their rights Ambassador Nandan of Fiji, produced a properly. new revision of a draft agreement that reflects the views of the large majority of Canada, which has been at the forefront of participating states and embodies the UN efforts, can look forward to if provisions which will ensure that the end establishment of new international, product will be a binding instrument, provisions that will go a long way to enforceable and subject to sound, enable it to protect and conserve the practical settlement of dispute resources of the sea that are an integral procedures. There will be a number of part of its economy. improved rules for the proper management and conservation of the resources, both inside and outside the 200-mile limit such as the precautionary approach, which will serve as useful tools This position has been articulated for those responsible for the sustainable by Brian Tobin, Minister of Fisheries utilization of the resources. and Oceans, Canada

Most importantly, the revised text now contains an article of enforcement (Article

42 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Focus The turbot war Shame!

In the recent conflict with Canada, the government of Spain has dishonoured its fisherfolk, charges a women’s association

he women’s association of Rosa The television image of Mrs Bonino dos Ventos would like to make toasting with champagne the ‘historic’ Tpublic its indignation and shame at fisheries agreement will stay in our the Spanish government’s “dropping memories forever. As far as we are their pants” and grovelling before Canada concerned, this toast had nothing to do in the recent dispute between the two with a good agreement. Instead, it was countries over fishing for turbot off the meant only to cheer the triumph of Grand Banks. Canada.

This was just one more blow against our This Association would known to the fishermen who, as always, pay the price politicians were toasting their for bad fisheries agreements, where the champagne, we had only like to make it only interests which motivate our that while they success’ with water. representatives are the fat salaries with which they line their pockets at the But, fortunately, in Galicia, water is expense of our fishermen. abundant and, furthermore, it is pure and crystalline—just the opposite of the Once they have reached an agreement, gentlemen of the government, whose they seem to say, “Now we can relax, after attitude has cost the Spanish people their all the exhausting and endless work in the dignity. European Union.”

But, in fact, while they pretended to negotiate, the agreement had already been reached.

Our government, as always, was all talk and no action.

The President of the Spanish government said on television that we ought to read the Portuguese press which defended the government’s position on the agreement.

We now understand what Senor Gonzalez meant when he said that Portugal was displaying something our government never had—shame and a concern for maritime people.

Senor Almunia, as overbearing and This opinion has been expressed by absurd as ever, has been electioneering the directors of Rosa dos Ventos, and campaigning with those who are Spain opposed to the agreement. Rosa dos Ventos feels that he is aiming for a rapid promotion to the throne of the Minister of Fisheries.

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 43 Fisheries vs. environment Liberal economics not the answer Response Response The social conditions of fishworkers are not easily placed on the agenda of industrial fisheries or liberal economics

here is a serious shortfall in management and allied debates, information reaching fishing including in Europe: how can the Tcommunities in France—and issues being discussed during the UN Europe, in general—about the debate Conference in New York be seen to over improved resource management to be meaningful by fishworkers’ end the present fish stocks crisis. organizations?

At the recent UN sessions in New York • devise a clear strategy during the and Rome (on high-seas fishing and the rest of the UN Conference with Code of Conduct for Responsible regard to how the EU/ACP fisheries Fisheries), European fishermen were agreements campaign is referred to. represented essentially by the high-seas This requires inputs into the fishing lobby and by para-public officials. Coalition for Fair Fisheries This partly explains the information Agreements about the issues being shortfall. discussed in New York and theft relevance to fisheries agreements. Moreover, the social conditions of Support for monitoring of fishworkers and their families, much long-distance fishing (in West aggravated by the crisis, are very Africa, South Asia, Klondike, etc) inadequately addressed in Brussels, the could be appropriate, as well as for headquarters of the EU. Although the setting up regional management interests of European fishworkers differ schemes (for example, in West widely, the industrial fisheries lobby and Africa), and the distinction should the predominance of issues prescribed by be made between European laissez-faire liberal economics are really long-distance fisheries and local the main obstacles in any progress fishermen towards a more human fisheries policy in Europe. • do research on the impacts of international trade on fishing effort As regards the use of the ‘ecological and the marine environment: would weapon’, it should be discussed with this not show that a precautionary groups like Greenpeace what can be done approach for the exploitation of a to: limited resource requires market regulation (thus countering • promote an environment- simplistic liberal allegations that development approach, with regard defending a local fishery is to support for sustainable tantamount to protectionism)? fisheries—the FAO’s Code for Responsible Fisheries could help here—combating pollution arid other environmental degradation, This addition to the earlier debate etc; positive efforts by fishworkers’ with Greenpeace (SAMUDRA No: 10 organizations should be highlighted & 11, December 1994) comes from James Smith, Charge de Mission, • respect the right of fishworkers’ Programme Mer, CCFD, Paris organizations to be represented and get more involved in resource

44 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Women Awareness-building A long way to go

To raise consciousness on women’s problems is not an easy task, as a recent meeting in Spain found out

omen’s associations from single response was received from France, Portugal, Andalucia, seagoing fishermen. The association Rosa Wthe Basque country and Galicia dos Ventos draws attention to this met in Vigo, Spain on 25 and 30 April at negative attitude, which results not only an international meeting on the theme from the fishermen’s fears but also from ‘Support and Responsibility’. the obstructive behaviour of their bosses and the captains, who are only concerned The women resolved to implement an with being in the good books of the awareness-raising project for the wives of boatowners. fishermen. They unanimously agreed on the need for more information on their The wives of fishermen from the Basque rights and the necessity to raise awareness country are working with their husbands in society at large about their problems. to help overcome their disenchantment But they realized that they needed and disillusionment. They are also considerable time to get the different striving to establish labour laws and participating countries to compile collective bargaining rights. information for this project. During the recent ‘fish war’ between The discussions between fishermen and Spain/EU and Canada, the women agreed their wives on their aspirations as to encourage reflection among fishermen maritime professionals elicited different on fishing grounds and the need to respect responses in different countries. them. The international meeting at Vigo also expressed its support to the Spanish In France, the priority was to get better fishing fleet by participating in the prices for their fish, while in other demonstration held in Santiago de countries the women demanded superior Compostela to protest the agreement with working conditions, higher wages and Canada. safety at sea.

At the meeting, the women condemned the lack of collective action and, most of all, the fear of losing one’s job because of protesting against the boatowners. They also expressed concern at the disenchantment and disillusionment spreading among the young people working at sea.

To help meet their aspirations, they relied mainly on women’s associations in Galicia and Andalucia, and the Apostolate of the Sea in France. They have also set up This piece is by Ana Roman unions in the Basque country. Rodriguez of Rosa dos Ventos, Spain

Astonishingly, although a request for consultation was broadcast over the external service of Radio Spain, not a

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 45 UN Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks Whose seas? Whose freedom? Analysis Analysis

The UN Conference has had several positive outcomes, but could have gone further in its recommendations

upporting Dutch trading and controls, use of non-selective gear, fishing interests in the 17th unreliable databases or lack of SCentury, Mare Liberurm’, wrote co-operation between states. These issues Grotius. Little did he realize that his prompted the United Nations Conference doctrine of the ‘freedom of the seas’ on Environment and Development would eventually become the norm in (UNCED) to call for an inter-governmental international law for over three and a half conference under the auspices of the UN to centuries. promote effective implementation of the provisions of UNCLOS on straddling fish The principle of freedom of the seas, stocks and highly migratory fish stocks. however, began to be dismantled with the Second World War. This process was The conference, called the United Nations almost complete when the Third United Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, has already (UNCLOS) allowed for the creation of an held five gruelling sessions, from July exclusive economic zone of up to 200 1993 to March-April 1995. The final nautical miles, under the jurisdiction of session will be held at New York in the coastal state. July-August 1995. The Conference, in the words of Chairman Satya Nandan of Fiji, Although the high seas, as per the has achieved broad consensus on almost Convention, were open to all states, the all its provisions and an Agreement is right to fish in the high seas was subject expected to be signed at the final session. to the duty to co-operate in the conservation and management of living The draft Agreement, within the resources by all states concerned. framework of rights and duties of states as specified in UNCLOS, attempts to further Several problems were perceived for define and develop the duties of flag and high-seas fisheries, especially regarding non-flag states in the high seas. straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks. Straddling stocks Given the urgency expressed by several refer to fish that move both within and coastal states, the Conference has been beyond areas under national jurisdiction. concerned with developing effective and The most well-known example is the better management measures for the Atlantic cod in Canada, which was long-term conservation and management sustainably harvested for hundreds of of straddling fish stocks and highly years, before getting devastated by 40 migratory fish stocks. years of bottom trawling. Interested parties Highly migratory stocks are pelagic fish The major interested parties at this that migrate between areas under Conference are the coastal states and the national jurisdiction. The most important distant-water fishing nations. The former example is various species of tuna. group, which is the largest, is led by Canada and the latter, comprising the The problems in high-seas fisheries European Union (EU), Japan, China, Korea spring essentially from unregulated and Poland, is led by the EU. While the first fishing, overexploitation, excessive fleet wants greater control on high-seas fishing, size, re-flagging of vessels to evade the second group is quite averse to any

46 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Analysis control on fishing activities by the surveillance mechanisms. The draft non-flag states. According to the Agreement recognizes that better chairman’s closing statement, the draft management of stocks is the responsibility agreement creates three essential pillars. of all states, irrespective of jurisdictional considerations. It, therefore, advocates the irst, it provides for principles and setting up of sub-regional and regional practices on which better fisheries management organization or Fmanagement of stocks should be arrangements. For effective enforcement based. Second, it tries to create a of management measures, the draft mechanism to ensure that conservation Agreement also makes provisions for and management measures adopted for action by non-flag states. the high seas are adhered to, complied with, and not undermined by those who Further, the draft Agreement attempts to fish in those areas. And third, it provides recognize the right to board and inspect for peaceful settlement of disputes. vessels by non-flag states in support of sub-regionally and regionally or globally Towards the first end, the Agreement agreed conservation and management seeks non-conflicting conservation and measures. management arrangements, based on a precautionary approach, both within and By giving enforcement powers to both flag beyond the areas under national and non-flag states, the Conference hopes jurisdiction, by coastal states and to achieve better effectiveness - and distant-water fishing nations. It stresses compliance with these measures. The the importance of collecting relevant data draft Agreement seeks to fundamentally and information. tackle the issue of conservation and management of the living resources of the The principles and practices for better high seas. The Conference agreed, conservation and management also therefore, to adopt relevant provisions of include the development and use of the Convention for peaceful settlement of selective, environmentally safe and disputes under the draft Agreement. cost-effective fishing gear and techniques. First such negotiation Additionally, they include the elimination Significantly, this is the first major of overfishing and excess fishing capacity, international treaty negotiation in as welt as the enforcement of conservation fisheries after the world community and management measures through realized that, contrary to past optimism, effective monitoring, control and the marine fisheries resources are indeed

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 47 quite limited in quantity and vulnerable to excessive fishing pressure.

he draft Agreement does not leave

Analysis Analysis anything to chance. Indeed, it Tshows a sense of urgency by firmly incorporating a realistic time frame for the implementation of conservation and management measures.

One salient aspect of the draft Agreement is the precautionary approach. The “absence of adequate scientific information shall not be used as a reason for postponing or failing to take conservation and management measures”, notes the draft. This is a major departure from current practices in fisheries management.

With new or exploratory fisheries, the forbids such states from allowing their draft prescribes conservative measures. vessels to operate in fisheries that are According to this prescription, the further subject to conservation and management development of a fishery should be measures under this Agreement. In other attempted only if data warrants it. words, only members of regional and sub-regional organizations and The draft also goes against the arrangements can allow their vessels to conventional principle of the traditional operate in areas under the jurisdiction of flag state—that on the high seas only flag such organizational arrangements. This states have jurisdiction over vessels- The would also encourage states that do not draft Agreement grants enforcement have any sub-regional or regional power to non-flag states. fisheries organization, especially from the South, to think of establishing such Although there is broad agreement on the mechanisms, irrespective of their fishing problems of conservation and capabilities on the high seas. management, disagreement remains on possible enforcement measures by Non-members with proven fishing non-flag states. Japan, for example, has capabilities on the high seas will have to taken strong exception to the right to continue their fishing activities in areas of board and inspect vessels. the ocean that are not under any regional or sub-regional management authority. A balance is yet to be struck between the rights of the flag states and enforcement All national and international NGOs who by non-flag states, should the flag state applied for accreditation to the express reluctance or unwillingness to Conference were granted permission to take action against their vessels for participate in all the sessions. The NGOs violating regionally agreed measures. represented a variety of interests, from environment and fishworker to The draft Agreement also makes development and industry. unprecedented provisions to exclude non-member states from fishing in areas NGOs from both the North and the South of the high seas under regional and worked together and showed a healthy sub-regional entities. understanding and greater concern for one another’s perspectives and priorities. In order to prevent non-members of sub-regional and regional fishery The draft Agreement further allows NGOs management organizations or opportunities to participate in meetings of arrangements from undermining sub-regional or regional fisheries management measures, the Agreement management organizations or

48 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 Analysis arrangements as well as timely access to concerned with the re-deployment of information from such bodies. fishing vessels from the North to the South. he fishworkers’ organizations from the South can feel happy with the However, the draft Agreement does not Toutcome of the Conference. Many call for the elimination of non-selective of their concerns about protecting access fishing gear and techniques. This is in to resources, laxity of flag state spite of common knowledge about how responsibility, over-capitalization and bottom trawlers were responsible for the overfishing, non-selectivity of fishing gear dramatic collapse of cod stocks in the and techniques have been addressed to Grand Banks. some degree. Further, the draft does not make any For instance, on the special requirements mention of safety and working conditions of developing states, the Agreement on board fishing vessels. Attempts to underscores “the need to avoid adverse include provisions to fix responsibility for impacts on and ensure access to fisheries this on the flag state were turned down by by subsistence, small-scale, artisanal and the Chair on the ground that these are women fishworkers as well as indigenous precincts of the International Labour peoples in developing states” while Organization (ILO) and the International establishing conservation and Maritime Organization (IMO). management measures for straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks. The legitimisation of regulatory regimes by all stakeholders is important for the law The Article on General Principles also to be effective. Making, or reiterating, includes a new paragraph on “taking into provisions to protect workers’ rights account the interests of artisanal and would greatly enable legitimacy of the subsistence fishers” while giving effect to regulatory framework for fishworkers. the duty of the states to co-operate in After all, they are indeed major accordance with the UNCLOS. It also stakeholders in any fishery of the world. includes the need to “promote the development and require the use of selective, environmentally safe and cost-effective fishing gear and techniques...

A new paragraph in Article 20 on international co-operation in enforcement could also help several coastal fishing communities dependent on highly migratory stocks like tuna. They could expect redressal for violations by flag state vessels who engage in unauthorized fishing within their national waters.

This paragraph makes it obligatory for the flag state to take action against such vessels at the request of the coastal state, and also to co-operate with the coastal state in taking appropriate enforcement action. The flag state may even have to authorize the coastal state to board and inspect such vessels on the high seas.

The General Principles of the draft This analysis is by Sebastian Agreement advocate the elimination of Mathew, executive secretary of ICSF overfishing and excess fishing capacity. These are important matters for artisanal fishworkers in the South, who are

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 49 The Ministerial Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries The NGO statement Document

Several NGOs feel that they should not be denied access to the decision-making in the FAO process

number of NGOs present would authorities is only the latest in an ongoing like to make a statement in series of clashes at sea. Aaddition to the report of the NGO/FAO Consultation. We would like to Artisanal fishworkers, both men and re-emphasize our strong disagreement women, are increasingly struggling to with the view put forward by a few maintain or regain their traditional access organizations that NGO access should be to coastal resources, protect the restricted. These organizations appear to environment and to sustainably manage be associated with, or represent, the their fisheries. In spite of the fact that interests of large vessel owners arid other artisanal fisheries supply at least half the companies involved in the industrial world’s supplies of fish for human sector of the fishing industry. consumption, they receive little support or protection. We would like to remind Ministers that the 1984 FAO Strategy Document stated Marine and coastal areas are being “It is important to involve all groups increasingly degraded by land-based concerned, including administrators, sources of marine pollution and scientists, and fishermen in the process of environmentally inappropriate coastal formulating and implementing development. In particular, the management measures.” environmental damage and socio-economic disruptions associated Whether at the local, national or with intensive coastal aquaculture for international level, we believe that NGOs high-value species such as prawns are dealing with fishworkers, environment, issues of great concern to our development, women, trade union and organizations. others need to be fully involved in the decision-making with respect to fisheries We believe that certain fundamental conservation and management, principles must apply to the conservation, development, law, investment and aid. management, development and trade in fisheries: We would also like to draw the attention of Ministers to our concerns regarding the • Governments must recognize the state of the world’s fisheries today. Most rights and interests of artisanal, major fisheries are fully exploited, including subsistence, overexploited or depleted. fishworkers and their communities as means of ensuring Approximately 17 to 39 million tomes of community stability, conservation fish are caught and discarded annually. and the protection of marine, The industrial fishing fleets of the world coastal and inland waters are grossly overcapitalized, heavily subsidized and fishing well beyond the • Fishing must be conducted in a limits of sustainability. manner that is ecologically sound and socially just, respecting As nations and fleets continue to compete biological, ecosystem and cultural for declining stocks of fish, conflicts will diversity and must be sustainable only continue to rise. The recent seizure for both present and future of a Spanish vessel by Canadian generations

50 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 • Access to fisheries must recognize statement. With the entry into force of the the needs of communities and be United Nations Convention on the Law of based on equitable principles and the Sea, states have a unique opportunity respect for the environment to further elaborate the obligations with respect to fisheries. The drafting of the • Fisheries must be managed from Code of Conduct for Responsible an ecosystem perspective and be Fisheries and the United Nations based on a precautionary Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and approach, including the use of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks provide more selective fishing techniques important opportunities to do so. and practices Though we believe that some progress has • The role of women in fisheries been made on both sets of negotiations, must be acknowledged, the basic concerns of our organizations strengthened and reflected at all and the principles outlined above have levels of decision-making been far from fully taken into account. We urge the Ministers to take up these issues • The protection of the marine and in these negotiations and in other relevant coastal environments from the negotiations or treaty organizations such deleterious effects of any human as the Biodiversity Convention, the UNEP activity must be made integral to Conference on land-based sources of fisheries conservation marine pollution and other forums.

• Finally, NGOs must be afforded the We conclude by stating that we believe opportunity to participate at all NGOs have the right to participate at all levels of decision-making at the levels of fisheries decision-making and we national, regional and look forward to further consultation with international levels. At the the FAO and other relevant organizations international level, transparency and agencies at the national and and public participation should international levels. apply not only to NGO participation in the work of the FAO but to all relevant organizations, including international aid agencies and the multilateral development banks

The problems in fisheries throughout the world are serious and require urgent action. We believe that governments are aware of the problems of overfishing, This statement was made at Rome excess fishing capacity, subsidies, on 15 March 1995 on behalf of the by-catch, waste and discards, following organizations: Bigkis-Lakas over-capitalization, the violation of the (Phillippines), Comite Catholique rights of fishworkers, the migration of Contre La Faim et Pour Le northern fleets to southern countries’ Development, Collectif National waters, the negative impacts of fisheries Des Pecheurs Artisanaux Du trade on nutrition, and the degradation of Senegal, Confederacion Nacional the marine and coastal environments. de Pescadores Artisanales de Chile, Greenpeace International, What is needed now is the political will to Intermediate Technology translate concern into action and, through Development Group (UK), effective policies and public participation, International Collective in Support implement fundamental fisheries of Fishworkers, International Council reforms. of Women, Women and Fisheries Network (Fiji) and World Wide Fund We strongly encourage Ministers to give for Nature. due consideration to the concerns and the positions of the NGOs expressed in this

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 51 Fisheries management The First World’s big bluff Viewpoint Viewpoint

All the rhetoric about efficient global fisheries management hides the fact that the needs of the developing world are neglected

t is now widely recognized that fish local fleets. Shrimps often become the stocks all over the world are already target species and the concomitant large Ioverexploited. But it is in the by-catch has both direct and indirect developing nations, whose burgeoning impacts on the stocks exploited for food human populations most need food, that and livelihood by local fishers to the the issue is most extreme. It is here that all detriment of their communities. trophic levels are being targeted, to the extent that too many local people are For at least the last 15 years, the literature reduced to receiving remnant biomass for on fisheries development, reports and their immediate sustenance. critiques by consultants, academics and practitioners of global repute—indeed, in Consider these indicators I have myself some cases even the funding agencies own seen: a handful of tiny fish—the entire publication—shave attested to the failure day’s catch—for an artisanal fishing of these processes to meet the nutritional family, ultra-fine mesh nets heaped on and livelihood needs of the poorest. the docks of fishing communities, a destitute family pushing a muslin scoop Yet, despite this and despite the growing through the shallows, reports of Thai awareness of the crisis in world fisheries, trawlers landing minute mackerel and new fleets, ports and infrastructure are anchovy suitable only for duck feed. still being built. Bigger, more powerful more sophisticated vessels, with vastly In such a situation, it is ostensibly to meet increased fishing power and capacity, are these needs that governments and the still being designed, built and launched. larger development agencies like the World Bank and the Asian Development Specialist fisheries ports—in Ethiopia, Bank are most actively promoting Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand and fisheries development. Taiwan, to cite just some countries—are being constructed. Small-scale grass roots initiatives at the local leveldirected at reducing Large-scale infrastructure projects, such post-harvest wastage and increasing as canneries, processing plants or cold equitable distribution might well storages are planned or coming on-stream succeed. in Ghana, Bangladesh, Micronesia, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea Yet, most typically, projects introduce and elsewhere to facilitate export oriented industrialized fleets, supported by growth. This is despite existing facilities in large-scale export-oriented Thailand and Indonesia, for instance, infrastructure, to exploit the deep waters, operating well below capacity. supposedly beyond the capability of artisanal and small-scale local fishers. Overdevelopment India’s new deep-sea policy is just one recent example. Such development aggravates the existing problems of overcapitalization, Frequently, the deep-water stocks are overcapacity and overfishing. Yet the non-existent or insufficient. So the governments and agencies responsible industrialized fleet encroaches on the attribute this not to overdevelopment but already overexploited fisheries of the to a problem of open access. The solution

52 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 they advocate is the privatization of posh hotel accommodation in Auckland, capture fisheries. demonstrates that poverty and malnutrition are the least of their Indeed, as a conditionality for fisheries concerns. assistance, the World Bank is promoting privatization, in the form of individual With global fish resources declining, transferable quotas (ITQs), as practised by fisheries development will no longer the New Zealand fisheries management. increase the catch significantly. Rather, it will shift its allocation and distribution. Yet, in New Zealand, it is becoming increasingly apparent that this form of The prime objective of fisheries management only enables those with the development is therefore to facilitate the greatest market power to gain control of access to the resources by the beneficiaries the fisheries. of large-scale development, national business tycoons and transnational Now just three companies control more interests. than 60 per cent of the quota and local fishers and communities have tended to The stated objectives and calls for lose their autonomy. The rapid trend economic efficiency and privatization are toward collapse of orange roughy stocks merely a legitimization of this process. demonstrates that ITQs are no more The beneficiaries will be the wealthier conservative than other forms of consumers of the US, Europe and Japan, management. while the poor of the developing nations still face increasing malnutrition and Clearly, the persistence of fisheries deprivation. development projects and programmes in the face of widespread failure shows that the real concern is not about redressing poverty and malnutrition in the developing nations nor is it really directed This piece is by New Zealand-based at conservation. environmental fisheries consultant Leith Duncan, who has recently Indeed, the recent squandering of millions completed a review of fisheries of dollars on a high-profile Annual development literature for the General Meeting for the Asian Greenpeace International Fisheries Development Bank with its governors Campaign enjoying the luxury of limousines and

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 53 $1,500 each or Aus $50,000 a tonne. The Japanese are the main buyers. News Round-up Salmon-friendly

Will American leading Spanish daily El OXFAM-Canada/Project Wives talk Pais recently reported Acadie. consumers buy the idea the company’s financial of salmon friendly Several Women, most of trouble and how it is ...And be briefed dams? That is the hope them wives of deep in debt, to the tune of the National Marine Fisheries Service of the fishermen from Ireland, of US $285 million. Another prominent US. It recently issued the UK and the Pescanova has 140 Netherlands, gathered fishing vessels in I\joint institute, Panos, based two.‘biological at Plymouth on 16 ventures in 20 countries, in London, has just opinions’ meant to December 1994 to such as Mozambique, published a briefing protect badly depleted discuss the future of Namibia, Australia, paper called.‘Fish: a net stocks of north-west fisheries and fishing South Africa, Argentina, loss for the poor’. It is Pacific salmon. The idea communities in Europe. Chile, Uruguay and part of a series meant to is to get the Columbia According to Cornelie France. aid informed debate on River hydroelectric Quist of the issues of environment power dams to generate Netherlands, who took How to be heard and development. less power as well as part in the workshop, Designed especially for ensure greater the women criticized the media, the briefing protection of salmon the narrow outlook of Transnational character lists recent and habitat. Fisheries policy-makers who see of a different sort was forthcoming UN Service officials told only the economic evident in March at the reporters that this aspects of fisheries, for first Atlantic Canada two-pronged effort getting that most fishing conference on women would make the units are and fisheries, reports hydropower system community-bound Chantal Abord-Hugon more fish friendly. family enterprises. The from Prince Edward Three stocks of Snake women also decried the Island, Canada. River salmon are listed tendency to portray as endangered. fishermen as enemies of Seventy participants, the environment. Their including women from Fishy Iyrics efforts at more the three maritime provinces of Canada sustainable fishing conferences on fisheries Far from endangered practices have been and others from and also highlights key Labrador and the are the songwriters of thwarted by facts on fisheries, in Newfoundland who, government policies, eastern US, shared their addition to suggesting the women pointed out. experiences on how to local angles for fisheries make women’s voices stories. In the red heard in the world of fisheries. Watery ranches At the end of gathering, most of the women Angling to raise the realized how similar total quantity of farmed were the problems fish production, the facing their sisters industry in Australia is around the world. They fast turning true to the culture of felt they are not alone in to.‘ranching’. Southern Canada’s poorest facing social justice. bluefin tuna, almost province, sing off their exclusively caught from troubles. The collapse of “In the long term”, says the ocean until five the cod fishery has Chantal, “coastal years ago but now inspired then to come communities and getting harder to find, up with lyrics which Government, in another fishworkers’ are being ranched in talk of the social effects part of the world, is organizations will be south Australia to the of the destruction of cod propping up big strengthened when annual value of over stocks. business. The women are more Aus $50 million government of Galicia, involved in Songs like.‘ Let Me Fish Spain is thinking of decision-making and Juvenile fish are caught Off Cape St.Mary’S subsidies to bail out the building of in the world, put in and.‘The Fisherman’S Pescanova the huge community pens, fed for four to Lament’ help New Spanish fishing alternatives”. The nine months and foundlanders cope with company, one of the encounter was harvested as huge, the tragedy of the world’s top five supported by the metre-long specimens. obliteration of a way of fisheries TNCs. The Cooper Institute and These fetch nearly Aus life that sustained the

54 SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 province for centuries. help them recover from their findings to an Peter Narvaez, a the economic losses due Tidy 3-D audience of folklorist and musician to the Israeli blockade of policymakers, at Memorial University, south Lebanon ports. Catchy is the apt way to representatives of the says that for every artist Fishermen in Tyre, describe the cover of a lakeshore communities, who has put out his Sidon, Surfenda and slim new publication NGOs and others own song on a cassette, other port cities have from the UNEP concerned about the there could be eight or got this aid, the Environment Library. future of Lake Victoria. 10 more people who equivalent of US $120 Titled.‘The Impacts of have made up their own per single fisherman Climates on Fisheries’, songs and simply sing and US $250 per married the well-designed and for their own pleasure one. The month-old readable book features a or for the family and embargo imposed by glossy cover of a shoal neighbours. Israeli naval units has of coloured forced over 1,800 computer-generated Fast in protest fishermen to stop images of fish. Held working. close to the eyes and then slowly moved No Pleasure came their Trying to agree away, the fish appear to way as fishermen In float in space at India agitated against different distances in a the government’s policy Working to ease tension three-dimensional effect. Helpful Survey to encourage joint between Vietnam and ventures in deep-sea Thailand is a joint The book, whose text is fishing. fisheries committee of A recent survey from written by Michael the OECD reviews the the two south-east Glantz, makes and To pressure the Asian countries which status of fisheries in the integrated assessment of richer countries, reports government to rethink hopes to come out with the potential its priorities, Thomas a.‘Common control Brian O’Riordan from implications of climate the UK. Kocherry, convener of system’. The change and variability the National Fisheries Vietnamese Deputy on fisheries and on the Action Committee Foreign Minister, Vu The review contains societies that depend on statistics and reports Khoan, said that them. Continuing the Vietnam has agreed to from member countries, creativity displayed on including information end the violent attacks its cover, the book on Thai fishing vessels on production, introduces the catchy processing and by armed Vietnamese term,.‘seacosystems’, for boats. marketing, and the marine environment. international trade. Thai fishermen have OECD comprises 21 often been arrested and Victoria defiled coastal states, including badly treated for 13 EU countries and violating Vietnamese Environmental concerns major fish producers like the US, Japan, Against Joint Ventures, waters, especially prompted the Iceland, Canada and went on a protest fast in around Vietnam’s Journalists Norway. Porbunder in the state southern coast. Environmental of Gujarat. Thailand has long asked Association of Tanzania The review highlights Vietnam to abide by (JET) And the the need to continue a The government has international norms London-based Panos policy to reduce fishing since invited the when seizing vessels Institute to join forces to effort and notes that committee for talks. As and arresting crew. Both enlarge the public fishermen’s income a result, the activists countries have also debate on the problems levels can be maintained announced that they agreed to launch a one- facing Lake Victoria, the only through structural were suspending their year joint survey of second largest adjustment. agitation but made it maritime resources by fresh-water body in the clear that it was only a their fisheries world, shared ny Regarding effort temporary withdrawal, departments and the Kenya, Tanzania and reductions in member to give the government South-east Asian Uganda. Sewerage, countries, the report a chance to prove its Fisheries Development industrial and notes that between 1985 commitment to the Centre. agricultural wastes and and 1992, the number of traditional artisanal siltation from massive powered boats in sector. clearance of forests have been polluting Lake Norway dropped by 31 Blockade blues Victoria’s waters for a percent, in Denmark by very long time. 22 percent, in France by 44 per cent, and in Commitment to The journalists spent a Spain by 26 per cent. fishermen in south month researching the However, the OECD Lebanon has come from problems of the lake countries maintained the Lebanese and writing reports their share of the catch government in the form based on their analyses. with 15 million tones in of financial assistance to They finally presented 1992.

SAMUDRA APRIL 1995 55 {The] vast surface lof Collceptiml Bayl is completely covered with myriads offishes...all aClively engllged either in pursuing or in avoiding tIIch other; tile whales altertUl­ tively rising and pillnging...;the codfISh rollnding Ilbove theWlWf.'S, and reflecting the light ofthe moon from their silvery surface; the cape/ins hurrying llUMly in immense shoals to seek rifuge on the shore, whereeach retiring wave 1etrVt5 countless multitudes skipping up in the Silnd. Pubiished by Sebastian Ma!hewklr Inlemational CoIectrve i1 Supporl of FIshWOfkel'S 27 College Road, Madras 600 006, lroia Telephone (91) 44-827 5303 Facsmle (91) 44-825 4457

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ICSf is an international NGO Edited by WOllcing on issues thai an::em SAM.ORA Elitorial fisIlwoOOlts !he won:! aver. It is alfialld to lie Economic a-1d -by Soc:iaI CcMn::i ollhe tit and is SatishBabu on ID'S SpeQaI Us!: ol Non­ GoYeIrmenlallnlemalionalOr­ Illustmedby ganizalions. Regislered in James S. JaQj Geneva, CSf has offICes in Madras and Brussels. As. a Cover from • painmg by g!obIll'llllwOftofconvTUlilyor· saIpIoriWUer Alessandro Barorio ol Rome ganizers. teachers, lech­ nicians, IIsearchers and scientist1, csn actMlies en­ Photogn,phs courtesy of COfIllB.ss monl1omg and rll­ Brian O'AiotdM, ICSF, James S. Jairai saan::tl, exctlange and Iraiti"lg, John Kurien,IIen8 Novacz&k, Cenlto Josue deCastro campaigns andadionprogram­ mes, and also CXlITI1lur:ications. Additional news courtesy 01 $AIoUlAA REPORT invl1es con· FislYlews, Greenpeace Inlernational tribuUons and responses. All corresponde~ should be ad­ Printed at dressed 10 ICSf's Madras office. Nagaraj and Company Pvt. LId.• Madras