the Philippines suggests that when just finance the people by equipping livelihood while protecting their rich cyanide fishers are introduced to them with boats and fishing gear. marine environment. cyanide-free techniques for live-fish We just buy fish from them. The capture and ensured a fair price for production side is left to them.” Policy Reforms to Combat their catch, they are willing and often Cyanide Fishing Live Reef Fish Consumers. eager to give up using the poison Consumers have an important role to Cyanide fishing will not end and are equally enthusiastic to talk play in this trade. Publicity and until governments set in place about ways to ensure the long-term consumer pressure may move the effective policies to eradicate it and sustainability of their local reefs and aquarium-fish industry to take action encourage sustainable live-reef fisheries. Development of reliable on imports of cyanide-caught fish. fisheries. “Policy reform” in this alternative sources of income Consumer pressure against cyanide context therefore, means strengthens these incentives and fishing is virtually non-existent establishment of effective strict government enforcement of among the Chinese consumers of institutions to monitor the live reef anti-cyanide fishing laws further live food fish, though. As one Hong fish trade, enforce the laws and reinforces them. Kong observer noted, “being provide economic incentives for Live Reef Fish Exporters. The endangered actually seems to spur fishers, traders and consumers to number of companies involved in the demand.” shift to ecologically sustainable, live-fish export business in cyanide-free reef fisheries. Divers and Dive Operators. Southeast Asia is also unknown, but Experience with the Philippines’ Scuba diving and snorkeling on it appears to be expanding rapidly. DFRP suggests the following tropical reefs is a big and growing In the early 1960s, for example, there priority areas for policy reforms to business throughout the Indo- were only three companies exporting combat cyanide fishing in the many Pacific. Divers and dive operators aquarium fish from the Philippines countries of the Indo-Pacific region have a strong interest in maintaining and export of live food fish did not where it is a growing threat. healthy reefs and fish populations yet exist. By the 1990s there were and are often vocal in their support Policy Reforms in Live Reef Fish some 45 aquarium fish exporters in for marine conservation. Effective Source Countries the country and 8 companies mechanisms have not yet been exporting live food-fish. At least 10 Establish cyanide detection test developed however, to fully tap this companies run holding tanks for live (CDT) laboratory facilities at all group for political and financial food-fish in Bali, Indonesia, a major major live-fish collection and support in combating cyanide transhipment point. Conservative transhipment points. A simple test fishing, although some efforts such estimates of the annual volume of to determine the presence of cyanide as PADI’s (Professional Association Asian trade in live food-fish alone in live fish was developed by IMA of Diving Instructors) Project Aware range between 20,000-25,000 metric and BFAR and has been in use for are working to instill greater general tons, mostly from Indonesia, and the over five years in the Philippines. environmental consciousness in real total may be far greater. Currently, CDT laboratories (see map divers and dive operators. Philippine government statistics on page ?) test over 6,000 samples show that as many as 6 million Engaging these divers to annually. An effective CDT testing aquarium fish were exported in 1996 combat cyanide fishing requires two network is key for a strong effort to and Indonesia is catching up elements: a) government policies reduce cyanide fishing. Without quickly. must provide a structure of negative testing, authorities cannot determine and positive incentives which make whether fish have been caught with Live Reef Fish Importers. cyanide fishing unattractive for the cyanide or obtain convincing Businesses that import live food and whole range of actors involved in evidence to prosecute violators. aquarium fish are in essentially the the trade and make sustainable same position as exporters, without To be successful, CDT labs alternatives attractive; and b) government pressure to ensure that must also be backed up by a larger partnerships must be directly the fish they import were not caught network of agencies and monitoring developed with fishing communities with cyanide, they have little posts, and staff trained in sampling to assist them in abandoning the incentive to take action on the issue. prospective live fish shipments and cyanide fishing tradition and As one large importer of live food rapid sample transport. Such a instead, to adopt techniques, fish argued: “We the Hong Kong network requires directives on technologies and economic importers do not participate in any participating in sampling and strategies that would improve their catching of fish or its activities. We monitoring from central agencies to 11 their local offices and training in inspection and government Also, bans deprive local correct sampling and shipping-to-lab licensing. All shipments should communities of one of the most procedures. Although testing is not require a certificate showing the lucrative sources of income to be a panacea, it is the best technical origin, volume and species found in the coastal zone. The tool presently available to identify composition of the shipment and cyanide-free capture of live fish at cyanide-tainted fish and provide that it has been subject to random sustainable levels with a fair return hard evidence with which to CDT procedures and is cyanide-free. to local fishers should be the prosecute violators. objective of live fishery policy. A mandatory certification Establish a national system of system (as will be established by law That said, the pressures on data gathering and monitoring that in the Philippines by the end of 1998, particular species may become so provides useful data for regulating when draft regulations are finalized) great that governments may want to the live fish trade. In order to provides key positive as well as ban altogether their capture and monitor and regulate the live-fish negative incentives trade, governments need accurate for exporters. and appropriate data on how many Uncertifiable fish individuals of a particular species become liabilities were collected in a particular while certified fish location, exported in a given month can obtain an or year, or who did the collecting and “environmental exporting. There is no way to market premium” in regulate cyanide use in the live-fish markets where trade until such data are regularly importing collected. governments regulate imports The Philippines now collects and consumers live-fish data in ways that allow the prefer fish caught government to keep a watch over without cyanide. total numbers of particular fish species moving through domestic Local cyanide and international airports and major divers should be international seaports, activities of educated that what exporters and other relevant they are doing, for information. IMA collects the data whatever reasons, through its CDT and monitoring is illegal, and that network and provides it to all repeat offenders relevant national and provincial will be punished The entire family gets involved in making nets and other gears government offices. harshly. Targeting in the barrier net collection method. the big cyanide Establish a firmer legal export. For the napoleon wrasse, fishing interests also reduces framework to detect and prosecute highest-valued of the live food-fish incentives for local divers to join in cyanide fishing and trade in cyanide- species, over-exploitation may soon the trade. caught fish, ultimately requiring reach critical levels, warranting a mandatory testing and certification Ban or restrict the export of complete ban. A ban is unlikely to of all live reef fish exports. While especially vulnerable species such stop the napoleon wrasse trade fishing with cyanide and other as the napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus altogether, but it may reduce the poisons is banned in virtually every undulatus). Blanket bans on the live total volume of catch. country in Southeast Asia and the reef fish trade are both unwise and Regulate the import, distribution Pacific, a much firmer legal unworkable and just drive the trade and use of cyanide. Cyanide has framework in needed to make these underground. When the Philippines many legitimate uses in industry but bans effective. Once a CDT attempted a ban in parts of Palawan a considerable amount of the poison laboratory and monitoring network is province several years ago, cyanide is diverted into the live-fish established, all prospective exporters fishers continued to use the poison collection business. In most should be required to submit to but killed the fish after capture and countries of the Indo-Pacific region, random sampling and testing, sold them in the fresh fish market. import, distribution and use of 12 cyanide is virtually unregulated. To from an early age, countries can help Phase in a legal requirement that remedy this problem, a draft “Sodium to ensure that children are fully all live reef fish imports be certified Cyanide Act” that would strictly aware of the alternatives to cyanide as cyanide-free. When live fish regulate the import and use of fishing and their positive exporting