ACP-EU Fisheries Research Initiative Fish Biod Versify: Locd Sîudiæ As Basis for Global Inferences
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KSII ÏCCS-S*-! A CP-EU Fisheries Research R epat No. 14 ACP-EU Fisheries Research initiative Fish Biod versify: Locd Sîudiæ as Basis for Global inferences j G f , EURj u v .-j fruzeb D « «m b* r2003 Fish Biodiversity: Local Studies as Basis for Global Inferences. M.L.D. Palomares, B. Samb, T. Diouf, J.M. Vakily andD. Pauly (Eds.) A CP -E U Fisheries Research Report No. 14 ACP-EU Fisheries Research Initiative Fish Biodiversity: Focal Studies as Basis for Global Inferences Edited by Maria Lourdes D. Palomares Fisheries Centre, University o f British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Birane Samb Centre de Recherches Océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye, Sénégal Taïb Diouf Centre de Recherches Océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye, Sénégal Jan Michael Vakily Joint Research Center, Ispra, Italy and Daniel Pauly Fisheries Centre, University o f British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Brussels December 2003 ACP-EU Fisheries Research Report (14) - Page 2 Fish Biodiversity: Local Studies as Basis for Global Inferences. M.L.D. Palomares, B. Samb, T. Diouf, J.M. Vakily andD. Pauly (eds.) The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the European Commission concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries. Copyright belongs to the European Commission. Nevertheless, permission is hereby granted for reproduction in whole or part for educational, scientific or development related purposes, except those involving commercial sale on any medium whatsoever, provided that (1) full citation of the source is given and (2) notification is given in writing to the European Commission, Directorate General for Research, INCO-Programme, 8 Square de Meeûs, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium. Copies are available free of charge upon request from the Information Desks of the Directorate General for Development, 200 rue de la Loi, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium, and of the INCO-Programme of the Directorate General for Research, 8 Square de Meeûs, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium, E-mail: [email protected]. This report is bilingual. The pdf version of this report can be downloaded from the cordis website at: http://www.cordis.lu/inco2/src/docs_pub.htm . ACP-EU Fisheries Research Report Series The ACP-EU Fisheries Research Reports is a series of publications that aim to share information about the development of the ACP-EU Fisheries Research Initiative and wider findings generated in order to maximise the impact of its activities. It includes proceedings of workshops and meetings, statements on policy and research activities under the Initiative. An increasing number of these, in fact, transcend the strict framework of ACP-EU bi-regional S&T cooperation, in line with the underlying global trends and mutual learning opportunities. A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be addressed through the Europa server ( http://europa.eu.int/). Information on the results of past research cooperation and future opportunities can be gleaned from the cordis website ( http://www.cordis.lu ). Information about the science and technology for sustainable development initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of countries (ACP) is accessible through the CTA server (http://knowledge.cta.int/index.php ). ACP-EU Fisheries Research Report (14) - Page iii Version of 10/19/2004 PREFACE The contributions assembled in this volume were written as part of the follow-up of the training courses on the ‘Management of Fish Biodiversity’ organised by staff of the ACP-EU project. These courses, held from October 1997 to August 1999, were as follows: 1) Nouméa, New Caledonia, for participants from the South Pacific; 2) Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, for participants from the Caribbean and Central America; 3) Swakopmund, Namibia, for participants from Southern Africa; 4) Dakar, Sénégal, for participants from Northwest and Central Africa; and 5) Nairobi, Kenya, for participants from East Africa. We believe that regularly producing publishable contributions about the resources or fisheries, even if short ones, should be an integral part of the routine work of fisheries officers. The present volume provides proof that we managed to convey this message to several of our English and French speaking colleagues. The title of this volume is meant to reflect the fact that even extremely ambitious studies of global fish biodiversity depend on local input data, such as presented here. Indeed, the contributions assembled here cover areas and topics often ignored when global studies are conducted, leading to biased inferences. On the other hand, the inclusion of the data presented therein into FishBase will make them widely available, thus enabling their authors to take part in the global dialogue that will have to be established, if our biodiversity is to be used with understanding and sustainably. A final contribution from the international S&T cooperation programme (INCO) points to ways on making available in the public domain vast amounts of data for further improving analyses and understanding. The Editors For bibliographic purposes this report should be cited as follows: Palomares, M.L.D., B. Samb, T. Diouf, J.M. Vakily and D. Pauly (eds.), 2003. Fish biodiversity: Local studies as basis for global inferences. ACP-EU Fish.Res.Rep., (14): 281 p. ISSN 1025-3971 ACP-EU Fisheries Research Report (14) - Page iv F o r e w o r d It is particularly fitting to publish a collection of local studies on fishes in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, their biology and use by society at a time, when the global fisheries crisis has reached such proportions that heads of State and government at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002, Johannesburg, South Africa, set the target to restore degraded marine ecosystems by 2015. Through this publication fisheries officers from ACP countries document some features of their country's resource base which is important for food, health, cultural practices and earning income. All too often, the significant changes that have taken place in aquatic ecosystems the world over as a result of demographic growth, changed technologies, river damming and deforestation, evolving socio-economic context and perceptions are not adequately recorded in comparison with earlier conditions. Documenting occurrences of fish in each country's waters today and what aquatic biodiversity and ecosystems prevailed 10, 20, 50 or 100 years ago and how these states connect to past resource use patterns and their social embeddedness is an appropriate antidote to widespread confusion from shifting baselines. In conjunction with the archiving of such local studies in the global knowledge repository on all fish ( www.fishbase.org ) not only can proper credit be given to local researchers and fisheries officials, but also wider inferences drawn from the combination of many such local studies with historical records of scientific surveys and other sources. The project ‘Strengthening fisheries and biodiversity management in ACP countries' (7.ACP.RPR.545) was supported by the 7th European Development Fund (EDF) in the context of the Lomé Convention between ACP and EU countries as one way to build up the institutional capacity of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries in relation to their aquatic resources. The project allowed to develop FishBase as a comprehensive public archive for biological information, provided some basic computer equipment to ACP fisheries institutions and trained fisheries officers and NGO representatives in methods of resource assessment and ecosystem modelling. Inspired by the outcome of the 1992 ‘Earth Summit' in Rio de Janeiro, emphasis was put on documenting and safeguarding biodiversity as a prerequisite of future productivity and resilience of ecosystem goods and services. In parallel, international research cooperation between European teams and their partners in ACP and other developing countries and emerging economies (INCO) as part of the successive editions of the European Research Framework Programme (FP) address some of the burning questions on placing aquatic resources in their ecosystem context, on our understanding of the structure and dynamics of pelagic ecosystems, on public policies in relation to marine protected areas and sustainable forms of aquaculture. The ACP-EU Joint Assembly, a parliamentary body composed of Members of the European Parliament and representatives of ACP countries, recommended the launch of the ACP-EU Fisheries Research Initiative out of concern, back in 1993, to ensure sustained benefits from aquatic resources, fisheries, aquaculture and trade in their products. While the above-mentioned activities developed under the Initiative were not enough to stop the downward trend in fisheries catches and ecosystem health, they did make a significant contribution (a) in terms of helping to raise awareness about the degree of damage already done to a point, where the issues have entered the international political agenda, and (b) in terms of knowledge instruments to respond in an organised manner to the demand for reversal of the prevailing trend. In conjunction with the renewed commitment of ACP countries in 2002 to progressively allocate a higher share of their GDP to research until they reach 1%, it is hoped that fisheries departments and universities in ACP countries will produce and publish