MARinE PARkS

Reversing from a Dead End

the iroise marine park in , France, could serve as a model for fishermen who wish to move towards sustainable fisheries while retaining their sources of livelihood

n 2 October 2007, the Journal on that particular objective in the be- officiel published the decree ginning. The area also has colonies of Oestablishing the Parc naturel marine mammals as well as the largest marin d’IroiseI (the Iroise marine park), seaweed beds in Europe, which have which covers an area of 3,500 sq km at been exploited for the past 150 years the western tip of Britanny in France. to provide ingredients for the food and The project, which was first mooted in chemical industries.The area offers, on 1989, took more than 17 years to mate- a grand scale, natural sceneries (sun- rialize. Surprisingly, while in Europe drenched or rain- and wind-swept, in 36 and elsewhere in the world, fisher- turn) that attract large crowds of tour- men are generally cautious or outright ists: Pointe du Raz, Cap de la Chèvre, hostile towards such initiatives, in this Ile d’Ouessant, Ile de Sein…On the particular case, the professional organ- mainland, and Camaret izations of fishermen soon showed a were, until the end of the 19th century, among the main fishing harbours in the country. In those days, there were 5,000 fishermen in Douarnenez, making a liv- For many years now, fishermen have been painstakingly ing by targeting the rich sardine stocks trying to rehabilitate a scallop stock in the roadstead. of the bay. The Baie de Douarnenez is still an important spawning habitat for bass and bream. Camaret used to har- bour the most important lobster fleet in Europe. Things have taken a downturn, supportive attitude. There were intense and fishermen are now few in these lo- debates within the comités locaux, but calities. the leaders were able to convince the The Iroise Sea has suffered several majority of fishermen that the project large-scale oil spills. In the late 1970s, could have favourable impacts on the a nuclear plant was to be built in Pl- fisheries. The idea of creating a park ogoff, near the Point du Raz. This led was first promoted by a number of sci- to prolonged demonstrations by local entists. Way back in the 1950s, several folks and anti-nuclear activists, in gen- natural sanctuaries were established eral. Elements of the French nuclear on deserted islands and on the coast. strategic force are based in the Rade de Later, a biosphere reserve was created Brest. and included in Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme of the United Na- Painstaking rehabilitation tions Educational, Scientific and Cul- There are threats of pollution from tural Organization (UNESCO). various sources : industrial activities, This remarkable environment is en- urban effluents, intensive agriculture… This article is by Alain le Sann (ad. dowed with a rich marine and terrestri- For many years now, fishermen have [email protected]) of the NGO, Pêche et Développement, Brittany, France, and a al biodiversity. One can find here major been painstakingly trying to rehabilitate Member of ICSF seabirds reserves, as scientists focused a scallop stock in the roadstead. There

SamuDra repOrt nO. 49 Marine Parks

Bernard Schmitt are about 900 professional fishermen (including part-timers) in the Iroise Sea. Annual fish production is about 12,000 tonnes, and 40,000 tonnes of seaweeds are also extracted. There are only 350 fishing units, but 10,000 recreational boats and 26,000 sailors, who, therefore, wield significant influence in the economic sphere. After the creation of the natural re- serves in the 1950s, the scientists who were part of SEPNB/Bretagne Vivante, an influencial non-governmental or- ganization (NGO), carried the action further. The Parc naturel régional d’Armorique (including the main is- lands of the Iroise Sea) was established The fishing port ofA udierne, one of the areas affected in 1969. Breton scientists played an im- by the creation of the Iroise marine park portant role in defining the framework, rules and agendas of that type of institu- responsibly responded to the idea of tions. The aim was to couple protection creating a marine park, which could be of the environment with development an important tool for shaping the de- of ecofriendly economic activities, and velopment of the area. to base economic developement on the At the same time, we express a few wealth and quality of natural spaces. reservations: we are against planning Faced with the repeated catastrophes beforehand no-take zones ; and we in- 37 of large-scale oil spills, politicians, fish- sist on proper representation of fisher- ermen and the population in general men, with full respect for our right to realized that the marine environment participate in fisheries management in needed protection. These adverse cir- accordance with current legislation”, cumstances favoured a degree of con- they said. Fishermen are keen to partic- certation, but the governement was ipate in the “sustainable management determined to retain full control of the of an exceptionally rich environment/ sea, all the more so as this area includes heritage”. major components of national defence. Fishermen realize that the coastal In 1989, when the government picked area is increasingly threatened by pol- up from scientists the idea of creating a lution from various sources, that the national marine park, many stakehold- inshore zone is getting more and more ders remained cautious, in particular crowded, and that their fishing enter- fishermen who feared the imposition prises are destabilized because of high of no-take areas. competition for the resource. In the early 1990s, the fisheries in Britanny were in deep crisis. In 1993 Appropriate tool and 1994, there were violent demon- “We are convinced that, in order strations. In those hectics days, the to improve the management of our fishermen viewed the park project as marine territory, there is need for an a credible tool for mitigating the de- appropriate tool that is acceptable to all cline of their fisheries and leading to a stakeholders. In our view, the proposed better future. Before participating for marine park could develop into a pilot good in the project, they, however, put scheme to ensure a sustainable joint forward some conditions. In November management of the coastal area, taking 2000, the regional fisheries committee into account the interests of all users,” and the local committees affected by they say. Fishermen have called on local the project (Nord-Finistère, Audierne, council leaders to support the project. Douarnenez, Le Guilvinec) declared With this in mind, they became the most that they were in favour of the marine ardent supporters of the park. To move park. “Since September 2000, our Re- things forward, legislation on natural gional Committee has favourably and parks—which focused essentially on

MARCH 2008 FranC e

alaIn le Sann terrestrial to retain their place and rights within areas and the park, the fishermen, though few in conservation number, were able to assert themselves of spaces as major actors in the management of and species the coastal area. This may explain, in —had to be part, the agressiveness and resistance amended. The of recreational fishers, who fear the in- Act creating troduction of more constraining rules. marine parks These users were adamantly opposed as such is to the project, and were able to influ- based on an ence a number of mayors who wavered integrated in their attitude to the project. approach Finally, after many mishaps, thanks that cares to the political will at the top level, and for the twin the determination of the fishermen objectives of and other activists, the Iroise marine conservation national park came into being. Even be- and susta- fore its offical establishment, in order to inable demonstrate the interest and objectives development of the new management tool, the fish- of human ermen asked for the implementation of activities. This four projects : (1) A study of the impact new legal of seaweed extraction was conducted. f r a m e w o r k (2) On one island, support was given g u a r a n t e e s to an abalone diving project, to prove 38 that power that rehabilitation of insular activities remains in the is also a priority. (3) There is also a re- hands of local habilitation project on the fishery for actors (elected lobster, a resource that used to be in leaders, abundance in the area. (4) An action professional plan is being implemented, in concert organizations with farmers, to reduce the occurrence “marine park: enough is enough! Definitelyn o to Iroise! 17 and of green seaweed bloom. These project years of study and euro 3.7 mn wasted. a scandal!” associations). agendas will form the outline for the W h i l e future master plan for the marine park financing the structure, the State will, project and its specific targets. There is however, have a minority representation need to control certain practices, and to within the management committee. limit conflicts between types of boats/ Through their involvment in the fishing techniques (métiers). These process, fishermen were able to shape ideas are not new, but the park can provide financing and offer a forum for consultation and scientific advice. It is also possible to envisage a label for By fighting to retain their place and rights within the products originating in the park. park, the fishermen, though few in number, were able to Fishing is only one of the many and assert themselves as major actors in the management of varied activities included in the inte- the coastal area. grated management plan for the park. From an economic point of view, it is well behind tourism and recreational boating, for instance. But it is the first the project and turn it into a potentially sector to suffer the impacts of land- effective instrument for maintaining based pollution (from agriculture, in- and even developing ecofriendly fish- dustry, tourism, urban development), eries. The park will also facilitate co- and the one particularly sensitive to operation with other stakeholders and the quality of the marine ecosystem. a better control at source of the vari- In the past, lobster and sardine stocks ous types of pollution that threaten the supported brisk economic activities in quality of inshore waters. By fighting Iroise, but have now dwindled due to

SamuDra repOrt nO. 49 m arI ne p arkS

alaIn le Sann overexploitation. Within the park’s framework, fisher- men are determined to rehabilitate these resources and to be at the heart of the conservation and rehabilitation proc- ess of the inshore ecosystem. In the beginning, the park was the brainchild of a few scientists and political lead- ers. The fishermen have now converted it into a new tool for moving towards sustainable fisher- ies. Without their assent, the project Official map showing the geographical extent of the could not have been Iroise marine park (mission parc marin d’Iroise) carried forward ; with their participation, the integrated management approach 39 takes its full meaning. “The professional organizations of For more fishermen and seaweed gatherers (goë- moniers) were instrumental in getting the project out of a dead end, support- http://www.mpaglobal.org/index. ing it against all odds in critical situa- php?search_text=&txt_site_ tions”, Van Tilbeurgh Véronique writes name=on&txt_designation_ in La mer d’Iroise, négociations sur le type=on&country_id=250&geo_typ principe de protection (PUR, 2007, pg. e=Select+a+Geographical+Region+ 200). They are the most vocal to ask for type&geo_id=&conv_code=&adv=0 a mitigation of the negative impacts of &action=searchResults&submit=Sear certain land-based and coastal activi- ch&des_nat=on&des_des=on&des_ ties. In so doing, they put forward the informal=on&marinec=&no_take= notion of pays maritime, where terres- MPA’s for the country France: MPA trial operators have to discipline them- Global selves to preserve the marine environ- ment. The Parc naturel marin d’Iroise http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/iroise_Sea may serve as a model for other initia- Wikipedia entry tives of the same type. http://www.parc-marin-iroise.gouv.fr/ index.php Official Site ofi roise Park

marCh 2008