Impact on local fishermen on Inhaca Island, Mozambique, due to introduction of a new marine reserve – with focus on fish catches Caroline Enebrand Uppsats för avläggande av naturvetenskaplig kandidatexamen i Miljövetenskap 15 hp Institutionen för biologi och miljövetenskap Göteborgs universitet Juni 2012 Abstract In July 2009 the government of Mozambique approved a new Marine Protected Area, the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve (PPMR). The reserve extends from Ponta do Ouro (in the south of Mozambique) up to the mouth of Maputo River near the capital Maputo. Recently the Ministry of Tourism wrote a management plan for the reserve. Along with the new management come new restrictions, which can affect local communities depending on the marine resources. As an example it will be prohibited to fish demersal fish and use vertical jigs. This report will focus on the area of Inhaca Island, which is located in the Indian Ocean within the area of the new reserve. The main purpose of this study was to analyze how the artisanal fishery on Inhaca could be affected by the new restrictions. This was based on semi-structured interviews with local fishermen from Inhaca to learn about their fish habits such as caught fish species. The result showed that 21 % of the total amount of caught fish species stated by all fishermen from the interviews, was demersal species. Since demersal fishing will not be allowed within the new marine reserve, they have to fish differently to be able to fish legally. This report also contains a brief description of the current management system regarding fishery, which is based on interviews with managers/actors from different public sectors within the fishing industry. The result showed that the current management system on Inhaca is very unclear and weak. The lack of adherence to regulations has lead to a massive decline in fish stocks. With that background it is fair to say that a new management system is needed. However, on Inhaca where people depend on the resources to make a living, an implementation of a new management system comes with some difficulties. Keywords: Mozambique, Inhaca Island, Ponta Do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve, fishing, fishermen, interviews, fish management, fish species, bottom fish Sammanfattning I juli 2009 godkände regeringen i Mozambique ett nytt marint skyddat område, the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve. Reservatet utgår från Ponta do Ouro i Mozambiques södra spets, upp till mynningen av Maputo flod, nära Maputo som är huvudstaden i landet. Nyligen skrev Turistministeriet i Mozambique en förvaltningsplan för det nya reservatet. Med denna plan medföljer nya restriktioner för området. Till exempel kommer det att bli förbjudet att fiska bottenfisk inom hela reservatet. Denna rapport kommer att fokusera på området runt ön Inhaca, som ligger i Indiska oceanen inom området för det nya reservatet. Syftet med rapporten är att analysera hur det småskaliga fisket kan komma att påverkas av de nya reglerna. Det är huvudsakligen baserat på semi-strukturerade intervjuer med lokala fiskare från Inhaca, för att få fram information om deras fiskevanor och fångade fiskarter. Intervjuerna gjordes under vistelsen på Inhaca, vilket var under våren 2012. Resultatet visade att 21 % av alla de fiskarter som respondenterna uppgav att de fiskade, var bottenlevande fiskar. I och med de nya restriktionerna kommer alla fiskare på Inhaca tvingas att fiska annorlunda (med annan utrustning) för att undvika att fånga bottenlevande fisk, alternativt tvingas till att fiska på annan plats för att kunna fortsätta att fiska lagligt. Denna rapport innehåller också en kortare beskrivning av det nuvarande förvaltningssystemet vad gällande fisket (främst på lokal nivå), vilken främst är baserad på intervjuer med olika offentliga sektorer inom fiskeindustrin. Resultatet påvisade att det nuvarande styrnings- och förvaltningssystemet ibland är oklart och har flertalet brister. Bristen på reglering och kontroll av fisket runt Inhaca har lett till en kraftig minskning i fiskbestånden. Det finns alltså ett behov av ett nytt förvaltningssystem av fisket runt Inhaca. Införandet av ett nytt regelsystem innebär dock en rad svårigheter, detta eftersom att människorna som lever på ön är beroende av dess resurser för att kunna leva och försörja sig. Nyckelord: Mozambique, Inhaca, Ponta do Ouro Partail Marine Reserve, fiske, fiskare, intervjuer, förvaltning av fiske, fiskarter, bottenfisk 2 TABLE OF CONTENT 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 4 1.1. MARINE PROTECTED AREAS AND TOURISM ......................................................................................... 4 1.2 MANAGEMENT OF THE PONTA DO OURO PARTIAL MARINE RESERVE ............................................ 4 1.2.1 The Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve ........................................................................... 4 1.2.2 Fisheries regulations in the management plan .................................................................... 5 1.2.3 New restrictions in the management plan ............................................................................. 7 1.3 AREA OF STUDY .......................................................................................................................................... 8 1.3.1 Inhaca Island ....................................................................................................................................... 8 1.3.2 People of Inhaca ................................................................................................................................. 9 1.4 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MANAGEMENT PLAN ON INHACA ISLAND ............................................ 10 1.5 PURPOSE OF STUDY .................................................................................................................................. 11 2. METHOD ...................................................................................................................................... 12 2.1 FIELD METHOD ......................................................................................................................................... 12 2.1.1 Quantitative interviews with fishermen ............................................................................... 12 2.1.2 Qualitative interviews with different fishery public sectors ........................................ 13 2.1.3 Methodological challenges ......................................................................................................... 13 2.2 DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................................ 14 2.2.1 Analysis of interviews with fishermen ................................................................................... 14 2.2.2 Analysis of interviews with fishery public sectors ............................................................ 15 3. RESULTS ...................................................................................................................................... 15 3.1 CURRENT FISHING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM .......................................................................................... 15 3.1.1. Fishing industry in Mozambique ............................................................................................. 15 3.1.2 The Fishing Administration in Maputo ................................................................................. 16 3.1.3 Maritime Authority on Inhaca Island .................................................................................... 16 3.1.4 IDPPE on Inhaca ............................................................................................................................. 17 3.2 FISHING MARKET ON INHACA ISLAND .................................................................................................. 18 3.3 THE FISHING SITUATION ON INHACA .................................................................................................... 19 3.3.1 Background of the fishermen .................................................................................................... 19 3.3.2 Fishing habits ................................................................................................................................... 19 3.3.3 Fishing techniques and transport ............................................................................................ 20 3.3.4 Fishing environments and fish species .................................................................................. 21 4. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................ 23 4.1 CURRENT FISHING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM .......................................................................................... 24 4.2 IMPACT ON FISHING TRENDS .................................................................................................................. 24 4.2.1 Fishing trends among the fishermen ...................................................................................... 24 4.2.2.Impact on local population ........................................................................................................ 27 4.2.3 Possible sources of error .............................................................................................................. 27 4.3 INTRODUCTION OF A MARINE