Bonaire: 90 million years, plus a few days to think By Daniel Pauly onaire began as an in Bonaire. As a member of FishBytes), and devoted to underwater boil of the Pew Fellows Program’s identifying potential joint Bmagma 90 million Advisory Committee, I had activities by Pew Fellows. years ago but emerged 30 the privilege of spending a million years later, when it few October days on that Each of the workshop started to acquire a isolated island, 80 organizers had brought an terrestrial fauna and flora, kilometres north of interesting group of with many species soon Venezuela’s coast (see resource persons. For evolving into endemics. map). example, in workshop Number Three, which I The island appears not to After starting with a tribute attended, Nancy Baron had have been peopled prior to to the late Robert invited a stellar group of the arrival of Europeans. Of Johannes (a 1993 Pew science journalists, these, the Dutch were the Fellow) and keynote including Cornelia Dean, most tenacious, lecture by Jeremy Jackson, Science Editor at the New incorporating Bonaire into based on his much-cited York Times. It was quite a the few specks of land that article in Science (Jackson learning experience to hear constitute the Netherlands et al. 2001), the meeting the presentations and Antilles, where diving went on with four mock-interviews tourism, and resource concurrent workshops: documenting how our extraction (marine salt in 1) “Maneuvering the maze prejudices as scientists, and Bonaire), or transformation of international treaties our inability to see (oil refining in Curaçao), and agreements”, organized ourselves as others may have replaced the slave by fellow Advisory Member see us (caveat-ridden and economy of old. Cyriaque Sendashonga, of nerdic) often stand in the the Secretariat of the way of getting a worthy This year, the Pew Fellows Convention on Biological message across. in Marine Conservation Diversity; had their annual meeting 2) “Community-based The plenary reports and fisheries management”, by discussions, held a day Kalli de Meyer of The Coral later, showed that the other Reef Alliance three workshops had been (www.coral.org); worthwhile as well. Hence 3) “Communication of everybody’s interest in the results”, by Nancy Baron of subsequent event, meant SeaWeb (www.seaweb.org); to address the relation and between ‘Science’ and 4) “Action for the ocean”, ‘Advocacy.’ The speakers run by Amanda Vincent of featured Ray Hilborn, of the The tiny island of Bonaire is located the Fisheries Centre (see University of Washington’s 80 km north of Venezuela this month’s issue of Continued on page 2 - Bonaire The Sea Around Us Project Newsletter Issue 14 – November/December 2002 Sea Around Us Sea Around Us November/December 2002 Page 2 Bonaire - Continued from page 1 wins. This leaves the one so great damage to coral reefs. named to scream in rage that Indeed, the feral goats and School of Aquatic and Fisheries he or she is NOT BEING donkeys have done just that on Science, and three Pew Fellows EMOTIONAL!!! land, through centuries of including our own Carl Walters. uncontrolled grazing, gradually This séance, in which we were Rather, I joined a group of Pew turning Bonaire’s flat warned of the perils of Fellows who had offered to countryside into a likeness of an commitment, was, however, a discuss, with our colleagues inner-city vacant lot. Similarly, bit of a letdown. Colleagues from Bonaire, the major issues sport-fishing for billfish and have been too often dismissed facing the island’s marine park marlin can deplete nearby as ‘advocates’ because they and fisheries: fishing as surely as a were picking up inconvenient Even small - The gradual erosion of the commercial long line fishery, issues, while those in favor of fisheries can live coral cover and (large) fish though it usually takes longer the status quo tended to be damage abundance on the reefs, both to get there. presented as dispassionate key to the success of the coral reefs ... proponents of the facts. One SCUBA-diving dependent However, nothing of this sort but nothing example of an outstanding and tourist sector; and can do the damage that EU committed scientist given the of this sort - The current negotiations fleets roaming in the Bonaire treatment was Rachel Carson, can do the between Bonaire’s local Exclusive Fishing Zone would. the author of the book after damage that government and the European The prospect of this happening which the Sea Around Us project Union, the result of an EU may have been diminished a bit EU fleets is named. Thus, I am pleased to attempt to acquire access rights by Pew Fellow Rodrigo would say that I did not participate in for Spanish fishing vessels. Bustamante’s account of foreign that specific discussion - it fleet activities in the waters reminded me too closely of It was a pleasure (but not a around the Galápagos Islands those debates where the first to surprise) to see Pew Fellow (another national park, by the employ the rhetorical ploy of Callum Roberts lay out the case way). My account of the effects calling the other “emotional” for the creation of a marine of foreign fleets off West Africa reserve as a tool to address the may have also helped there, first of these issues, although I especially as it came with a must mention that I also made The Sea Around Us project newsletter is a convincing case for the need published by the Fisheries Centre at the Uni- to estimate present catches versity of British Colum- from the reefs (no, the Bonaire bia. Included with Marine Park authorities do not the Fisheries Cen- know how much is presently tre’s newsletter taken out by the commercial FishBytes,six is- and subsistence fisheries from sues of this news- the reefs and marine park letter are pub- surrounding the island, and by lished annually. recreational fisheries further The late Bob Johannes, with Daniel Pauly, Subscriptions are offshore). at last year’s Pew Fellows Annual Meeting in free of charge. Nova Scotia, and to whom this year’s meeting in Bonaire was dedicated. Our mailing address is: UBC Fisheries Cen- The point is that, one fish at a Photo by Amanda Vincent tre, 2204 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Co- time, even small fisheries can do Continued on page 3 - Bonaire lumbia, Canada, V6T 1Z4. Our fax number is (604) 822-8934, and our email address is he Sea Around Us project is a Fisheries Centre partner- [email protected]. All queries (in- ship with the Pew Charitable Trusts of Philadelphia, cluding reprint requests), subscription re- USA. The Trusts support nonprofit activities in the areas of quests, and address changes should be ad- T culture, education, the environment, health and human serv- dressed to Robyn Forrest, Sea Around Us ices, public policy and religion. Based in Philadelphia, the Trusts Newsletter Editor. make strategic investments to help organisations and citizens The Sea Around Us website may be found develop practical solutions to difficult problems. In 2000, with at saup.fisheries.ubc.ca and contains up-to- approximately $4.8 billion in assets, the Trusts committed over date information on the project. $235 million to 302 nonprofit organisations. Page 3 Sea Around Us November/December 2002 Bonaire - Continued from page 2 science and advocacy. Clearly, Jackson, J.B.C., M.X. Kirby, W.H. scary Powerpoint presentation scientists should not jump over Berger, K.A. Bjorndal, L.W. Rotsford, featuring Villy Christensen’s it - there are lots of strong, nasty B.J. Bourque, R. Cooke, J.A. Estes, T.P. maps of declining fish biomass characters on the other side, Hughes, S. Kidwell, C.B. Lange, H.S. off West Africa (see Pauly 2002), Lenihan, J.M. Pandolfi, C.H. and one of them, say Goliath, and the key points of EU-West Peterson, R.S. Steneck, M.J. Tegner, may decide to cut off our African agreements (extracted and R.R. Warner. 2001. Historical credibility and who knows what from Kaczynski and Fluharty overfishing and the recent collapse else. But nothing should 2001). of coastal ecosystems. Science. 293: prevent us from passing a few 629-638. pebbles over to the occasional Kaczynski, V.M. and D. L. Fluharty The people of Bonaire do not David. That much I learnt in 2001. European policies in West want EU fleets in their waters, Bonaire. Africa: who benefits from fisheries and the information provided agreements. Marine Policy. 26.:75- should help support their 93. References Pauly, D. 2002. A Symposium with position in the next round of Anon. 2002. Opinion: good for Results. Sea Around Us Newsletter Bonaire-EU negotiations – the Antilles, but bad for Bonaire. 12, August/September 2002: 1-4. which brings us back to the The Bonaire Reporter. October 11- issue of the wall between 18, 2002. Sea Around Us dances with Minister of isheries By Dirk Zeller and Villy Christensen uring the first two-year Mer (France), and Department significant role in Faroese phase of the Sea Around of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO, culture and society. The DUs project (1999-2000), Canada). The purpose of the government utilizes a spatial- Commercial we focused extensively on the workshop was to bring together and effort-based system of North Atlantic. While the project expertise on ecosystems, management for their demersal and has since expanded its regional modelling, and on the Faroe fisheries, and explicitly subsistence focus, our previous marine environment. It was also incorporates ecosystem fisheries collaborative involvements in an opportunity to present and considerations in their policies. play a the North Atlantic region discuss Faroese ecosystems, Given the importance of fishing significant (Guénette et al.