CHARACTERIZATION OF LEASABLE FISHERIES IN THE AYEYARWADY DELTA Zi Za Wah1, Win Ko Ko1, Khin Myat Nwe1, Yumiko Kura2, Norbert Estepa2, Xavier Tezzo2, Eric Baran2, and Ruby Grantham2 1 Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries, and Rural Development, Myanmar 2 WorldFish, Cambodia and Myanmar TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 3 1.1. AYEYARWADY DELTA ............................................................................................................................. 3 1.2. LEASABLE FISHERIES ............................................................................................................................... 3 1.2.1. History and definition .............................................................................................................. 4 1.2.2. Numbers and productivity ....................................................................................................... 5 1.2.3. Management ........................................................................................................................... 5 1.3. STUDY BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................ 6 2. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................. 8 2.1. REVIEW OF EXISTING INFORMATION .......................................................................................................... 8 2.2. COMPILING THE LIST OF LEASES AND TENDER LICENSES .................................................................................. 8 2.3. SURVEY OF LEASEHOLDERS ...................................................................................................................... 8 3. FINDINGS ............................................................................................................................................ 9 3.1. TYPOLOGY OF LEASED WATER BODIES ...................................................................................................... 9 3.1.1. Type of leasable fisheries environment ................................................................................... 9 3.1.2. Size of leased waterbodies .................................................................................................... 12 3.1.3. Other uses of land and water in leased areas ....................................................................... 13 3.2. PROFILE OF LEASEHOLDERS ................................................................................................................... 14 3.2.1. Basic characteristics .............................................................................................................. 14 3.2.2. Duration of the lease ............................................................................................................. 17 3.2.3. Price of the lease ................................................................................................................... 18 3.2.4. Livelihoods of leaseholder households .................................................................................. 19 3.2.5. Employment at the lease ....................................................................................................... 21 3.3. FISHERIES RESOURCES AND MANAGEMENT .............................................................................................. 22 3.3.1. Species diversity .................................................................................................................... 22 3.3.2. Species abundance ................................................................................................................ 23 3.3.3. Species value ......................................................................................................................... 24 3.3.4. Fishing gears ......................................................................................................................... 24 3.3.5. Patterns of productivity ......................................................................................................... 25 3.3.6. Resource conservation measures .......................................................................................... 27 3.3.7. Stock enhancement ............................................................................................................... 29 3.3.8. Illegal fishing and poaching ................................................................................................... 31 3.4. POST-HARVEST AND MARKETING ........................................................................................................... 33 3.5. FUTURE OUTLOOK .............................................................................................................................. 34 4. DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................................................... 36 4.1. CHARACTERIZATION OF LEASABLE FISHERIES .............................................................................................. 36 4.2. CHALLENGES IN LEASABLE FISHERIES ........................................................................................................ 36 4.2.1. Policy and legislation ............................................................................................................. 37 4.2.2. Inputs ..................................................................................................................................... 37 4.2.3. Post-harvest .......................................................................................................................... 37 4.2.4. Knowledge and capacity ....................................................................................................... 38 4.2.5. Habitat and environment ...................................................................................................... 38 4.2.6. Property and user rights ........................................................................................................ 38 4.2.7. Monitoring and regulation .................................................................................................... 38 4.3. RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................................... 39 5. CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................... 40 6. REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................... 41 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................................. 42 2 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1. AYEYARWADY DELTA The Ayeyarwady River (also known as Irrawaddy) is the largest river in Myanmar; it is about 1,350 miles (2,170 km) long (Encyclopedia Britannica 2015) and an important commercial waterway. Originating from Tibetan Plateau in China, the river flows relatively straight from North to South through the center of the country before emptying into the Andaman Sea. The Ayeyarwady catchment area is about 413,710 km2 and located almost entirely in Myanmar, covering a large part of the country (IUCN et al 2003). The Ayeyarwady Delta generally refers to the vast fertile lowland area where the Ayeyarwady River fans out into the sea through its numerous branches, such as Pathein River, Pyapon River, Bogale River, and Toe River. The Delta Region, which also includes Myanmar’s two other major river systems the Sittaung and the Thanlwin, enjoys what is described as Myanmar’s “highest land productivity”; with moderately high rainfall and generally flat topography it is an excellent environment for agriculture (ADB 2013). Three main ecological zones can be identified in the delta based on distance to the sea and salinity (Khin et al. in press): Floodplain zone - characterized by freshwater or very low salinity even at its maximum level and the presence of freshwater fish species Estuarine zone- characterized by multiple waterways, temporary brackish water, typically estuarine fish species, degraded mangroves along waterways and a patchwork of rice fields, trees and villages Coastal front- characterized by very flat land, quasi-permanent brackish water, saline soils, almost no vegetation (or very degraded mangroves) and fishing activities targeting coastal and marine species. The Ayeyarwady Delta is considered to contain the most productive inland fishing areas in the country (Kye Baroang 2013). However, anecdotal evidence suggests an overall decline in the productivity of fisheries in the Ayeyarwady Delta over the last few decades. It is unclear whether this perception comes from a reduction in total yield or a reduction in catch per unit effort (i.e. catch per fisherman), see Khin et al 2015 for more details. 1.2. LEASABLE FISHERIES Leasable fisheries are one of five major categories of fisheries management under the Freshwater Fisheries Law (see Box 1). The Freshwater Fisheries Law (1991)1 covers all waterbodies, including ponds, rivers, streams and lakes that are of a permanent or temporary nature where fish live and thrive, and are situated within the inland