The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Costantine Sebastian
10 October 2008
Washington — Experts have called for a 40 per cent reduction in fishing activities in Lake Victoria as a measure to counter the rapid dwindling of Nile perch stocks in the world's second largest lake.
The view is contained in a report, 'The Sunken Billion: The Economic Justification for Fisheries Reform' released here on Wednesday that raises alarm on a simmering global fisheries crisis that causes losses amounting to $50 billion (about Sh58 trillion) annually.
A World Bank fisheries expert told The Citizen that implementing the proposal to avert a crisis in Lake Victoria is tricky because it would have immediate devastating economic and commercial repercussions in the region.
Mr Kieran Kelleher however emphasized the need for a long term solution noting that going for aquaculture would help a great deal in solving the problem. According to him, reducing fishing activities and practicing good fisheries governance would in the short term negatively affect fishing communities.
It would also impact on local and regional trade, fish processors, export earnings and the economies of the three East African countries, he said. Such move would not augur well with many stakeholders in the sector but is indispensable for future productivity and profitability, he nonetheless asserted.
"Sustainable fisheries require political will to replace incentives for over fishing with incentives for responsible stewardship," Mr Kelleher, who heads the World Bank's fisheries team noted at the press briefing on the report. "It is not about boats and fish. This report provides decision makers with the economic arguments for the reforms needed."
He said that while the global per capita fish consumption stands at 16 kg, the consumption in Africa is about half that amount because most of the commercially caught fish in the continent is exported.
The Sunken Billions report, which calls for urgent reforms in the global fishing industry, cites figures to show that revenue loss in Lake Victoria emanating from poor management of its resources amounted to nearly $44 million (about Sh51 billion) in 2006.
The figure, according to the case study on the lake, amounts to 61 per cent of the revenues obtained from Nile perch catches in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Its authors point out that because of poor fisheries governance in the lake, the $72 million (about Sh83.5 billion) currently earned is nearly three times less the available potential.
To realize potential economic benefits, the study indicates that the fishing effort should be reduced by 40 per cent. "This could rebuild Nile Perch stocks from 430,000 tonnes to close 900,000 tonnes," an excerpt in the report reads in part.
"The study shows that fishing in the lake could earn 2.5 times ($180 million) the net economic returns that is currently earning ($72 million)," it further noted. Speaking at the release of the report, World Bank and FAO experts said the fish markets turmoil require the same attention being accorded to the financial, fuel and food crises.
They said tackling the crisis is a global issue which however would succeed by applying locally developed solutions that suit different countries' scenarios. The experts said marine fisheries losses being incurred, which totaled over $2 trillion over the last three decades, mostly emanate from poor management, inefficiencies and over fishing.
FAO and the World Bank said in a statement that long before the much hyped fuel and food price increases, the economic health of the world's marine fisheries was in decline. They say that the building up of fishing fleets, the deployment of increasingly powerful fishing technologies and increasing pollution and habitat loss has depleted fish stocks worldwide.
"Global marine catches have been stagnant for over a decade, hovering at around 85 million tones per year. Meanwhile, fisheries productivity - measured in terms of catch per fisherman, or per fishing vessel - has declined, even though fishing technology has advanced and fishing efforts increased," the two organizations affirmed in the statement.
Governance reforms in the sector could turn most of the incurred losses into sustainable economic benefits for millions of fishermen and coastal communities, they said. They insisted that economically healthy fisheries are fundamental to the restoration of fish stocks, improved livelihoods, exports, fish food security and economic growth.
"Right now, no one is winning," senior FAO fishery planning officer Rolf William said. "The real income levels of fishermen are depressed, much of the industry is unprofitable, fish stocks are depleted and other sectors of the economy foot for an ailing fishing industry."
According to the report, the recovery of 'the sunken billions' can take place through two main approaches. First, a reduction in fishing effort would increase productivity, profitability and net economic benefits. Second, rebuilding fish stocks would lead to increased sustainable yields and lower fishing costs.
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