Insights

Fourth International Fishers Forum: searching for solutions to by-catch in longline fisheries.

By-catch is one of the major problems encountered in fisheries and marine conservation. Based on a cooperative, participative and integrative approach, The Fourth International Fishers Forum, to be held this year in Costa Rica, will search for effective and sustainable solutions to this concerning issue.

This year Costa Rica will host the Fourth International Fishers Forum, which will be held in the city of Puntarenas from November 12th to 15th. Declared of National Public Interest by the Government the Forum is organized by the Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council (WPRFMC), a regional council focused in marine conservation, and the Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura (INCOPESCA). With the expected assistance of approximately 250 international delegations, the opening ceremony will take place November 12th, 9:00 a.m. at the Hotel Fiesta Conference Center.

“The fact that the event is being held in Costa Rica is important because it is the first time the Forum takes place in Latin America. Moreover, every participant is positively committed to reducing the ecological impact of fisheries in oceans. To find solutions is the general approach for those three days of work” commented Sandra Andraka, manager of WWF By-catch reduction program. This year the Forum will feature a majority assistance of Latin American participants, which will incline the agendas attention to by-catch issues in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) of Latin America (40º N, 40º S, 150º W).

In practical terms, the event consists of a series of conferences, workshops and other activities addressing the most relevant issues for world fisheries. Topics vary, from the present state of pelagic fisheries around the world, to international regulations for better management of fishing resources. Nevertheless, special attention will be directed to by-catch in longline fisheries. WWF, the global conservation organization, will present the latest report of its “By-catch reduction in the Eastern Pacific Ocean” program, which looks at marine turtle by-catch in longline fisheries.

Fisheries are changing in the Eastern Tropical Pacific to reduce sea turtle bycatch.

In the EPO, main fishing grounds coincide with the habitats and migratory routes of a wide variety of species. Therefore, in longline fisheries, along commercial species, non-commercial species are unintentionally captured. This is known as by-catch, a major problem for the sustainable development of fisheries and marine conservation. Of special interests is the actual state of marine turtles, since all five species found in the EPO are facing extinction, and three of them (loggerhead, hawsbill and leatherback) are in critical conditions.

In 2004, an alliance was created between WWF, the Interamerican Commission for Tropical Tuna (AITTC), fishermen organizations, non governmental organizations (NGO), and other cooperation groups, to look for a solution that benefited marine turtles and fishermen altogether. The initiative, based in a wide working network, aims to the voluntary adoption of new fishing techniques that reduce marine turtle by-catch. It promotes the substitution of J shaped hooks that cause deadly injuries to marine turtles, with circular hooks, which are less harmful and in fact reduce by-catch by 70% to 90% percent. Preliminary results show that circular hooks have reduced by-catch in almost every fishing trip of nearly every port in which they have been used.

It is very important to add that the process of substitution does not imply a reduction in the capture of commercial species. To register the effects of this change, an on-board observer program has been organized to work directly with fishermen in their fishing trips recording variations in fishing results according to the different used hooks. Data gathering is fundamental for the project, since it supports with firm statistical evidence the hook substitution initiative

Commitment and cooperation: towards the transformation of fisheries

The working network gathers technicians, fishermen, boat captains, fishing authorities, research groups and non governmental organizations, all working voluntarily, from México to Peru. It involves six hundred fishermen, adding a total of three hundred ships, of which nearly a hundred have already implemented circular hooks in their fishing practices. Approximately 29 000 hooks have been substituted. The program grows, and so does the participation of fishing communities, proving the effectiveness of the implemented strategy. A great part of the progress is due to a cooperative work approach, with the fishing sector, based on three principles:

1. Nobody wants to fish or hurt sea turtles.
2. Nobody wants fishermen to lose their jobs.
3. Fishermen take part in this program voluntarily.
   

It is expected Governments and industry will collaborate to adopt by-catch mitigation programs in their respective countries and will gradually create a culture for constant improvement in the fishery. This transformation towards sustainable fisheries may persuade leading private seafood companies to commit to sourcing from fisheries which are in compliance with new sustainable purchasing guidelines

A month away from the event

“Political and diplomatic stands are not at stake in this convention, participants are to speak free and transparently about every issue concerning fisheries, especially those related to by-catch. For us, participating as the WWF is very important because we want to strengthen communication between fishermen involved in the initiative, and those that aren’t yet participating. We want them to be thourougly informed about the experience; we want them to support it” declared Moisés Mug, Fisheries Senior Program Officer for WWF Latin America and the Caribbean.

This cooperative approach will be the working base of the Forum, which will gather fishermen, industry representatives, government authorities, scientists, conservationists and NGOs from around the World. With the accumulated experience of three previous editions, in New Zealand, Japan and Hawaii, the events sets itself as a noble and promising effort to find responsible solutions to the growth and development of the fishing sector all around the World.