As I’ve mentioned in the past, I
prefer to work directly with fishing communities in designing management
systems. This is not a misguided liberal idea that fishing men and women are
inherently responsible stewards of their resource. We have examples both of conservation
ethic and of blatant mismanagement by fishers, in modern times and going well
back in history. Nevertheless, the opinion of fishing communities matter
because enforcing fisheries regulation is really tricky and the attitudes of
fishing communities makes or breaks most forms of regulation.
Most fisheries take place offshore
with boats spread over huge areas. We have a growing toolbox of enforcement
techniques to keep an eye on fishing activity and ensure it complies with
regulations, but we are still a long way off from being effective enforcers,
particularly in small-scale fisheries in developing countries where resources
are limited. Arguably the most impressive modern technology is a vessel
monitoring system. When enforcing a closed fishing area, onboard transponders can
signal the location of the fishing vessel. Typically regulations require that
any passage through a closed area is done while under full power, since most
fishing activity can only take place if the boat slows down and speed can be
tracked by the vessel monitoring system. This technique also offers the
potential to identify illegal boats, a capacity I hope I can work with the
Colombians to put into some of the remote fishing grounds we study. Remote
radar systems can identify all boats, while vessel monitoring systems can show
the locations of legal boats. Any other vessel can be flagged for inspection to
see if it is fishing illegally (or doing other illegal activities, like drug
trafficking).
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Other regulations are more
challenging to enforce. We often use size limits for fish, only allowing people
to keep ones that are above a minimum size or, less commonly, below a maximum
size. While large scale fishing operations are relatively easy to monitor by
inspecting their catch dockside, catch from smaller more dispersed fleets is
not so easy to monitor. There’s an even bigger problem. Most fishing gear
catches a wide range of fish sizes. Gear modifications can reduce the
unintended catch of fish that are too small or too big, but rarely eliminate
it. Amazingly, the typical management solution to this challenge is to require
that boats throw under-or over-sized fish overboard. The same policy goes for
cases where a big haul exceeds the catch limit that a boat has: fish get thrown
overboard. In a few cases, primarily invertebrates like lobster or crab, most
of the fish survive this process. In most cases, though, many of the fish are
dead and just as “caught” as if they had been brought into port. Moreover,
because the fish were discarded, we often do not have data on this portion of
the catch.
What can we do, then, to enforce size
and catch limits, two of the most common forms of fisheries regulation?
Compliance from the fishing community can make all the difference. If the
majority of the community does not believe in a regulation, it is very unlikely
it will be followed. If the majority do believe in a regulation, they are
likely to enforce among each other.
This realization should not be a
justification to give license to fishing communities to pick and choose any
regulations they like. The rules should be set up with long-term goals,
including sustainability, in mind. Doing so requires that scientists, managers,
and fishing communities work closely together to identify goals, design
appropriate management measures, and ensure that fishing communities understand
the value of these regulations for their own future.
Compliance should not be a goal in
and of itself, but marine fisheries regulations will be far more effective if
they are made in concert with the fishing community. Compliance is a far better
enforcement solution than a heavy hand.
All the best,
Josh
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