THE STATUS OF FISHERY RESOURCES IN THE SWIO REGION

11. The Meeting considered the status of fishery resources of the SWIO region excluding tuna and tuna-like species. On the basis of national reports and document SAFR/DM/SWIO/00/2, the following main issues were discussed:

• characteristics of the fisheries;
• catch trends;
• status of exploitation at national and regional levels;
• intrinsic and external issues of transboundary stocks; and
• the state of knowledge of the resource base.

12. Regarding the characteristics of fisheries, subsistence, artisanal, semi-industrial and a few industrial fisheries were directed to non-tuna resources in the region. Countries used low technology gear to harvest multispecies fisheries, providing the main source of fish protein supply to local populations. Non-tuna resources were the main source of employment and subsistence in the region although these same resources were difficult to manage by conventional management techniques.

13. It was noted that available catch trends give indicative levels of exploitation of stocks:

• inshore stocks, easily accessible to the artisanal fisherfolk are generally over-exploited or fully exploited;
• the less accessible offshore resources are relatively under exploited; and
• shrimp stocks are fully exploited and should now be managed on basis of economic returns.

14. Catch trends and non-tuna resources were impacted by a number of factors:

• coastal zone development (tourism);
• pollution and environmental degradation;
• destructive fishing methods;
• increasing human population matched by increasing fishing effort; as well as
• regional oceanographic factors such as global warming and coral bleaching which influence the species composition and magnitudes of catches.

15. Inadequate management resources often resulted in fisheries without control. The Meeting expressed the view that the following initiatives could contribute to sustainability of the fisheries resources in the region:

• encourage fishing effort further offshore through buyback schemes and preferential loans;
• diversify to other fisheries;
• adopt fishery enhancement techniques such as FADS;
• proclaim and manage marine parks and reserves;
• involve fishers in decision making relating to their livelihoods to facilitate compliance;
• promote co-management to reduce government cost; and
• encourage education and training.

16. Species observed in national catches are similar across the region. It was agreed that, in this region, the concept of a `stock' was unclear as there was little scientific information on the genetics or movements of fish upon which it could be based. Nevertheless, likely transboundary fish species include among others: trevallies, mackerel, sharks, small pelagic fish, lobsters and shrimps. The Meeting identified possible transboundary fisheries issues in the region:

• for Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya along the East African Coast, there are the shrimp and some fin fish species, shifting fishing fleets, similar fish marketing needs and also `unified' cross border administrative and management issues;
• for Mauritius, Seychelles and the corresponding high seas in the sector of the Mauritius-Seychelles ridge, there are contiguous shallow demersal and deepwater fisheries; and
• there have been incidences of fishing incursions from overfished countries outside the SWIO region.

17. It was acknowledged that most of the information on fishery resources of the south-west Indian Ocean was collected in the mid 1970s and early 1980s through the activities of East African Marine Fisheries Research Organization (EAMFRO) for the Kenya and Tanzania coastal sector. Extensive trawl and acoustic surveys were conducted with the research vessels "Mesyatsev" and "Fridtjof Nansen" in the waters of the East African Coast and on the Mauritius-Seychelles ridge.

18. The Meeting was informed about the intensive SWIO Fisheries Research Programme funded by UNDP and executed by FAO during the 1980s. However, that there was little exploratory fishing in the region during the 1990s except for the development of the swordfish fishery.

19. The Meeting noted that in certain areas there was inadequate fishing exploration for deepwater fishery resources.

20. The Meeting made the following conclusions:

• general historical catch trend indicate patterns of regional similarities;
• there are common and similar stock assessment needs and fishery management issues across the region with similar environment degradation problem;
• information on transboundary stocks was scanty and inadequate; and
• constraints for development and managing transboundary fisheries are likely to increase across adjacent borders due to local depletion, shifting fishing fleets and fishing incursions from outside the region.

21. The Meeting recommended, that regional collaboration should be encouraged and strengthened to facilitate the collection, analysis and dissemination of fishery information at national and regional levels and to enable unified management measures for similar and transboundary fisheries.