Environmental change occurs at two extremes: (1) slow and incremental (e.g. fishing
pressure,
pollution) and (2) catastrophic (e.g. tsunamis and other natural disasters). It would appear that humans are very
good at responding to catastrophic change but are more accepting of incremental change. This would
explain how according to Adger et al. (2005) resilience can be eroded gradually and
go unrecognized or
be thought unimportant. The lessons learned of increased impacts from the tsunami in
chronically
impacted and degraded ecosystems should be taken as an alert for future management.
The evidence from the sources reviewed shows strongly that although there are localized
cases of
clear impact caused directly by the tsunami, most of the fished resources and their
supporting ecosystems
were not severely impacted by the tsunami but had already been in decline. Such pre-existing
trends
were acknowledged in the two national workshops run as part of this project in Indonesia and
Sri
Lanka (MMAF 2006; NARA 2006) though for Indonesia, there was a consensus among participants
that
there may still be some resources not yet fully exploited in Aceh. Overall, the current
condition of resources
is the result of these same trends and/or interactive effects resulting from reduced
environmental resilience.
In this study Maldeniya and Jayamanne (2006), Tampubolon
et al. (2006) and others undertaken elsewhere (e.g. India, Salagrama 2006) fisherfolk
agreed that declines in fish catches after the
tsunami were generally a continuation of existing trends. This observation is generally
supported by the scientific studies reviewed. It should be noted, however, that the fisherfolk of the Coromandel
Coast were
quite clear that the tsunami did influence fisheries resources, as their catches had never
been as bad as they
were in 2005, particularly during peak fishing seasons. In Aceh and Sri Lanka it was found
that
fisherfolk generally blamed the loss of boats and gear for this decline, though in some
cases they seemed to
suggest that abundance of some species had declined after the tsunami. An examination of
historical catch data
in Sri Lanka showed that declines occurred in all coastal fisheries and often extended back
decades.
Catch data and the fisherfolk in both countries indicate that catch rates continued to
decline after the tsunami.
In fact the main post-tsunami issues for the fishing communities raised in both countries
were related not
to declining catches but to "human factors" such as the rising fuel and falling
fish prices.
It is also possible that the long-term effects of the tsunami could include some positive changes
in resources, though information is generally lacking at this stage. Salagrama (2006)
suggested that the
"vigorous churning" of the waters in the Bay of Bengal from the tsunami
contributed to an upwelling
from the nutrient-rich benthic strata to the upper layers, and enhanced primary productivity which might
be reflected further down the food chain as an increase in fish production over the coming
years. In
this study, there was evidence from the PRAs that prawn numbers increased in a damaged
mangrove in
Aceh Jaya in Indonesia and increased temporarily in Galle and Hambantota in Sri Lanka.
Hilsa numbers were also increased in Hambantota.
The important lessons learned on fisheries, fished resources and their ecosystems
are:
Fisheries resources and ecosystems have generally not been significantly impacted by
the tsunami, though there are some local cases of effects. The fisheries resources of
Indonesia
and Sri Lanka can be expected to recover naturally from the impacts of the tsunami, provided
that the fishing effort is kept within sustainable limits and other stresses on ecosystems
and resources are managed.
Fisheries resources were already severely depleted and declining prior to the tsunami
due
to unsustainable practices and environmental degradation. Further, overfishing is recognized
as
a problem by communities. Programmes for rebuilding fisheries livelihoods need to
address the pre-tsunami situation (MFAR 2005; MMAF 2006; NARA 2006; Stobutzki and Hall
2005).
In Indonesia and Sri Lanka fisheries resources in tsunami-affected areas have been
under
stress since well before the tsunami and may not be in a condition to promote local
economic and livelihood recovery. In fact the pre-tsunami "stagnation" of
fisheries perceived by
the Government of Indonesia, an issue to be addressed in its master plan for recovery ROI
(2005), may be a sign that the health of resources needs to be investigated.
Most changes in catches since the tsunami appear to be due to human factors,
including increases in boats, fisherfolk and gear; increases in fuel price leading to
shorter fishing trips
and concentration of effort; problems with transportation; financing issues; lower fish
prices; changes in grounds, sometimes related to sanctuaries and debris; illegal fishing
methods;
and fishing by foreign vessels.
The problems now arising in fisheries after the tsunami have highlighted issues of
weak institutions and enforcement, raising issues of the need for better human capacity,
facilities, funding and information needed for effective fisheries management.
The effects of the tsunami have precipitated new divisions in industry and conflicts
between
the management agencies and industry. This has raised issues of "who comes first?" (local
vs foreign fisherfolk) and conflicts among local fisherfolk, some of which are related to
the
post-tsunami reconstruction efforts.
The tsunami has highlighted the need to rehabilitate fisherfolk livelihoods though
diversification into new areas and improving safety and facilities. This could include
improving
post-harvest processing and cold storage/ice facilities, promotion of aquaculture and
land-based
livelihoods, safety at sea and transport to markets.
It is apparent that as a result of the well-meaning efforts of donors, fishing capacity has
been increased at some locations in Aceh and Sri Lanka, taking numbers of boats and
efficiency
of gear well above pre-tsunami levels. This situation can be expected to further
exacerbate sustainability problems for fisheries resources and already appears to be
happening in
Lampulo, Banda Aceh.
The impacts of the tsunami on effort appear to have had flow-on effects on catches.
Where effort was reduced, total catches recovered and efficiency improved, exceeding
pre-tsunami levels. Where boats and/or gear were oversupplied catches continued to decline
and/or declined further to lower than pre-tsunami levels.
In CONSRN's (2005d) Regional Strategic Framework for rehabilitation of fisheries
and aquaculture strategic element 3 is concerned with restoring the natural environment. The
focus of this element needs to shift to alleviating pre-existing human impacts and pressures on
marine ecosystems rather than the direct effects of the tsunami. Habitat restoration should
focus
on approaches that harness the natural recovery power of ecosystems and resources, with
artificial restoration (such as transplantation) used only in critical areas.
Recovery of fished resources and ecosystems needs to focus on restoring resilience as
well
as outputs of interest to humans.
Because both the resources themselves and their supporting ecosystems are under stress,
an adaptive management approach is needed for planning and implementing recovery. As
pointed out by IUCN (2005f) complexity and uncertainty make it impossible to accurately
predict outcomes.
The fisheries data being collected in Aceh Province and Sri Lanka are invaluable
for determining how resources and fisherfolk are faring post-tsunami compared with earlier
times.
They are, however, often poorly organized, missing values and their lessons are not
easily learned.
