Legislation/policy
It is very important to be explicit about the criteria being used to categorize fisheries and define bycatch in each country, i.e. traditional vs artisanal fisheries, industrial vs. semi-industrial fisheries, bycatch for human consumption vs. bycatch for discarding.
Although the bycatch policy frameworks are vague in some countries, there have been attempts to reduce bycatch. It was very apparent that the measures being taken to reduce bycatch are at different stages of development. Maximization of bycatch utilization is a key focus in Kenya, Madagascar and Mozambique due to the needs of poverty and food security. South Africa’s focus is more comprehensive up to the ecosystem level and is already at the experimental stage of BRDs. Some countries are in the process of re-formulating their fisheries policy, and specific bycatch policies should be included. It is also apparent that enforcement of legislation is lacking in some countries.
There were notable differences between countries on the legislation regarding minimum allowable trawling distances from the shore. These were attributed to specific factors in each country:
South Africa: The proposed 1.5 nautical mile regulation was not scientifically based. Conflicts have arisen with regard to safety issues (trawlers being beached), discards washing up on the shore and complaints by beach users of trawlers operating too near the beach.
Kenya: The basis for the five nautical mile regulation was to reduce user conflicts and to safeguard the interests of small/artisanal fishermen. Kenya is however in the process of scientific research on this issue.
Madagascar: Trawling is restricted to beyond two nautical miles, with no scientific basis.
Mozambique: The restrictions are categorized according to depth to protect species (i.e. shallow vs. deep-water species). Industrial vessels are restricted from trawling in waters less than 10 m deep and may not trawl within one nautical mile of the shore, except in north of Mozambique where industrial vessels are restricted to beyond three nautical miles due to a political decision to reduce user conflicts arising between artisanal and industrial fishermen.
Utilization
There are various difficulties being experienced in utilizing bycatch among the countries. Trawler operators may be reluctant to land bycatch or to allow for the collection of bycatch at sea due to fear of theft, the lack of storage facilities on board and the high costs of collecting bycatch at sea. Consultations with all stakeholders of the fishing industry such as those recently conducted in Kenya should be prioritized.
There is a need to improve administrative measures concerning bycatch utilization. Currently, enforcement of bycatch:target catch quota systems in Mozambique and Madagascar is very low. One way of tackling this is to improve the cold storage facilities on land. The Japanese Government plans to fund such a project in Madagascar. This is a good example of how key investors are contributing to the development of infrastructure for the collection of bycatch at sea.
Knowledge of bycatch
It was noted that there is no formal monitoring system in the countries apart from South Africa and Mozambique. Madagascar and Mozambique have a good history of steps to address the bycatch problem through various projects, but this has not been continuous. The continuity of monitoring activities is affected by staff changes, poor information management, and poor accessibility to information. The GEF project could assist in this.
Long-term ecological monitoring on impacts of trawling should be undertaken; however this is a difficult issue due to the element of experimental design. For example, to detect ecological changes due to trawling, there is a need to sample pristine shrimp trawl grounds, i.e. before trawling commences, for comparison with exploited areas. This was a limitation in the Kenyan study since no previous research had been conducted. Long-term research is the factual basis needed for making policy decisions and should be promoted. The need to set baseline monitoring programmes in place regionally was identified as a priority. To be cost-effective, it was recommended that monitoring should be done in time spans of three to four years according to the needs of each country.
Information can be obtained through scientific trawl surveys, observer vessels and monitoring using trained volunteers. Identification of bycatch species is also a main concern which can be tackled using bycatch identification keys such as the one developed by South Africa.
Bycatch reduction
TEDs are being used in some countries (Kenya, Mozambique and Nigeria). It was noted that steps are needed to effectively introduce and transfer TED/BRD technology to the countries. However the trawling companies need to be convinced first to use the devices since various problems have been experienced in compliance with TED legislation. The high compliance with TED usage in Australia was achieved through a long-term process after the fishery was overexploited and trawlers chose to comply rather than lose a percentage of their prawn catch. TED compliance was very low in Kenya due to problems with gears getting blocked and destroyed. The blockage of gears was also experienced in Mozambique; however modifications were made to the gear to overcome this. A mechanism used in Mexico and Costa Rica to reduce blockage is by reducing the trawling time. It was noted that seasonal and/or spatial closure of the trawling grounds could also result in a reduction of bycatch.
The impact of artisanal fisheries on turtle survival is hard to resolve as it depends on specific cultural factors in each country. Most communities eat turtles or use them for other cultural practices. In Australia, indigenous people have rights to exploit turtles but are not allowed to sell them. Since there are no monetary gains to exploitation, sea turtle exploitation has been maintained at a sustainable level.
Socio-economics
In most cases fishermen and trawlers use the same fishing grounds leading to conflicts. Fishermen attribute this to the decline in catches per capita. However the increased number of fishers also has an impact.
Bycatch wastage on trawlers is high. There are no clear mechanisms in place to collect or avail the bycatch to the local communities. The amount of landed bycatch (where and when) is entirely dependent on the needs of the trawler industry.
Currently there is a ready market for the bycatch in many countries. However the supply is erratic and the marketing channels are not well developed.
Ways to maximize the use of the bycatch that has already been caught have been recommended. One way is via liaison with the private sector to devise strategies that enable discards to reach the market.
The need for fishermen to seek alternative sources of livelihood was also raised
