9. The report of the COPESCAL Workshop on the Evaluation of River Fisheries and Working Party on Fishery Resources was presented to the Commission by the Secretariat. The conclusions and recommendations of the Working Party were discussed point by point.
International river basins
10. Much discussion centered around the need to manage the international waters of the continent, and this was identified as a priority activity for the Working Party for the foreseeable future. While it was recognized that activities at the political level were not possible, it was felt that action by the Commission at a technical level was urgent. Such activities should include not only the study of the various fish and their fisheries but should also include cooperative action on such other aspects of river basin ecology having international implications as pollution and the introduction of exotic fish species. Therefore, the Commission suggested that items 3.9, 3.10 and to a certain extent 3.5 of the Working Party report be included under item 3.1. In this context the Commission recommended that the riverain countries within the various basins collaborate technically, both within their own basin area and with other basins on topics of common interest. Such collaboration should initially be by correspondence but should eventually aim at material advances in knowledge through the establishment of cooperative research programmes on outstanding items of international interest such as fish migration, effects on fishing ecology of dams, or the design of fish passes. It was further recommended that the subject of the second meeting of the Working Party on Fishery Resources should be the particular problems of international river basins and that the Working Party should include as far as possible the participation of technicians at the planning level.
Training
11. Because of the wider implications of training which covers areas other than those within the brief of the Working Party on Fishery Resources, it was proposed that this subject be considered in more detail under “Any other matters” (item 7 of the agenda).
Improvement of catch statistics
12. After lengthy discussions of the need for a specialized training course on fishery statistics it was decided that such a course was not of high priority because of the number of such courses held under other auspices within the region, the difficulty of financing and the complexity of providing training at the right level. It was therefore decided not to support the recommendation of the Working Party in this respect, but to consider training in statistics as a part of the curriculum of the larger training course to be discussed under item 7 of the agenda.
13. Several delegations drew attention to their own statistical sampling systems and it was felt that it would be useful if such papers could be assembled and published in an information document for circulation to the members of COPESCAL.
Development of techniques for evaluation of fish stocks
14. The Commission strongly supported the Working Party's views on the need for a Workshop on Development of Techniques of Evaluation of Fish Stocks and recommended that such a work-shop should combine this topic with consideration of the allied subjects of management of reservoirs. It was further felt that such activities should be implemented in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) and the Organization of American States (OAS).
Environmental effects including pollution
15. It was felt that pollution and other environmental problems should be taken into account when considering fisheries, and the development of river basins, especially those shared by two or more countries. Such problems should be considered with socio-economic as well as biological aspects of the problems in mind. The following specific requests for action formulated by the Working Party were supported by the Commission:
that a consultant be engaged to collect information on the state of pollution in the various countries and to propose methodologies for the assessment and control of water pollution insofar as it affects fisheries; and
that a common system be developed for toxicity testing in order to lay down criteria for water quality similar to those elaborated by the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission (EIFAC) for Europe. It was recommended that a Working Group, operating originally through correspondence could be formed to: (i) develop and standardize methodologies for testing the toxicity of selected contaminants in Latin American fish species; (ii) exchange information on the methodologies and the results obtained in order to; (iii) establish water quality criteria for fisheries.
16. At the same time it was recognized that the request for a training course in pollution was not practical in view of financial stringencies at the present time.
Bad land use practice and integrated rural development
17. The Secretariat explained that a workshop to inform planners of the consequences of decisions taken in sectors other than fisheries on water quality, fish stocks and eventually catches, is currently being organized for the Indo-Pacific Fishery Commission (IPFC) region. Much of the material for this training course would have equal applicability to the COPESCAL countries and the Commission recommended that a similar workshop be held in Latin America.
Documentation
18. Because a similar recommendation for the establishment of a documentation centre had earlier been made at the International Workshop on Limnology and Management of Reservoirs 1979 (MAB/Unesco, 1979, Chile, recommendation 4.2) it was recommended that the principle of establishing a documentation centre be endorsed and that FAO/COPESCAL cooperate in the setting of such a centre with Unesco and OAS.
19. Further to the request for the preparation of a document on the status of inland fisheries in the member countries of COPESCAL, the Secretariat has already prepared and issued a draft review (document COPESCAL/81/Inf.7). Individual sections of this review will be transmitted to the appropriate countries for comment and elaboration prior to the final issuance of a technical paper.
Inappropriate fishing practices
20. Fishing in rivers and flood plain lakes with dynamite, or a variety of natural or manmade toxicants is extremely prevalent. This is leading to widespread killing of fish outside the original target areas of the fishery and is part of a much larger pattern of misuse of the resource through inappropriate or through inefficient gear. Therefore, the Commission referred the matter to the Working Group on Technology as a priority area for its consideration. At the same time, it was felt that this was largely a problem internal to the various countries which could be approached not solely by legislation and efficient policing but also by education of the fishermen themselves.
Migration of fishes
21. This topic was considered under section 3.1 “International river basins” although the subject of migration was felt to be sufficiently important as to warrant immediate action towards the setting up of a working party by correspondence to consider this topic.
Introduction of exotic fish species
22. The Commission recognized the publication of the Register of International Transfers of Inland Fish Species presented as COPESCAL/81/Inf.4 but felt that concerns on possible deleterious environmental effects of introduction went beyond the mere production of the Register. Instead it was felt that this topic should also be considered under paragraph 10 “International river basins”.
Ornamental fish
23. In view of the relatively high importance of the trade in ornamental fish in the Latin American region and the growing competition from Singapore and Hong Kong, the recommendation that the Secretariat of COPESCAL prepare a document on the economic and social aspects of the ornamental fish trade in Latin America was supported.
24. The Commission further recommended that the Secretariat approach the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with the view of establishing cooperative efforts in this matter. The possibility of culturing ornamental fish for export, mentioned by several delegations, was referred to the agenda item on aquaculture.
Relative productivity of different types of water
25. Because of the suspected particular fragility of the fish communities of the waters of the rivers of the equatorial forest areas, the general recommendation to the countries that they investigate and document the development of fisheries in blackwater rivers as compared to savanna rivers was supported.
Subject of the second meeting of the Working Party on Fishery Resources
26. In accordance with the observations under paragraph 10 “International river basins”, it was recommended that the next session of the Working Party (1982) be devoted to the consideration and definition of the problems of international river basins.
