27. The Secretariat introduced the item, with a review of the report of the Working Party on Fisheries Technology.
28. The report mentioned that the constraints that limit inland water fisheries development, are essentially similar to those of marine artisanal fisheries in the sense that both face common problems with respect to fishing boat and gear, landing, storage and marketing facilities, unorganized fishermen communities and difficult access to appropriate credit.
29. The close interaction of the different phases of the fishery process would render isolated efforts sterile as has been the case in many marine artisanal fishery projects; an integrated approach should therefore be taken where the potential beneficiaries would play a central role, since it is essentially through proper financing of organized groups of inland water fishermen that development can be achieved.
30. It should then be emphasized that member countries through their proper channels should prepare and implement integrated inland fishery development programmes (eventually with the assistance of FAO) to serve as demonstration models from which it would be possible to define the characteristics and size of viable projects, to further disseminate the development scheme.
31. The Chairman noted that the conclusions of the Working Party were quite compatible with those of the Working Party on Inland Fishery Resources. He further noted that there was a considerable diversity of technologies in use in the region and reviewed the particular problems of fishery technology which needed to be considered by the delegates. These included, in addition to strictly technological aspects, the problems of transfer of technology, of determining the special objectives of fisheries in each country, and of matching technology to the needs and objectives so determined.
32. After considerable discussion on the status of fishery technology in the countries represented, it was agreed that the Secretariat should consolidate information from member countries into a document describing the infrastructure of the inland fisheries, and the human and financial resources available. It was hoped that this might preclude the need for further diagnosis of the problem at the next session, so that full attention could be given to the specific kinds of assistance needed for the solution of these problems. To this end, the Secretariat was asked to supply information to Member Governments on alternative methods of catching, processing, preserving and marketing fish, appropriate to inland fisheries, as a basis for action. The Secretariat was also requested to try to identify resources which might be used to assist Member Governments in implementing action programmes.
33. With regard to recommendations made by the Working Party concerning vessels, gear and methods, the Chairman noted that items 10 (b), (c) and (f) (COPESCAL/81/5) had already been discussed and accepted by the Commission in the discussion of item 3 of the agenda. The following recommendations were also accepted:
Technologies related to the design and specification of fishing gear should be developed to conserve the resource and to increase the catch of underexploited species, with due consideration of the ecological equilibrium of the environment.
Studies should be undertaken to evaluate and improve the efficiency of fishing boats in order to determine the principal technical requirements with due regard to working conditions, gear to be used and species to be exploited.
The terminology and technical specifications used for fishing gear and methods should be standardized by COPESCAL member countries in order to facilitate the exchange of technical information.
34. The Working Party's recommendations on handling, processing and marketing, were also considered appropriate and generally acceptable. However, it was agreed that recommendation 11 (b) should be brought up again in connection with the item on training.
35. The recommendation to study of possible utilization of fish residues evoked considerable discussion among the delegates. While some described situations in which good opportunities existed for the local utilization of fishery residues, other delegations felt that, for the most part, the dispersion of inland fisheries and the small amounts of residues available at any one place would preclude their economic utilization.
36. It was also emphasized that aquaculture provides promising ways of utilizing waste fish and fish processing residues in rural areas and it was agreed to take up this recommendation again under the agenda item on aquaculture.
37. The following recommendations relating to socio-economic studies in relation to the organization and development of inland fisheries were considered central to all the other recommendations, and should be implemented:
To request COPESCAL to initiate socio-economic studies of aspects pertinent to different population groups as a whole, in order to develop concepts for cooperative and/or self-help organizations for the utilization of the fishery resource to mutual benefit of consumers and producers.
The possibilities of integrating the efforts of neighbouring countries in multinational fishery projects and of effective technical cooperation, particularly in areas of joint responsibility should be studied.
COPESCAL should pass the necessary recommendations to member countries with regard to the need to centralize responsibility for a rational utilization of the resource in one state agency which should have the necessary economic resources, autonomy of management and decision making power in order to coordinate the necessary actions with all organizations which undertake activities in this field employing appropriate strategies for a coherent fishery policy.
