· What do you think the main implementation challenges are, generally as well as in a specific country context, and how could they be overcome?
Fisheries are important contribution to food securities and poverty reduction in a variety of ways. However, there are threatening issues to the contribution of fisheries to food security.
Some countries are faced with the issue of open access systems, which often translates into overexploitation of resources (fishes). Overfishing will result in the stock of fish being depleted and the fish population’s ability to replenish itself will damage, having makings of both an economic and an ecological collapse. Sustainable management of renewable resources is necessary for the long sustainability of fisheries. Moving from an open access system to a more common property management will help in this sustainability. Common property resources are those owned by a community, without specific assignment of private property rights to individuals or firms. Common property resources can be managed traditional by use of customs or government management, through social mechanism to control the level of access to these fishing areas. Also policy responses to overuse of open-access resources include imposing licenses or quotas. If fishers must pay a license fee, this will reduce the economic incentive for crowed entries into the industry. Implementation of quotas, or catch limits will reduce the overexploitation. Government officials may decide on the quota for the entire fishery and the method of distributing these quotes.
Another threatening problem is competing demands and access to fishing areas facing local small scale fishers. This is where large industrialize fishing boats compete with the locals fishers for fishing in the same areas, and small scale fisher are the ones to lose out. This has serious implication of food securities in the local areas. For this issue of competing among industrial and local fisher, small-scale fishers’ access rights can be protected through exclusion zones where the industrial fleets are ban from fishing in certain zones.
Immoral waste of resources is another threatening issues facing Fishers, as a result of large by-catch. Large by-catch affects the sustainability of future fishes and thus likely to reduces the security of food for the future generation. By-catch includes juveniles of commercially valuable species, and biologically important species. The World Wide Fund for Nature estimates the fishing industry discards some 39 million tons globally, while nearly one-third of all fish stocks are considered overfished. To avoid this problem by-catch reduction devices (BRDs) should be adopted by fishers. The fishing officials/Authorities should ensure the use of these devices. If fishers are not abiding by the laws, they should be subjected to a fine and/or ban these fishers form fishing. However, BRDs may be costly for SSF to invest in; other alternatives to avoid by catch are close seasons, close areas and restricted entry.
· What do you think the main implementation challenges are, generally as well as in a specific country context, and how could they be overcome?
Fisheries are important contribution to food securities and poverty reduction in a variety of ways. However, there are threatening issues to the contribution of fisheries to food security.
Some countries are faced with the issue of open access systems, which often translates into overexploitation of resources (fishes). Overfishing will result in the stock of fish being depleted and the fish population’s ability to replenish itself will damage, having makings of both an economic and an ecological collapse. Sustainable management of renewable resources is necessary for the long sustainability of fisheries. Moving from an open access system to a more common property management will help in this sustainability. Common property resources are those owned by a community, without specific assignment of private property rights to individuals or firms. Common property resources can be managed traditional by use of customs or government management, through social mechanism to control the level of access to these fishing areas. Also policy responses to overuse of open-access resources include imposing licenses or quotas. If fishers must pay a license fee, this will reduce the economic incentive for crowed entries into the industry. Implementation of quotas, or catch limits will reduce the overexploitation. Government officials may decide on the quota for the entire fishery and the method of distributing these quotes.
Another threatening problem is competing demands and access to fishing areas facing local small scale fishers. This is where large industrialize fishing boats compete with the locals fishers for fishing in the same areas, and small scale fisher are the ones to lose out. This has serious implication of food securities in the local areas. For this issue of competing among industrial and local fisher, small-scale fishers’ access rights can be protected through exclusion zones where the industrial fleets are ban from fishing in certain zones.
Immoral waste of resources is another threatening issues facing Fishers, as a result of large by-catch. Large by-catch affects the sustainability of future fishes and thus likely to reduces the security of food for the future generation. By-catch includes juveniles of commercially valuable species, and biologically important species. The World Wide Fund for Nature estimates the fishing industry discards some 39 million tons globally, while nearly one-third of all fish stocks are considered overfished. To avoid this problem by-catch reduction devices (BRDs) should be adopted by fishers. The fishing officials/Authorities should ensure the use of these devices. If fishers are not abiding by the laws, they should be subjected to a fine and/or ban these fishers form fishing. However, BRDs may be costly for SSF to invest in; other alternatives to avoid by catch are close seasons, close areas and restricted entry.