Major challenges to regulating small-scale fisheries and trade in South-east Asia, with emphasis on LRFFT

Meryl J Williams, AsiaPacific-FishWatch

APEC Workshop Market-Based Improvement in Live Reef Food Fish Trade

Bali, 1-3 March 2011

Exploding 2 Myths

Regulations: Just build more capacity!

Trade: Just transform the markets!

Regulations?Just build more

capacity!

• Governments & industry emphasize exports– Strong economic incentives– Sustainability less important

• Regulating LRFFT only one of many priorities– ‘What’s wrong with it?’– Can these fish be sustainably

harvested?– Compared to other small scale

fisheries, offshore expansion• Regulations can corrupt

– LRFFT full of opportunities for corruption and crime

Regulations: Just build more capacity!

• Crowded regulatory landscape– Devolved authorities

• Multiple gov’t levels• Pre-existing systems• Conservation systems

– Neither gov’t nor self-regulation is enough

– Dispersed geographies • Challenges of transboundary trade

• Major capacity gaps– Multiple needs– Improvements will be incremental

• Information inaccessible– Little public knowledge

Regulations: Just build more capacity!

Regulations?Just build more

capacity!

Trade?Just transform the

markets!

• LRFFT supply and demand not readily influenced– Collaboration and

confrontation are difficult– Markets

• Trade bans not likely, not sold through supermarkets, EU

• China, HK, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore

• Strong cultural, status drivers– Supply

• What are fishers’ alternatives?

Trade: Just transform the markets!

• Threats to certification (GEF-STAP 2010)– Weak certification standards– Noncompliance with standards– Limited participation– Adverse self-selection

• Trade barriers low– And often circumvented– Buyers reach the most remote

suppliers• Need well functioning regulatory

system• Information difficult to obtain,

access– Public awareness complex

NYT 2010. Live fish for China, Bali

Trade: Just transform the markets!

Trade?Just transform the

markets!

Creating the Rules of the road

ahead

Salvage the essential

elements from the myths

6 Rules

Know the supply chains

Understand how cultures

influence supply and

demand

Build capacity to support

sustainabil-ity

Make existing information

visible

Don’t over-simplify

Don’t ignore the other risks

Rule 1. Know the supply chains

• Demand and supply sides• Pathways, participants, dynamics • Power structures and dependencies• PFS=ECY + SEP (van Santen 2006) Politically feasible solution = effective commercial yield + socio-economic and environmental program

S. Sulawesi Bajau fisher moving live fish to export company’s net cages

2010 NYT James Morgan

Rule 2. Understand how cultures influence supply and demand

• Demand – Age-cohorts, cultures, classes develop different expectations– What champions and opinion makers could reach key market

segments?• Supply– Market presentations of LRFF conceal labor processes and

social relations of their production (Gaynor 2010)

C.W. Kee, The Star , Malaysia, 2006/04/15

Rule 3. Build capacity to support sustainability

• Work around lack of capacity– Work with positive elements, e.g., scientists, environment groups,

journalists, academics, school teachers, religious leaders– Create new stakeholder/interest groups outside and inside supply chains,

e.g., scientists, students, local people, women, high-end restaurants– Confrontation and trade bans can work, but use with caution

• Strengthen the mainstream– Regional and national priorities identified at RPOA-APEC 2010 workshop,

approved by RPOA Coordinating Committee

http://genderaquafish.org/

RPOA: Regional Plan of Action to Promote Responsible Fishing Practices including Combating

IUU Fishing in the Region

Indonesia Australia

Brunei Darussalam,CambodiaMalaysia

Papua New GuineaPhilippinesSingaporeThailand

Timor-LesteVietnam

Framework for Human And Institutional

Capacity Building for Marine Capture

Fisheries Management in RPOA Member

Countries

1. Fisheries management planning2. Fishing capacity management3. Strengthening information systems*4. Strengthening the scientific and economic basis for fisheries management5. Effective decentralization*6. Strengthening MCS7. Strengthening regional and international cooperation8. Strengthening legal, policy and administrative support

* = priorities are country specific

Rule 4. Make existing information accessible

• Mine existing knowledge• Aggregate credible information from all sources • AsiaPacific-FishWatch – To make knowledge accessible to consumers– Under construction by Asian Fisheries Society

http://asiapacfishwatch.org/

Rule 5. Don’t over-simplify

• Look for synergies within the crowded regulatory landscape

• Multiple gov’t levels on fisheries– RPOA, national, devolved/decentralized

• Pre-existing systems under social transformations– Customary Institutions in Indonesia (ISCF 2009)

– Managing Coastal and Inland Waters (Ruddle & Satria 2010)

• Conservation driven systems addressing fisheries– COREMAP, CTI, MPAs

Rule 5. Don’t over-simplify

• Avoid ‘seeing like a state’ (James C. Scott, 1999)

Rule 5. Don’t over-simplify

Rule 6. Don’t ignore other risks, opportunities

• Watch out for ‘Black Swans’, such as– Climate change, earthquakes, urban and agriculture

waste, oil/food price shifts– Technology and market changes

• Beware aquaculture promises for high end LRFFT species!

– And the opportunities for action

Replace the Myths with the Rules

Know the supply chains

Understand how cultures

influence supply and

demand

Build capacity to support

sustainabil-ity

Make existing information

visible

Don’t over-simplify

Don’t ignore the other risks

RPOA Table of Human and Institutional Capacity Building Needs for Marine Capture Fisheries, From Da Nang Workshop, December 2010 /2

FISHERIES MANAGEMENT PLANNING Developing fishery specific management plans, incorporating

the ecosystem approach to fisheries and participation

FISHING CAPACITY MANAGEMENT

Vessel licensing and/or registration Rights based fisheries management Developing alternative livelihoods Commercial capacity reduction schemes

STRENGTHENING INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Strengthening fishery independent monitoring systems Strengthening Information management Design of information collection systems Strengthening monitoring of Fisheries trade Strengthening fishery dependent monitoring systems

STRENGTHENING THE SCIENTIFIC AND ECONOMIC BASIS FOR FISHERIES

MANAGEMENT

Strengthening scientific analytical capability and capacity to gather information

Integrating scientific advice into management planning

Economic impact analysis Strengthening capacity for assessment of climate change

adaptation/mitigation in fisheries, inc. fishing vessel emissions

Research planning

RPOA Table of Human and Institutional Capacity Building Needs for Marine Capture Fisheries, From Da Nang Workshop, December 2010

EFFECTIVEDECENTRALIZATION

Strengthening coordination and accountability between national/local levels

Strengthening implementation at local level Community-based management of fisheries Strengthening legal basis to support decentralisation

STRENGTHENING MCS

Strengthening MCS information systems Strengthening MCS Co-ordination Building entry/mid level MCS skills Port State Measures Risk assessment/compliance planning Encouraging Voluntary compliance

STRENGTHENING REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Strengthening capacity for complementary management of transboundary stocks

Strengthening capacity for Joint (and common) Stock assessment (RPOA stock assessment platform; defining stock structure)

Strengthening capacity for cooperative MCS Strengthen capacity for International engagement

STRENGTHENING LEGAL, POLICY AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

Clarifying institutional roles/responsibilities Encourage strengthening of legal frameworks (inc. improving

compatibility; capability to address emerging issues) Strengthening capacity of senior execs to promote importance of

fisheries Strengthening capacity for internal needs assessment Public performance reporting

[1] Country specific priorities, depending on unique circumstances of each country; stage and system dependent