Empty nets as tide turns on Asia's fishermen

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Empty nets = as tide turns=20 on Asia's fishermen

By Jalil Hamid
Reuters
Sunday, May 13, 2007; = 7:21=20 PM

KUALA MUDA, Malaysia (Reuters) - The old adage 'there are plenty more = fish in=20 the sea' no longer rings true for Malaysian fisherman Shafie Said.

"These days, we have to go farther offshore and into deeper waters to = fish,"=20 said Shafie, aged 39, his face weather beaten after 16 years sailing = tropical=20 waters in the Andaman Sea, off the coast of northwest Malaysia.

"Sometimes we return empty handed," Shafie said sadly.

It is a story told across Asia by millions of fishermen who ply the = region's=20 seas to bring home their main, and often only, source of income.

A staple in Asia with its extensive coastlines and poor populations, = seafood=20 provides up to 70 percent of the animal protein intake of most = Asians.

But the tide is turning as fish stocks in Asia have declined by 70 = percent in=20 the past 25 years, says Stephen Hall, head of WorldFish, a non-profit = research=20 body based in northern Malaysia.

"We are taking far too many fishes out of the sea and not leaving = enough=20 there to grow and re-generate," Hall said at his seaside office on the = Malaysian=20 resort island of Penang.

Compounding the problem is global warming, which will bring rising = sea=20 levels, higher sea-surface temperatures, higher salinity and greater = weather=20 extremes from droughts to storms.

Scientists predict mean sea levels will rise by 10-90 cm (4-35 = inches) over=20 this century, with most estimates in the range of 30-50 cm (12-20 = inches).

"This will likely damage or destroy many coastal ecosystems such as = mangroves=20 and salt marshes, which are essential to maintaining many wild fish = stocks,"=20 explained a WorldFish report.

Warming seas are changing fish migration patterns with some fish = heading=20 south and others moving north, damaging entire ecosystems and affecting=20 reproduction and replenishment rates.

Scientists in Australia are already warning of a massive decline in = fish=20 along the country's eastern seaboard with marine life such as yellow-fin = tuna=20 and stinging jellyfish moving towards Antarctica as sea waters warm.

"It's not a disaster for the ones that can move south. It is for the = ones=20 that can't move south," Dr Alistair Hobday, the lead author of a recent = report=20 from the CSIRO, Australia's premier scientific institution, told Reuters = recently.

FAVOURITE FOOD

Researchers say the implications of the global overfishing crisis are = greater=20 for Asia than any other part of the world. Fish is a vital part of food=20 security, employment and income in the region.

But while the number of fish in the sea is dropping dramatically, the = demand=20 for fish is rising as populations grow.

The Asian Development Bank has predicted that demand for fish in Asia = will=20 continue to rise, reaching 69 million tons by 2010 and accounting for 60 = per=20 cent of the world demand for fish for human consumption, compared to 53 = per cent=20 in 1990.

China with its 1.3 billion population and growing affluence is = expanding its=20 fish consumption, especially for expensive reef fish sold live at=20 restaurants.

In the Philippines, a major source of reef fish, 90 percent of fish = stocks=20 have been depleted, conservation group WWF said. Divers report seeing = lifeless=20 reefs in areas that were once teeming with fish.

Last December, Philippine authorities rescued more than 1,000 = endangered=20 humphead wrasse from poachers. The reef fish, which can sell for as much = as $200=20 per kilo, are adored by diners in China because their large lips are = considered=20 a delicacy.

In India, turtles get caught up in their thousands in trawler nets = and=20 nesting sites such as Devi -- where tens of thousands of Olive Ridley = turtles=20 would nest in a single night -- are becoming devoid of turtles.

A shark species called "Karat hangar" has already vanished off the = coast of=20 Bangladesh along with sea-horses and other fish.

FISHERMEN'S LIVELIHOOD AT RISK

And it's not just the environment that is at risk.

Fishermen in Asia and across the Indian Ocean in Africa are = economically=20 vulnerable to the decline in fish stocks, which directly affects their=20 livelihoods, local economies and diet.

Poor and often uneducated, many are unaware of the need to help = marine life=20 rejuvenate by throwing back immature fish and avoiding catching turtles = and=20 other sea creatures in nets.

"Fishers need to reduce their reliance on narrow resources by = learning to=20 exploit a broader range of species and pursue alternative sources of = income and=20 fish production such as marine and aquaculture," Hall explained.

But teaching the world's estimated 29 million fishermen about = sustainable=20 fishing is an enormous task, especially as many live in countries where=20 education systems are poor, poverty endemic and where there is little = investment=20 in aquaculture projects.

WorldFish suggests governments enforce tighter controls over fishing = such as=20 ceilings on the number of boats allowed to operate in certain areas and=20 institute a vessel registration system. But enforcing such a system may = be close=20 to impossible.

Another solution is expanding fish farms in Asia. But these require=20 significant investment as well as a successful campaign to convince = fishermen to=20 change their lifestyles from plying the seas for fish to raising them in = ponds=20 on land.

Bangladesh, one of the most impoverished countries in the world, = relies on=20 fish for about 80 percent of its national animal protein intake. Yet the = fish=20 are disappearing, leaving Bangladeshi fishermen baffled and their = incomes=20 dropping.

"Many fish species have vanished and our prime catch of silvery Hisha = is also=20 dwindling," said fisherman Suleman Miah.

"The golden days of fishing are gone.

(Additional reporting by Anis Ahmed in Dhaka)

=C2=A9 2007 Reuters