Aquatic resources

The Basin Focal Project for the Volta (BFP-Volta) is a research project funded by the Challenge Programme on Water and Food (CPWF). Its aim is to provide an in-depth analysis of issues related to water in the Volta Basin through three main thematic issues: water-poverty, water availability/use and water productivity. The overall objective of the BFP-Volta is to contribute to the main goal of the CPWF, that is, to alleviate poverty through better management of water in order to enhance agricultural productivity and environment conservation.

The Basin Focal Project for the Volta (BFP-Volta) is a research project funded by the Challenge Programme on Water and Food (CPWF). Its aim is to provide an in-depth analysis of the basin through three main thematic issues: water-poverty, water availability/use and water productivity. The overall objective of the BFP-Volta is to contribute to the main goal of the CPWF, that is, to alleviate poverty through better management of water in order to enhance agricultural productivity and environment conservation.

This paper draws on approaches in ecology, biology and policy analysis to examine the tensions between dams and fisheries in the Lower Mekong Basin. We review the exceptional importance of Mekong fisheries in terms of total catch, economic value and their role in rural livelihoods. The ecological conditions necessary to sustain the fish production are also analysed. The paper then considers the implications of dam development in the Mekong Basin, drawing on recent research to review predicted changes in hydrology and the resulting impacts on fishery resources.

Coral reefs are widespread along the east African coast and Seychelle islands. Their roles in island building and coastal protection are often underestimated, they are also important fishery habitats and major tourist attractions. The east African marine fishery production, estimated at 1.4-4.9 tonnes per km super(2), is principally a result of artisanal fishing. Siltation, trampling, and destructive fishing methods are the main cause of coral reef degradation along the east African coast and associated islands.

Fisheries and aquaculture both contribute to meeting the Millennium Development Goals but vulnerability to climate change threatens the contribution that they make to development. Impacts of climate change on small-scale fisheries are of great relevance to poverty reduction. Poverty undermines the resilience of social-ecological systems such as fisheries. The majority of the world’s 250 million fisherfolk lives in areas that are highly exposed to climate change.

This report presents the final outputs of the project on "Aquatic resources valuation and policies for poverty elimination in the Lower Mekong Basin". Volume 1 summarizes the implementation process, outcomes and key lessons of the project. The project was implemented in partnership with the Dept of Fisheries, Cambodia.

The dynamics of aquatic resources in the canals of Sac Lieu Province, in southern Vietnam, are detailed and synthesized in this study. Nekton and eight environmental parameters were monitored in this province between 2004 and 2006, at 14 sites sampled three times a year. The study area, located along the coastal zone, is characterized by a variable environment subject to saline, freshwater and acidic pulses. The spatiotemporal dynamics of aquatic resources and their relationships with environmental parameters are detailed.

The United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOT) of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands and Montserrat are in the Lesser Antilles, in the northeast Caribbean. All are small. Tropical storms and hurricanes are the most common causes of natural disturbance in this region, and for the Atlantic basin as a whole there has been an increase in the number of strong hurricanes since 1995. In Montserrat, volcanic activity is the outstanding environmental problem, and this has caused extensive destruction in the last few years.

This paper addresses the outlook for living aquatic resources in food security and how research can contribute to improving that outlook where it matters most for the low-income people in the developing world.

A fish catch monitoring program was introduced in Ashura beel, Goakhola beel and Dikshi beel in 1997 through the Community Based Fisheries Management (CBFM) project. The project focused on developing community management approaches which would encourage participation of the fishers, beneficiaries and community in sustainable management of the fishery resources.