Fishery management

The term ‘Blue Economy’ is increasingly used in various marine sectors and development frameworks. For it to be a truly useful approach, however, we argue that social benefits and equity must be explicitly prioritized alongside environmental and economic concerns. This integration of social dimensions within the Blue Economy is required to ensure that marine economic sectors contribute to achieving sustainable development goals.

The Darwin-Hilsa project is developing an incentivebased system of hilsa fisheries management in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady Delta. This study uses a mixed-methods approach to assess the socioeconomic status of local fishing households. Many are extremely vulnerable, owing to the seasonal nature of fishing and unpredictable flows of income. Coping strategies include informal loans, livelihood diversification, and migration, while many flout fishing restrictions to cover costs and repay loans.

The hilsa is a critically important species for smallscale fishing communities in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady Delta and Rakhine State. Yet current fishing regulations are inadequate and exploitation rates are well beyond sustainable levels. This study analyses key parameters underlying hilsa biology, comparing them across different ecological zones of the hilsa’s range in Myanmar and across time. It provides evidence of major spawning activity between July and September in the freshwater zone, particularly in September.

These guidelines are a summary of a full manual for Community Fish Refuge (CFR) - Rice Field Fisheries (RFF) system management in Cambodia. The aim of these guidelines is to document good practices in CFR-RFF system management, and thus act as a resource for organizational stakeholders wishing to support fish conservation, food security and nutrition in such environments.

These guidelines are a summary of a full manual for Community Fish Refuge (CFR) - Rice Field Fisheries (RFF) system management in Cambodia. The aim of these guidelines is to document good practices in CFR-RFF system management, and thus act as a resource for organizational stakeholders wishing to support fish conservation, food security and nutrition in such environments.

This manual is based on findings from the implementation of the USAID-funded Rice Field Fisheries Enhancement Project (RFFEP) in four provinces of Cambodia (Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Pursat and Battambang) between 2012 and 2016. The manual has been developed to guide relevant stakeholders and target communities in how to approach i) the selection of Community Fish Refuges (CFR) and ii) the process of designing and implementing improvements to the CFRs.

This study seeks to inform fisheries management and social protection processes of the key vulnerability issues faced by fishers at five pilot sites selected for fisheries co-management within the research programme of the Myanmar Department of Fisheries, WorldFish and FAO on an Centre for International Agricultural Research(ACIAR) funded project. The PRA-V study also explored gender vulnerability aspects, focusing on female-headed households and individual women from fisher households.