22/02/2005 – While acknowledging
that the European Union is trying to help
tsunami-hit areas by donating second-hand
fishing vessles, WWF says more needs to be
done to support the affected region's local
boat-building industries.
As part of the EU response to help tsunami-hit
countries, the European Commission has proposed
to transfer decommissioned fishing boats (under
12m and between 5 and 20 years old) to countries
devastated by the tsunami. This will happen
within the framework of the European common
fisheries policy, with an additional premium
of up to 20 per cent to meet transport costs
and to ensure that the vessels are equipped
and seaworthy.
But WWF offices in the Indian Ocean region
point out that European fishing boats are
very different from Indian, Indonesian, or
Sri Lankan coastal vessels and their introduction
could lead to serious changes in local fishing
practices.
Most fishermen in the tsunami-affected region
operate on an individual basis and in small
boats, not in crews. The use of European vessels
would require different systems of working
with owners and workers.
"We know that the European Union wants
to act in the most generous way possible,
but we urge the EU institutions to ensure
that this will not harm the local communities
nor increase pressure on the region’s marine
resources," says Gilly Llewellyn of WWF’s
Asia Pacific Marine Programme.
"There are past examples of where large
foreign aid negatively impacted local industries,
so any modernization of the coastal fisheries
must be coupled with a targeted and appropriate
strengthening of the management capacity at
local level."
According to WWF, the rebuilding of devastated
fisheries and aquaculture sectors in the area
should be done not by introducing second-hand
fleets and inappropriate technologies, but
by supporting domestic boat-making industries
and providing funds and sustainable timber
to build boats and crafts similar to those
lost.
In the event that the boats are transferred,
WWF calls for technical assistance to be provided
to fishermen to ensure that they can use the
new boats, and understand how they work, how
to maintain them and how the gear they carry
actually functions. This would also avoid
a situation whereby fishing communities re-export
the boats, instead of learning unfamiliar
fishing methods.
