an option for sustainable management of fishery resources in deepor beel co-management approach...
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An Option for Sustainable Management of Fishery Resources in Deepor Beel
Co-management Approach
Sujan M. Henkanaththegedara
ECS 740: Fall 2007
Outline
• Current status of the fishery– Composition & Production– Fishery regulation
• Problems– Unsustainable fishing practices– Declaration of Wildlife Sanctuary– Potential impacts of aquaculture
• Possible solutions• Community based co-management
Fishery Resources
• 61 freshwater fish species (Saikia 2005)
• 54 indigenous; 5 exotics
• 8 protected species (Wildlife protection Act, 1972)
• 20 economically important
• 11 collect for ornamental trade
Labeo calbasu
Brachydanio rerio
Nandus nandus
• Expectation: 90,000 tons/ year (Goswami and Choudhury 1990)
• Harvest: 245 kg/hectare (980 tons)
• Comparatively very high yield (AFDC, Assam)
Fishery Production
© Saikia, P A 2005
Fisher Community
• Traditional fishery
• More than 5000 people/1200 families depend on the fishery
• Community fishing during winters.
© Saikia, P A 2005 © Saikia, P A 2005
Fishery Regulation
• Authority– Assam Fisheries Development Corporation– State Fisheries Department
• Lease government parts for commercial fishery
• Private land owners also lease their private land
New Proposals
• Development of pen and cage culture for the rearing and propagation fish (Gauhati University, Assam)
• Government Authority and some interested parties propose aquaculture in fringe areas
• Declaration of Deepor Beel as a Wildlife Sanctuary
Problems Identified
1. Unsustainable fishing practices2. Declaration of Wildlife Sanctuary3. Possible impacts of garbage dumping4. Impacts of siltation5. Possible impacts of exotic fish6. Conservation implications for protected
species7. Potential impacts of aquaculture
Problems Identified
1. Unsustainable fishing practices2. Declaration of Wildlife Sanctuary3. Possible impacts of garbage dumping4. Impacts of siltation5. Possible impacts of exotic fish6. Conservation implications for protected
species7. Potential impacts of aquaculture
Unsustainable fishing practices
• Impacts– Harmful fishing methods (eg. small mesh size)– Potential overharvesting (small size of fish,
possibly collapse the fishery)
• Possible solutions– Closed areas/closed seasons– Ban harmful fishing methods– Close monitoring of illegal fishing– Fisheries co-management
(Myers et al. 1997; Hambright and Shapiro 1997 )
Declaration of Wildlife Sanctuary
• Impacts– Limitations to the fishery– Serious conflicts between local people and
government – Social and economical problems in local
communities
• Possible Solutions– 10-20% core wildlife sanctuary – Rest- Reserved wetland (human activities
permitted up to some extent)
Potential impacts of aquaculture
• Impacts– Introduction of exotic species– Pollution– Eutrophication (mass fish kills!)
• Possible Solutions– A proper cost-benefit analysis – If necessary, based on native species– If necessary, locate beyond the fringe areas
What to do?
• Beel fishery is still UNDERUTILIZED.
• Need to manage the fishery PROPERLY,– To meet maximum sustainable yield (MSY)– To improve the living standards– To fulfill the local protein requirement– To reduce the unemployment
• What is the need of AQUACULTURE?
What is Co-management?• A partnership arrangement between,
– Government agencies– Local fisher community– NGOs– Other stakeholders
• Share the responsibility and authority for the management of a fishery.
• Integrate local (informal, traditional) and government management systems.
• Power-sharing between government and fishermen (Pomeroy 1998).
What is Co-management?
Fishers
Government
Assam Fish. Dev. Cooperation
State Fish. Dept.
Fisheries Stakeholders
Boat owners
Fish traders
Money lenders
External Agent
Aarnayak
Gauhati University
Local stakeholders
Tourism
Transportation
Fisheries Management
Modified after Pomeroy 1998
Co-management
Resource-oriented studies to define fishery regulations
Monitoring the fishery
Implementing fishery regulations
Organize fisheries co-operative society
Enhance fish production and improve living standards
Active government or NGO mediation
Maintenance of fisheries co-operative society
Proper regulation of fishing permits
Banning harmful fishing methods
Social welfare
Modified after Amarasinghe and De Silva 1999
Acknowledgements
• Dr. Achintya N. Bezbaruah, Civil Engineering Department, NDSU for his guidance and support
• Dr. Prasanta Kumar Saikia, Department of Zoology, Gauhati University, India for kind sharing of data
• Fellow colleagues for their valuable inputs
References cited• Amarasinghe, U.S. and S.S. De Silva. 1999. Sri Lankan reservoir
fishery: a case for introduction of a co-management stratergy. Fisheries Management and Ecology. 6: 387-399.
• Goswami, B. and A.S. Choudhury. 1990. Deepor Beel- A gold mine for socio-economic upliftment. Press release. INSTER/ Deepor III/ 89- Misc. 3pp.
• Hambright, K. D. and J. Shapiro. 1997. The 1993 collapse of the Lake Kinneret bleak fishery. Fisheries Management and Ecology. 4: 275-283,
• Myers, R. A., J. A. Hutchings and N. J. Barrowman. 1997. Why do Fish Stocks Collapse? The Example of Cod in Atlantic Canada. Ecological Applications. 7: 91-106.
• Pomeroy, R. S. 1998. A process for community-based fisheries co-management. Naga. January-March. ICLARM. 71-76.
• Saikia, P.K. 2005. Qualitative and quantitative study of lower and higher organisms and their functional role in the Deepor Beel ecosystem. 96 pp.
• http://gu.nic.in/html/faculty/Zoology.htm. Accessed in 11/28/07• http://www.co-management.org/. Accessed in 12/08/07• http://www.seagrant.uconn.edu/COMGMT.PDF. Accessed in 12/08/07
Comments?Questions?