Coral Triangle Initiative
FAO-GEF Project REBYC II – CTI
Strategies for Trawl Fisheries
Bycatch Management
Petri Suuronen (FAO)
Coral Triangle Fishers Forum, Indonesia, 15-17 June 2010
Why worry about bycatch?
Why REBYC II is needed?
• Bottom/shrimp trawl fisheries in highbiodiversity ecosystems produces large
quantities of low value fish (bycatch):
 ‘trash fish’
 increasinly juveniles
• Growing concern that trash fish catch is:
 threatening sustainability of fisheries
 affecting livelihoods and opportunities
 decreasing food security
Purpose of REBYC II – CTI project
•
•
Improve trawl fisheries management
and practices
–
minimise the catch of juveniles
–
minimise discards where such take place
–
avoid capture of protected species
–
avoid destructive impact on sensitive
habitats
–
reduce overall footprint of fisheries on
biodiversity
Evaluate costs and benefits
–
balance between environmental well-being
and human well-being
–
win-win-win is the goal
How is this achieved?
•
The project will work directly with:
– fishers (small scale and large scale)
– fishing industry (processors, retailers)
– other stakeholders
•
The project will engage the private
sector to participate in developing and
adopting best practices
•
The project will assist and facilitate a
change and seek a regional consensus !
The project spans over:
- Coral Triangle area
- South China Sea
Challenges
•
How to reduce overcapacity and excess
effort ?
– a major driver in IUU (Illegal, Unregulated and
Unreported fishing)
•
Trash fish increasingly important for
livelihoods
– aquaculture development a strong economic
driver (high demand of feed)
– how to create effective incentives for fishers to
reduce trash fish?
– how to increase resilience of coastal livelihoods
(in face of conservation pressures)
•
The project has a limited budget 
cannot address all problems!
Potential solutions
 cooperation on zonation and closed areas
 self directed fishing effort controls
 collaboration in improving fishing practices
 alternative feeds for aquaculture
 cooperation to improve legislation
 We are all working towards the same
goal
 Strong collaboration with national,
regional and global partners is needed!
Benefits to reduce trash fish and juveniles
• Improvement of productive
potential of fish stocks:

improved yields in the future

larger size of fish

larger economic gains

improved food security

positive public attitude
• Reduction of the operational
costs:

improved catch quality and value

less gear drag = reduced fuel cost

reduced sorting time of catch
Thank you!