Better-practice Approaches for Culture-based Fisheries Development in Asia

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Strategic Analyses of the National River Linking Project (NRLP) of India, Series 1. India’s water future: scenarios and issues

River basinsEnvironmental flowsDevelopment projectsWater requirementsIrrigated farmingWater demandFood demandGroundwater irrigationIrrigation efficiencyWater harvestingSupplemental irrigationWater productivityWater conservationDrip irrigationSprinkler irrigationRainfed farmingAgricultural policy

Benefit of irrigation water transfers in the National River Linking Project: a case study of the Ken-Betwa link

River basin managementRiver basin developmentDevelopment projectsWater transferIrrigation waterCrop productionCrop managementLivestock

Case Studies on Co-management of Artisanal Fisheries of Sri Lanka

Fisheries co-management is essentially the sharing of responsibilities and/or authority between the government and local resource users to manage the fishery resource. This strategy is recognized as a solution to the problems encountered in centralized top-down management approaches. In the 'stake net fishery' of Negombo estuary in Sri Lanka, an effective co-management strategy exists where the traditional practices of sharing fishing dates and sites among four community groups are reinforced by government regulations. In the same estuary, some fishers cultivate mangroves for obtaining twigs and branches for construction of brush parks, a traditional practice useful for mangrove conservation. In the kraal fishery of Madu Ganga estuary of Sri Lanka, traditional community-based management (CBM) system has disappeared in early 1970s due to various socioeconomic and political reasons. Through revitalization of features of CBM, a co-management strategy can be introduced to this fishery. The annual inland fish production of Sri Lanka has declined dramatically after 1990, when state patronage for the development of inland fisheries was discontinued for 4 years in the absence of state-sponsored monitoring procedure in the fishery. Fisheries co-management is therefore an effective means for the management of inland capture fishery of the country. A co-management strategy for the culture-based fisheries in non-perennial reservoirs of Sri Lanka is also suggested

Investigation of Socioeconomic Characteristics of Agricultural Communities in Relation to the Development of Culture-Based Fisheries in Non-Perennial Reservoirs of Sri Lanka

Participation of community groups is one of the main requirements for culture-based fisheries (CBF) in non-perennial reservoirs of Sri Lanka. Homogeneity of the group characteristics facilitates to arrive at collective decisions. And as such can be considered as positive feature for development of CBF. In this paper an attention made to identify the most important social and economic characteristics affecting the group decisions for development and management of CBF in non-perennial reservoirs of Sri Lanka. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that out of 25 measured parameters only 4 namely, the group size of fishers, participation rate in fisheries activities, caste of community and participation rate for regular meetings, were important in determining socioeconomic heterogeneity of the sample. Average income derived from CBF was appreciably high in communities with small group size and high participatory level in-group activities. Contingent evaluation of willingness to pay also demonstrated that the involvement of more people with fishing attitude would be preferred for the successful CBF activities. This analysis indicates that socioeconomic characteristics of rural communities can be meaningfully used for selecting non-perennial reservoirs suitable for development of CBF in Sri Lanka

Evaluation of status of commercial fish stocks in European marine subareas using mean trophic levels of fish landings and spawning stock biomass

Most of the fish stocks in the world, including European fish stocks, are threatened by overfishing and/or degraded environmental conditions. Although the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the main policy instrument managing fish stocks in Europe, there is continued concern as to whether commercial fish stocks will achieve Good Environmental Status (GEnS) in 2020 in accordance with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). In this context, the evaluation of the status of fish stocks in the subareas of FAO fishing area 27 was carried out using mean trophic levels (MTL) in fish landings and spawning stock biomass (SSB). Comparisons were made before and after 2008 to establish whether the trend is positive or negative. The main data sources for landings and SSB were the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advisory reports. MTLs in landing and SSB were determined for each subarea and the subareas were categorized into four groups, according to MTLs after 2008. The first group (subareas I + II, V) had higher MTL in landings and higher MTL in SSB after 2008. Therefore, fisheries in these subareas appear sustainable. The second group was subareas VIII + IX, for which the fish stocks have higher MTL in landings but low MTL in SSB, indicating that SSB was being overfished. The third was subarea (VI), where fish stocks have lower MTL in landings than those in SSB after 2008, which may indicate that fish stocks are recovering. Fish stocks in the fourth group (subareas III, IV and VII) had low MIL in landings and the MTL in SSB was lower than that of landings before 2008. This may be due to heavy fishing. In addition, we estimated the harvest rate (HR) of the fish stocks before and after 2008. The results showed that most of the fish stocks have lower HR after 2008, indicating that the status has improved, perhaps due to improvements in the implementation of CFP. However, some fish stocks showed high HR even after 2008, so that new management options are still needed. Other factors such as eutrophication, seafloor disturbances, marine pollution, invasive species etc., influence SSB ecosystem health options and should also be incorporated in the management criteria. Most of these environmental pressures are of high priority in the MSFD, and therefore the findings of this study will be useful for both CFP and MSFD. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate in Marine and Coastal Management (MACOMA); EC 7FP [308392]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of marine subareas of Europe using life history parameters and trophic levels of selected fish populations

European marine waters include four regional seas that provide valuable ecosystem services to humans, including fish and other seafood. However, these marine environments are threatened by pressures from multiple anthropogenic activities and climate change. The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) was adopted in 2008 to achieve good environmental status (GEnS) in European Seas by year 2020, using an Ecosystem Approach. GEnS is to be assessed using 11 descriptors and up to 56 indicators. In the present analysis two descriptors namely "commercially exploited fish and shellfish populations" and "food webs" were used to evaluate the status of subareas of FAO 27 area. Data on life history parameters, trophic levels and fisheries related data of cod, haddock, saithe, herring, plaice, whiting, hake and sprat were obtained from the FishBase online database and advisory reports of International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Subareas inhabited by r and K strategists were identified using interrelationships of life history parameters of commercially important fish stocks. Mean trophic level (MTL) of fish community each subarea was calculated and subareas with species of high and low trophic level were identified. The Fish in Balance (FiB) index was computed for each subarea and recent trends of FiB indices were analysed. The overall environmental status of each subarea was evaluated considering life history trends, MTL and FiB Index. The analysis showed that subareas I, II, V, VIII and IX were assessed as "good" whereas subareas III, IV, VI and VII were assessed as "poor". The subareas assessed as "good" were subject to lower environmental pressures, (less fishing pressure, less eutrophication and more water circulation), while the areas with "poor" environment experienced excessive fishing pressure, eutrophication and disturbed seabed. The evaluation was based on two qualitative descriptors ("commercially exploited fish and shellfish populations" and "food webs") is therefore more robust (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate in Marine and Coastal Management (MACOMA); EC 7FP grant [308392]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Emerging trends and challenges in multidisciplinary research: experience from culture-based fisheries development in Sri Lanka and elsewhere

In many developing countries, especially in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, populations remain vulnerable to undernourishment with the average caloric intake which is far lower than 2,120 kcal per person. Geographical boundaries limit expansion of areas for agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries. At the current rate of population growth and consumption, it is difficult to envisage that the current global food system could meet this consumptive demand. Intensification of food production is therefore an alternative means to narrow down the gap between demand for food and supply. In the fisheries sector, it has been recognized that fisheries enhancement through environmentally friendly approaches is bound to contribute to increase food fish production especially in developing countries. Culture-based fisheries (CBF) development is an underutilized opportunity in fisheries enhancement, and the extensive availability of inland reservoirs in the country, which have primarily been constructed for irrigation of crop lands during ancient times, favours CBF development in Sri Lanka. Through concerted efforts, Sri Lanka achieved a great success in CBF development in small village reservoirs in the country. The CBF in village reservoirs of Sri Lanka is a communal activity involving agricultural farmers without prior experience in fisheries. As such, efforts for CBF development in village reservoirs are invariably based on a multidisciplinary approach considering biological productivity-related parameters such as reservoir morphometry, allochthonous input of nutrients through livestock farming, and socio-economic characteristics of rural communities which favour CBF. Such multidisciplinary approaches are particularly useful for CBF development in village reservoirs due to the fact that socioeconomic homogeneity with regard to kinship, political ideology, education level and good leadership qualities of group members in the aquaculture management committees of agricultural farmers’ organizations have a positive influence on the attitudes towards adoption of CBF in village reservoirs. As such, biological and ecological factors alone pertaining to CBF development are not sufficient for sustainability of this development effort. As the needs and aspirations of rural people together with market forces play significant roles in adoption of CBF by rural agricultural farmers, their socioeconomic characteristics are also needed to be considered for selecting suitable reservoirs for CBF development

Cost and benefits of the National River Linking Project: an analysis of peninsular links

In International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Strategic Analyses of the National River Linking Project (NRLP) of India Series 5. Proceedings of the Second National Workshop on Strategic Issues in Indian Irrigation, New Delhi, India, 8-9 April 2009. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI).Water, a critical component of food, livelihood and economic security, has always received a central place in India?s investment portfolios. The investment in water transfers of the National River Linking Project (NRLP) is one of the biggest proposed in recent times. When and if completed, the NRLP forms a gigantic water grid covering most of South Asia. It envisages transferring 174 billion cubic meters (Bm3) of water across 34 river links and will cost about US$120 billion (2000 prices). The proposed plan has aroused a large interest in recent public discourses. Hydrological feasibility, financial viability and social cost are the issues that dominate these public dalogues. This paper analyzes the cost and benefits of eight river links in the peninsular component, which include the main subcomponent of linking rivers of Mahanadi, Godavari, Pennar and Cauvery. Irrigation is the main beneficiary in this component and, en route, these links or canals account for 85% of the total water transfers to irrigation and domestic and industrial sectors in the command areas. However, our analyses show mixed results of financial viability of individual links. The main reason for this is low net value-added benefits from additional irrigation over and above the existing level of cropping and irrigation patterns. The proposed cropping patterns of these links generate much less net value-added benefits than the existing cropping and irrigation patterns. To make these links financially viable, they need to include high-value cropping patterns that, at least, generate as much benefit per unit area as fruits and vegetables. Although some individual links show less than desirable net benefits, taken together the Mahanadi-Godavari-Pennar-Cauvery subcomponent gives a higher internal rate of return of 14% compared to a discount rate of 12%, and a high benefit-cost ratio of 1.3. However, many unknown factors or unavailable information in this analysis can alter the estimates of financial benefits and costs