Review of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in hydropower projects in Sri Lanka. Abstract only

Environmental impact assessmentDevelopment projectsHydroelectric schemesWater powerLegislation

Measuring capacity and capacity utilization of the Eastern Mediterranean purse seine fleet

The existence of excessive fishing capacity is globally recognized by resource managers as a major problem for fisheries, which is responsible for the degradation of fishery resources and for significant economic waste. Lately, the measurement of fishing capacity and capacity utilization has become more important due to the various national and international agreements and policies to reduce capacity in fisheries throughout the world. In this study, estimates of the fishing capacity and capacity utilization of the Eastern Mediterranean purse seiners were made using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Estimates were made for individual vessels based on the level of inputs used and outputs produced, relative to the other vessels operating under similar conditions. Analyses were made for the two fleet segments operating in Greece, 12-24 m and 24-40 m. From the DEA results of our study it was evidenced that both fleets were operating below their unbiased capacity output level. This suggested the existence of excess capacity especially in the fleet segment 12-24 m. Moreover, from our results it was evidenced that the 24-40 m fleet segment was found to be more efficient that the 12-24 m fleet segment. The variable input utilization rate (») derived by the DEA models showed that most of fishing vessels could have increased their landings by fishing for more days. Only 24% and 27% of the 12-24 m and 24-40 m fleet categories respectively were operating at their optimal number of days. This result will be compared with the results of a tobit analysis and the distance function analysis used in the project to find out capacity measurements. Understanding the definitions and measurement of fishing capacity and efficiency can be helpful tools in designing an effective capacity management plan. Improved management and monitoring of fishing capacity will contribute to sustainable, conservation-based fisheries

Valuation of Ecosystem Services Provided by Pigeon Island National Park, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

Pigeon Island National Park (PINP) is a complex marine ecosystem, which is a part of extensive system of marine habitats in Trincomalee area. PINP provides a number of Ecosystem Services that include provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural services. Although this has been included under the list of conservation, PINP associated ecosystem is under the risk of degradation due to overexploitation of extractive users and additional pressure by booming tourism activities.Present study makes an attempt to establish a gross, lower bound value for the conservation of PINP. This study has asses the willingness-to-pay for conservation of the resource users in the form of a hypothetical scenario of village level corporative society. The assessment was based on surveys covered at households (150) and visitors (170) separately. Key Informant discussions & Focus Group Discussions were also held in order to gather qualitative information with the relevant stakeholders.According to the results obtained from the study, visitors are willing to contribute Rs. 68/= month and when this amount is extrapolated to annual basis it amounts Rs.60, 702,487.68 per year. Households are willing to contribute Rs.16 per month when this amount is extrapolated to population in Kuchcaveli DS division which PINP belonged to, on annual basis it amounts to Rs. 1,653,566.40 per year. These amounts can be considered in calculating national income to express the contribution from this pristine ecosystem to the national economy and hence improve the effectiveness of policy decisions.Keywords: Pigeon Island National Park, Ecosystem service

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

Consumer Choice for Quality and Sustainability in Seafood Products: Empirical Findings from United Kingdom

There has been a growing interest in recent years in the potential use of product differentiation (through eco-type labelling) as a means of promoting and rewarding the sustainable management and exploitation of fish stocks. This interest is marked by the growing literature on the topic, exploring both the concept and the key issues associated with it. It reflects a frustration among certain groups with the supply-side measures currently employed in fisheries management, which on their own have proven insufficient to counter the negative incentive structures characterising open-access fisheries. The potential encapsulated by product differentiation has, however, yet to be tested in the market place. One of the debates that continues to accompany the concept is the nature and extent of the response of consumers to the introduction of labelled seafood products. Though differentiated seafood products are starting to come onto the market, we are still essentially dealing with a hypothetical market situation in terms of analysing consumer behaviour. Moving the debate from theoretical extrapolation to one of empirical evidence, this paper presents the preliminary empirical results of a study undertaken in the UK. The study aimed, amongst other things, to evaluate whether UK consumers are prepared to pay a premium for seafood products that are differentiated on the grounds that the fish is either of (a) high quality or (b) comes from a sustainably managed fishery. It also aimed to establish whether the quantity of fish products purchased would change. The results are presented in this paper.Keywords: Consumer demand, seafood, fisheries management, certification, sustainability, quality, stated choice methods

The Value of Fish Quality

This paper aims to reveal consumers’ preferences for quality graded fish products based upon existing data on first-hand sales in Denmark. The data represents the value of fish for consumption as a non-differentiated private good. The objective is to measure the welfare gains to society of an increase in “quality” for major fish species. The demand for Quality Extra and quality A-fish is estimated using an Inverse Almost Ideal Demand System (IAIDS-model) as the functional form of demand on first-hand sales data following the European Union established trade norms for quality-grading and size-categories. Secondly the possibility of estimating changes in consumer surplus as the welfare gained by society of a general increase in quality of landed fish is discussed. However, the estimates on consumer surplus are not yet completed. The model adopted is a pricing model for the implicit price of the characteristic “quality” which necessarily is part of the product i.e. fish for consumption. Today the Danish market for fish does not explicitly state the “quality” of fish in the consumers market. This is generally a credence parameter. There are no objective verifiable standards available to the consumer and this is an element of trust in the word of the fish retailer. This paper shows the first results of adopting a revealed preference model for indirect benefit estimation on existing quality differentiated fish at first-hand sales. We explicitly discuss the assumptions of “weak complementarity” and “derived demand” necessary to run the model.Key words: fish quality, revealed preference, consumers’ preference, derived demand, IAIDS-model