5/2002: World first agreement brings cooperative approaches to managing illegal fishing a step closer

MEDIA RELEASE

World first agreement brings cooperative approaches to managing illegal fishing closer

An agreement between Indonesia and the Philippines is set to reduce illegal fishing in the Sulawesi Sea.  The agreement, the first of its type in the world, arose from a collaborative research project involving Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia.

Illegal fishing, together with unregulated and unreported fishing, threatens the sustainability of fishing stocks in the Sulawesi Sea.  It is also estimated to cost Indonesia more than US $2 billion a year.

A research project, commissioned by the Australian Government through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, brought together key groups of officials and scientists from Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines to discuss options for improved management of Sulawesi Sea fisheries.  The meeting, in Singapore, resulted in a joint cooperation agreement between Indonesia and the Philippines.

Effective management of shared fisheries is based on the clear agreement of responsibilities and boundaries.  The cooperation agreement is an important step towards achieving both a shared boundary and joint monitoring and regulation of fishermen from both countries.  It represents a world first in developing a joint management framework where no clear boundaries have been drawn.

Illegal fishing practices in the Sulawesi Sea threaten the long-term viability of fish stocks.  These practices include the use of fish attracting devices with floating cages, poisoning of fish and dynamiting of undersea coral caves.

Unregulated and unreported fishing make monitoring of fish stocks, which is done through reporting of catch sizes and weights, very difficult.  Without an effective monitoring and reporting infrastructure for catches, combined with illegal fishing practices, sustainable catchment management becomes almost impossible, making overfishing and the depletion of fish resources in the Sulawesi Sea likely.

Before the project began there were early signs, such as increased numbers of juvenile fish in catches and reduced fish sizes, that a collapse of the fish stocks in the area was beginning.  However by bringing together Indonesian and Philippino officials a joint framework for sustainable management is becoming clear.  ACIAR has already commissioned further research, including profiling of fishing activities in the area and investigating a coordinated approach to monitoring and surveillance, to further support the process.