Empty nets as tide turns on Asia's fishermen

By Jalil Hamid | May 14, 2007

KUALA MUDA, Malaysia (Reuters) - The old adage 'there are = plenty more=20 fish in the sea' no longer rings true for Malaysian fisherman = Shafie=20 Said.

"These days, we have to go farther offshore and into deeper = waters to=20 fish," said Shafie, aged 39, his face weather beaten after 16 = years=20 sailing tropical waters in the Andaman Sea, off the coast of = northwest=20 Malaysia.

"Sometimes we return empty handed," Shafie said sadly.

It is a story told across Asia by millions of fishermen who ply = the=20 region's seas to bring home their main, and often only, source of=20 income.

A staple in Asia with its extensive coastlines and poor = populations,=20 seafood provides up to 70 percent of the animal protein intake of = most=20 Asians.

But the tide is turning as fish stocks in Asia have declined by = 70=20 percent in the past 25 years, says Stephen Hall, head of = WorldFish, a=20 non-profit research body based in northern Malaysia.

"We are taking far too many fishes out of the sea and not = leaving=20 enough there to grow and re-generate," Hall said at his seaside = office on=20 the Malaysian resort island of Penang.

Compounding the problem is global warming, which will bring = rising sea=20 levels, higher sea-surface temperatures, higher salinity and = greater=20 weather extremes from droughts to storms.

Scientists predict mean sea levels will rise by 10-90 cm (4-35 = inches)=20 over this century, with most estimates in the range of 30-50 cm = (12-20=20 inches).

"This will likely damage or destroy many coastal ecosystems = such as=20 mangroves and salt marshes, which are essential to maintaining = many wild=20 fish stocks," explained a WorldFish report.

Warming seas are changing fish migration patterns with some = fish=20 heading south and others moving north, damaging entire ecosystems = and=20 affecting reproduction and replenishment rates.

Scientists in Australia are already warning of a massive = decline in=20 fish along the country's eastern seaboard with marine life such as = yellow-fin tuna and stinging jellyfish moving towards Antarctica = as sea=20 waters warm.

"It's not a disaster for the ones that can move south. It is = for the=20 ones that can't move south," Dr Alistair Hobday, the lead author = of a=20 recent report from the CSIRO, Australia's premier scientific = institution,=20 told Reuters recently.

FAVOURITE FOOD

Researchers say the implications of the global overfishing = crisis are=20 greater for Asia than any other part of the world. Fish is a vital = part of=20 food security, employment and income in the region.

But while the number of fish in the sea is dropping = dramatically, the=20 demand for fish is rising as populations grow.

The Asian Development Bank has predicted that demand for fish = in Asia=20 will continue to rise, reaching 69 million tonnes by 2010 and = accounting=20 for 60 per cent of the world demand for fish for human = consumption,=20 compared to 53 per cent in 1990.

China with its 1.3 billion population and growing affluence is=20 expanding its fish consumption, especially for expensive reef fish = sold=20 live at restaurants.

In the Philippines, a major source of reef fish, 90 percent of = fish=20 stocks have been depleted, conservation group WWF said. Divers = report=20 seeing lifeless reefs in areas that were once teeming with = fish.

Last December, Philippine authorities rescued more than 1,000=20 endangered humphead wrasse from poachers. The reef fish, which can = sell=20 for as much as $200 per kilo, are adored by diners in China = because their=20 large lips are considered a delicacy.

In India, turtles get caught up in their thousands in trawler = nets and=20 nesting sites such as Devi -- where tens of thousands of Olive = Ridley=20 turtles would nest in a single night -- are becoming devoid of=20 turtles.

A shark species called "Karat hangar" has already vanished off = the=20 coast of Bangladesh along with sea-horses and other fish.

FISHERMEN'S LIVELIHOOD AT RISK

And it's not just the environment that is at risk.

Fishermen in Asia and across the Indian Ocean in Africa are=20 economically vulnerable to the decline in fish stocks, which = directly=20 affects their livelihoods, local economies and diet.

Poor and often uneducated, many are unaware of the need to help = marine=20 life rejuvenate by throwing back immature fish and avoiding = catching=20 turtles and other sea creatures in nets.

"Fishers need to reduce their reliance on narrow resources by = learning=20 to exploit a broader range of species and pursue alternative = sources of=20 income and fish production such as marine and aquaculture," Hall=20 explained.

But teaching the world's estimated 29 million fishermen about=20 sustainable fishing is an enormous task, especially as many live = in=20 countries where education systems are poor, poverty endemic and = where=20 there is little investment in aquaculture projects.

WorldFish suggests governments enforce tighter controls over = fishing=20 such as ceilings on the number of boats allowed to operate in = certain=20 areas and institute a vessel registration system. But enforcing = such a=20 system may be close to impossible.

Another solution is expanding fish farms in Asia. But these = require=20 significant investment as well as a successful campaign to = convince=20 fishermen to change their lifestyles from plying the seas for fish = to=20 raising them in ponds on land.

Bangladesh, one of the most impoverished countries in the = world, relies=20 on fish for about 80 percent of its national animal protein = intake. Yet=20 the fish are disappearing, leaving Bangladeshi fishermen baffled = and their=20 incomes dropping.

"Many fish species have vanished and our prime catch of silvery = Hisha=20 is also dwindling," said fisherman Suleman Miah.

"The golden days of fishing are gone.

(Additional reporting by Anis Ahmed in Dhaka) 3D""=20

=A9 Copyright 2007 Reuters. Reuters content = is the=20 intellectual property of Reuters or its third-party content = providers. Any=20 copying, republication, or redistribution of Reuters content, = including by=20 caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without = the=20 prior written consent of Reuters.

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