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By Elizabeth Double
INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, seafood is a standard food cuisine, with many people enjoying dishes as plain as fish and chips to more gourmet meals, such as sushi. Because fish are readily accessible in developed countries, few people consider how fish are obtained and the broader consequences of the fishing industry. Fish may not seem like a commodity, but fish populations are dwindling due to overfishing, climate change, and pollution. Fish play a particularly large role in Southeast Asia as they are both a vital source of food and account for a large part of Asian economies. As a whole, the Asia-Pacific region produces the majority of farmed (91%) and captured fish (48%) worldwide (United Nations). Although these fish play a crucial role in many Asian economies and communities, these fish are in jeopardy as more than 70% of the worlds fisheries are already fully exploited, over exploited, or significantly depleted (Greenpeace, Overfishing). As fishing yields continue to decline, it is up to the members of ASEAN to determine how to balance the need to preserve fisheries with environmental, communal, and global needs. Even though fishing does not play the same role in every countrys economy and culture, because fish move freely around ASEAN nations, this is an issue that ASEANs members must tackle together. While overfishing has only recently developed into a problem, there have been several calls to action by both individual ASEAN countries and ASEAN as a whole. Because different countries are affected in different ways, there is bound to be conflict as delegates formulate a solution to this problem. In order to resolve overfishing it will be important to consider all sides of the issues and weigh the pro and cons of each solution. Keep in mind that overfishing is a topic that has huge ramifications on these nations, especially on their future economies. Delegates decisions will not only affect the coastal communities and cities within ASEAN, but will also have an impact on the whole world. EXPLANATION OF THE PROBLEM
Historical Background
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration. ASEAN originally had five members, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Since then it has expanded to include Brunei Darussalam (1984), Vietnam (1995), Lao PDR (1997), Myanmar, or Burma, (1997), and Cambodia (1999), for a total of ten members. ASEANs constitution puts forth multiple aims, and all of them promote community and partnership amongst its members and other Southeast Asian nations. Several of ASEANs goals center around promoting economic growth, social progress, and cultural development. Members 1
Overfishing Today
As humans have continued to advance and develop, we have left a tangible impact on the surrounding environment. Although the worlds seas seem relatively untouched, human development has left what may be a permanent mark on oceans and their residents. While climate change and pollution have affected ocean environments according to a the 2010 Census of Marine Life, overfishing was named one of the largest threats to marine life, and it estimated that almost 90% of big fish have disappeared. There are countless stories of once popular fishing spots being devoid of marine life as fisheries collapse and dead zones form (Levitt). For example, in Indonesia the only fish available are juvenile fish and protein, which can then be used for prawn farms (Levitt). This causes a shift in the marine environment as smaller plankton eating fish surpass more commercially valuable fish, such as tuna, swordfish, marlin, cod, halibut, skate, and flounder. The loss of larger fish threatens to change the food chain, and it is estimated that at this rate all of the worlds fisheries will be fished out of existence by 2050 (National Geographic).
Pirate Fishing
Pirate fishing, also known as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, is an incredibly lucrative business and in 2011 Greenpeace estimated that there were more than 1,300 industrial-scale pirate fishing ships (Pirate Fishing, Greenpeace). These pirates cost countries and costal communities more than $4 billion each year and account for about 20% of the worlds catch (Pirate Fishing Greenpeace, Overfishing World Wildlife Fund). To make matters worse, because pirates are unregulated, they are also some of the most likely users of destructive fishing practices. Unfortunately, governments do little to check on the activities of fishermen or on the catch that is sold in their ports. Many pirates make it harder to detect their activities by mixing their fish with legally caught stock at sea. These fish are then sold in ports around the world. While pirates have a clear impact on the oceans marine life, they also have an impact on the worlds fishing communities. The Pacific has one of the worlds largest tuna populations, and about 70 percent of the worlds tuna supply comes from this region (Western and Central Pacific, Greenpeace). Both pirates and industrial fishermen pose a huge threat to these fisheries. Locally based vessels are responsible for about 10 percent of the tuna catch each year, with many developed nations taking the remaining 90 percent and paying only about 5 percent of the profits for fishing fees and licenses (Western and Central Pacific, Greenpeace). This has had a huge impact on locals that fish for a living and/or use traditional fishing methods. These people are particularly hard hit because as fish stocks grow smaller and
Bycatch
Bycatch is the unwanted marine life or animals that are caught by the fishing industry, such as sea turtles, seabirds, and dolphins. Most of the time bycatch is thrown back into the ocean and is already dead or dying. Some trawling reports state that the amount of bycatch can be as high as 90 percent of a trawls total catch (Levitt). Because bycatch is fairly common in modern-day fishing, it has had a huge effect on the environment and changed food chains and ecosystems. To make matters worse, the juvenile fish that fishermen catch are often discarded. This places an even larger strain on already over-fished populations since there are even fewer fish to help rebuild populations. Estimates have global bycatch at between 6.8 million and 27 million tones of fish (Greenpeace, Bycatch).
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Fisheries
Because fish are not constrained by borders, there is no country that can really own fish, making them open access. Since it is hard to formulate a legal structure to protect fish, there are currently little to no property rights, making it easy for fishermen to overfish. There is a dearth of marine protected areas (MPAs), with only 1.6 percent of the worlds oceans having MPA status (World Wildlife Fund). MPAs offer two main benefits, first they protect ocean habitats like coral reefs, which helps the ecosystem begin to recover and combat the effects of overfishing and climate change. The second benefit is that MPAs offer no-take zones, which forbid fishing, allowing native fish and animal populations to once again flourish. However, no-take zones are fairly limited since 90 percent of MPAs are currently open to fishing (World Wildlife Fund). Additionally, governments do little to help mitigate overfishing. An overall lack of regulation and oversight has allowed fishermen to fish illegally and/or overfish, and there are few laws that encourage sustainable fishing. In fact, many governments subsidize fishing fleets even though the global fishing fleet is more than double the size of what is actually needed (World Wildlife Fund). This simply perpetuates overfishing and continues to drive down profitability. The problem gets even worse once it is taken to an international level, where international regulations tend to be even more sparse and unenforced.
Environmental Impacts
Many of the more profitable fish, such as tuna, are predators, and their removal from the ecosystem has had a dramatic effect on some marine environments. Because these larger animals are now much more rare, many of them reproduce prematurely, causing the size of these fish to decrease. Since these predators
ASEANs Stance
Overfishing has a huge impact on all of ASEANs members, because the Pacific contains one of the worlds most healthy fisheries. As more countries migrate to the Pacific to fish, overfishing will only continue to worsen, as well as have a broader effect on local populations. In an effort to address these recent trends, the members of ASEAN have called upon the organization to come up with a comprehensive policy on overfishing.
In 1998, ASEAN met for the fifth regional forum in the Philippines. At the forum, countries acknowledged that environmental damage could not be restricted to one nation and could have the potential to create tension between
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POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Overfishing has received more attention in recent years, and its occurrence easily affects the lives of millions of people in Asia and worldwide. It is the responsibility of delegates to come up with solutions that are both efficient and balance domestic and international interests. While each country has made its own decisions regarding overfishing, it is now up to 6 OVERFISHING
Economic Incentives
The profits from fishing are diminishing as the numbers of fish dwindle. Although fishing has become more unprofitable over the years, many fishermen are supported by government subsidies, with estimated tens of billions of
Fishery Management
One method of regulating overfishing that has become more popular is rights based management (RBM). In this scenario, a certain set of rights is given to fishermen in regards to fishing. Generally, the federal government is responsible for allocating these rights, with priority usually being given to local fishermen. The most common fishing rights are 1) access rights that allow an individual to fish in a certain area and 2) catch rights that dictate how much an individual or vessel can catch. These rights are valuable and some of them can be traded. Because RBM limits who can fish in a certain area, fisheries are no longer open access and create a more stable environment for fishermen. RBM has generally had healthier fisheries because fishermen want to maximize their rights and increase profits. If fishermen were to overfish the fish population would be destroyed, and make fishing rights worthless. By having to balance current goals with longterm needs, fishermen are encouraged to keep fisheries healthy. RBM can also help local communities by giving them priority when it comes to distributing rights. One of the concerns associated with RBM is that when rights are transferable, competitors will simply buy peoples shares and give control of a fishery to a group of people or a company.
One problem facing buyers is that it is difficult to know where fish are coming from. Guidelines are different for different areas, and it is very easy for fishermen to lie about the location of their catch. This also makes it more difficult to detect illegal fishing. To make matters worse, some fish are more valuable than others even if they are of the same species. For instance, Baltic cod are cheaper than Atlantic cod because they have lower quality meat and a higher percentage of contamination (The Economist). There have been frequent requests for governments to enforce their fishing laws to encourage responsible fishing and reduce piracy. Because fishing is a global industry, international cooperation is crucial for enforcing fishing laws and regulating overfishing. Technology may also be a solution to this problem. A European consortium known as FishPopTrace has developed a technology that can identify a specific type of fish as well as where the fish is from (The Enconomist). Right now a sample costs approximately $10, although costs are expected to go down. Technologies like this can ensure than fishermen are honest about where their fish are coming from and help curb illegal fishing. Increasing the number of marine protected areas (MPAs) is another way of regulating overfishing. MPAs are less than 2 percent of the worlds oceans, and more protection is needed to allow ocean habitats like coral to recover as well as allow fish to repopulate in no-take zones. Although MPAs will help reduce overfishing it is important for these areas to be regulated and patrolled.
Aquaculture
Aquaculture, or in this case fish farming, became a large part of the fishing industry in 1989, and it has helped reduce the effects of overfishing. Fish are seen as crucial to the OVERFISHING 7
CONCLUSION
Declining fish populations and the threats that it poses on ASEAN nations has quickly brought overfishing to the forefront of its nations agendas. Not only is overfishing reform important in addressing the current needs of ASEAN citizens, it is also key to supporting local communities and continuing the economic development of ASEAN nations. As members of ASEAN, it is your duty to come up with solutions that are in the interests of your citizens and in the interests of the organization as a whole. In order to accomplish this, compromise will be essential. It is important for delegates to thoroughly research the pros and cons of current and past policies so that when it comes to drafting resolutions, delegates will understand when it is import to align with their countrys position, and when it is necessary to compromise. A comprehensive knowledge of these policies will allow you to properly engage with other delegates and come up with solutions to solve the problems of overfishing.
GLOSSARY
bycatch the unwanted marine life or animals that are caught by the fishing industry. Most of the time bycatch is thrown back into the ocean and is already dead or dying blast fishing a fishing practice that uses explosives in order to stun or kill fish. This makes it easier for fishermen to then collect the school of fish. bottom-trawling dropping a net, some as wide as 60 meters, and dragging it along the ocean floor with the weights from a trawler.
fish aggregating devices (FADs) a floating object that is used to attract fish
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significantly depleted when a resource has been reduced by a large amount subsidize support another person or organization financially by bearing part of the cost trawl a specialized large net that can be used for fishing.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ASEAN. "Overview." N.p., n.d. Web. 16 July 2013. ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. "ASEAN Biodiversity Updates." ASEAN Biodiversity Updates. N.p., Apr. 2011. Web. 16 July 2013. ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. "MESSAGE OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY." ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. N.p., 8 June 2013. Web. 16 July 2013. ASEAN. "Second ASEAN State of the Environment Report 2000." N.p., n.d. Web. 16 July 2013. ASEAN Regional Forum. "The Fifth ASEAN Regional Forum." N.p., 27 July 1998. Web. 16 July 2013. Coral Reef Alliance. "Exploitive Fishing." Welcome. N.p., 2008. Web. 16 July 2013. DUJS. "The Threats of Overfishing: Consequences at the Commercial Level." DUJS Online. N.p., 11 Mar. 2012. Web. 16 July 2013.
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