Destructive Fishing Methods Research Articles

Scope of ornamental fisheries in snow fed rivers of Uttarakhand - Overview

Upland rivers of hills of Uttarakhand are unique in its ecosystem and biodiversity. These waters possess various varieties of ornamental fishes. The present study focuses on Scope of ornamental fisheries in snow fed rivers of Uttarakhand, along with challenges and opportunities. Besides the availability of resources peoples are not that much aware of ornamental fisheries of this region and these resources are yet not developed. The use of destructive fishing methods, habitat destruction leads to diversity destruction of hills stream fishes. As theseresources does not comprise fisheries of commercial importance due to sparse biota and low thermal scale, slow growth and very low natural food availability So, Directorate of Cold Water Fisheries is actively working in the field of survey and brood stock management of ornamental fish resources of cold water. Four hundred live cold water fishes including exotic gold and koi carp are being maintained at DCFR main complex for study and breeding trials. The recreational activities by fisheries department like ranching, sport fisheries development and development of ornamental fisheries of this region can lead to socioeconomic upliftment of hilly people and development of cold water ornamental fisheries in the state.

REVISITING MALAMPAYA SOUND IN PALAWAN AS THE PHILIPPINES' FISH BOWL: INTERVENTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT

This social study revisits the crucial issue of low and declining catch in Malampaya Sound, a 245 km2 estuary located along the northwestern part of the Municipality of Taytay, Province of Palawan. The Malampaya Sound, often dubbed as the “fish bowl of the Philippines,” houses three important ecosystems -mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs - that serve as spawning and nursery grounds for fish and other aquatic life. These ecosystems are assessed in the study area. The methods used in the assessment include field observations, focused group discussions, key informant interviews, and household interviews. Results indicate that the overall perceived condition of its 802-hectare (ha) mangrove forest is fair due to on-going wood harvesting for charcoal making and house repair. Generally, its 211 ha seagrass bed is disturbed while around 1,632 ha of coral reefs are in poor condition. The rampant use of illegal and destructive fishing methods by non-resident fishers were perceived by respondents as the main cause of habitat destruction. While majority of local fishers use hook and line, fishing pressure in Malampaya Sound is critically high with a density of 23 fishers/km2. In effect, fishers are experiencing a 60-80% decrease in catch during the last three years. The challenge is to reverse the declining trend in fisheries productivity of the Sound's rich ecosystems. Sustainable harvesting of fishery resources and protection of coastal habitats are seen as critical programs along with countryside enterprise development involving support fund from government and private institutions.

Restoring coastal ecosystems - a case study Malang and Gresik regency, Indonesia

Fisheries provide livelihoods and income for many Indonesian communities and play a very important role in contributing to national economic development. However, excessive fishing effort, and destructive fishing methods can lead to less fish at sea, which in turn could adversely affect the life and livelihood of coastal communities. the role of coastal and marine ecosystem for human well-being tends to decrease every year. This is because of the weakness capacity of the country to manage retrieval of coral, sea sand mining, overfishing, pollution, urban development, conflict land uses and logging of mangrove. The coastal area is a main supporting the livelihood of fishermen. If coastal areas are degraded, then the fisherman’s life is threatened. Therefore, It is very important to carry out conservation activities which address the issues of life of fishermen in the coastal region. The government of east java province has been trying to overcome the damage to coastal ecosystems with various package programs, such as rehabilitation mangrove, coral reef and sea grass. However, there have been no significant improvement progress in the coastal areas. The aim of this research is to formulate restoration strategies for integrated coastal ecosystem management to support the Indonesian policy called master plan for acceleration of economic development. It includes formulate restoration strategy based on restoration optimation. To formulate restoration optimation, an statistical approach is needed with assumption that restoration will consider the relationship between community participation and ecosystem restoration. PLS (Partial Least Square) is a method for constructing predictive models when the factors are many and highly collinear (Tobias 1995). In this research PLS was used to calculate the relationship between community participation and coastal ecosystem restoration. Whereas, to analyse the priority of which ecosystems should be prioritized to be solved, it is used AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process). The results of this research finds that ecosystem restoration should involve community participation, government and private sector. To implement integrated coastal ecosystem restoration, a forum or institution is needed to realize such collaboration by considering the priority program should be prioritized begin from mangrove, coral reef, estuary to sea grass.

The Fishery Potential of Freshwater Gobies in Mandulog River, Northern Mindanao, Philippines

Freshwater gobies, particularly fry and some adult species, have been used as an alternative fishery resource. Mandulog River in Iligan City, northern Mindanao, Philippines, is one of the areas known for goby-fry fishery. This study described the potentials of the goby population in Mandulog River in terms of its fishery aspects. Households along the Mandulog River were the respondents of the survey. Results show that most of the freshwater gobies were caught as alternative food while goby-fry were sold in the market. Goby fishing was done five times a year using nets and traps. The maximum catch per fishing session was one to three kilograms and sold at more or less PHP 10 (Philippine Peso) (USD 0.23) per kilogram. Monthly income from goby fishing was from PHP 100 to PHP 200 (USD 2.35 to USD 4.71) only. Goby species such as Sicyopterus lagocephalus, Oxyeleotris lineolata, Awaous melanocephalus, A. ocellaris, Giuris margaritacea, and Rhyacichthys aspro were the preferred prey species. Findings suggest that goby fishing was not a major source of livelihood as fishers were not earning much from it. However, as a bycatch, the goby population is under threat, with their economic and ecological benefits not utilized. Destructive fishing methods such as cyanide fishing, electric fishing, and use of fine mesh nets might also adversely affect the goby population, despite being non-target species. Therefore, protection of target species from overexploitation would also benefit the goby species.

Indigenous Goby Population in Mandulog River System and its Conservation by Communities in Iligan City, Philippines

Threats of water pollution, unregulated extraction of resources, and sprawling urbanization are some of the common issues of Mandulog River, a home for indigenous freshwater gobies. This study was conducted to assess the status of freshwater gobies and how the resident communities exert conservation efforts to the river and the inhabiting gobies. Standard method of collection of gobies was done. Interviews with semi-structured questionnaires were used to know the conservation measures of the residents. Ten goby species belonging to three families namely, Family Eleotridae (Belobranchus belobranchus), Giuris margaritacea, and Oxyeleotris lineolata, Family Gobiidae (Awaous melanocephalus), Awaous ocellaris, Glossogobius celebius, Glossogobius giuris, Periophthalmus barbarus and Sicyopterus lagocephalus, and Family Rhyacichthyidae (Rhyacichthys aspro), can be an alternative source of food and livelihood. They were caught by-catch, while employing some destructive fishing methods like cyanide fishing, electric fishing, and use of fine mesh nets. The awareness of the residents to the adverse impacts of water pollution, unregulated human activities, and destructive fishing had strengthened their conservation measures. A multi-stakeholder management approach is created through concerted proactive conservation measures like protection of the goby population, the river-riparian ecosystems, enhanced scientific information, and the legal intervention of the local government.

Anthropogenic impacts on coral reefs and their effect on fishery of Kilwa District, Tanzania

Tanzanian fishing coastal communities live on fishing activities as one their major economic activities, practicing fishing on shallow coral reefs areas whereby about 70% of fishery is artisanal. Improper use and overexploitation of fishery resources have resulted in damaging the coral reefs and the subsequent low quality catches. This study aimed at examining the impacts of coral reef fishery decline on rural livelihoods with an emphasis on food insecurity, alternative capabilities and activities on coastal communities of Kilwa district, Tanzania. Data collection methodology included household questionnaire survey, key informant interviews, participant observation and photographing. The survey was based on a sample of 90 households, randomly selected from three villages. The findings attest for a gradual reduction in fish catches over time, brought about by natural and anthropogenic impacts. Overfishing, use of illegal and destructive fishing methods, as well as extreme weather conditions, all threaten the sustainability of marine resources, particularly coral reef fishery that constitutes an important source of food and livelihood. Following the results and as a way of lessen the current pressure on marine resources and diversifying livelihood capabilities we recommend introduction of mariculture and modern farming technologies especially on green vegetables on farms that can potentially be irrigated. The study further recommends establishment of a marine protected area and; in addition, the need to promote educational programs on environmental and resources uses as well as application of active restoration protocols for damaged coral reefs. Key words : Songo songo, Kivinje, Songo mnara, livelihoods, coral bleaching

A role for partially protected areas on coral reefs: maintaining fish diversity?

Abstract Completely banning fishing from coral reefs is now accepted to have significant benefits for marine biodiversity and in many cases, fisheries. However, the benefits of regulating fishing on coral reefs, by restricting the methods used, or the total amount of fishing, are less well understood, even though such regulations are much more likely to be supported by fishermen. This study assesses whether banning illegal, destructive fishing methods and reducing the numbers of fishermen visiting from outside an area benefits a coral reef fishery, despite unregulated fishing by local fishermen using non‐destructive methods. The abundance, biomass, mean length, and species richness of nine commercially important fish families are compared across ten independent patch reefs inside and outside the 470 km2 Menai Bay Conservation Area in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Even after taking into account the effect of differences in habitat and the distance between reefs, 61% (±19.7%) more fish species were found in regulated than unregulated reefs. Fish abundance, biomass, and length were not affected, suggesting that banning destructive fishing may improve biodiversity, but that further regulations may be required to improve fish stocks.Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Multi-criteria decision models for management of tropical coastal fisheries. A review

The crisis in the world’s fisheries is attributed to excessive fishing pressure, long-term mismanagement, increased population growth, development and improvement of fishing technologies, uncertainty in global fisheries catch data, economic incentives and subsidies, and increasing demand for fish meal. For the coastal fisheries of developing countries, the problem is aggravated by coastal habitat degradation, widespread poverty in coastal communities, inshore encroachment of commercial fishing vessels, use of illegal and destructive fishing methods, resource use conflicts, pollution from uplands, and weak institutional arrangements. In response to these problems and in the hope of reversing their negative effects, fisheries management strategies have emerged for tropical coastal fisheries during at least the past 30 years. In fisheries, it is crucial to determine the outcomes of management strategies, especially when public money has to be accounted for. However, efforts to assess their impacts or measure progress are usually directed towards a single disciplinary approach, which fails to consider the multi-dimensionality of tropical fisheries including concomitant multi-level and conflicting goals and objectives. This article explores the utility of a multi-criteria type of evaluation as a potential analytical approach in impact evaluation for tropical fisheries management. The general framework of a multi-criteria evaluation method is a two-dimensional matrix composed of different choice possibilities including the set of criteria and indicators that will serve as bases in assessing these choice possibilities. The literature presents various criteria and indicators in fisheries management evaluation, the kinds and number of which would depend on stated goals and objectives of fisheries and the availability of resources to acquire the information. The type of measurement, i.e., quantitative or qualitative, and the weighing of criteria and indicators are crucial in the evaluation process because they determine the multi-criteria aggregation approach to be used. Moreover, the participation of stakeholders and coastal resource users is crucial in complementing scientific information, in developing acceptable solutions, and in reducing conflicts and distrust in the evaluation and decision-making process. While many aggregation models in multi-criteria analysis in natural resource management exist, this article limits its review to only six models: the analytic hierarchy process, the weighted sum model, the ordination technique, concordance analysis, the regime method and Evamix; which are viewed to be applicable to the structure of decision-making in tropical fisheries management. This article also examines the performance of some of these models through a case study that determines the impacts of fisheries management strategies in San Miguel Bay, Philippines. The review reveals the following: (1) among the aggregation approaches, the analytic hierarchy process and ordination technique had the highest number of applications in fisheries while none was found for concordance analysis, the regime method or Evamix; (2) the application of hybrid models in multi-criteria analysis is increasing and found to be effective in many environmental decision problems including fisheries; (3) the application of multi-criteria decision models to fisheries management is relatively scarce during the last 10 years; only 26 papers were found in peer-reviewed journals; and (4) in the choice of model, its technical assumptions and limitations, its appropriateness for a specific decision-making problem, and its ability to handle the situation correctly vis-a-vis contextual, technical and political concerns should be considered.

The role of SCUBA diver user fees as a source of sustainable funding for coral reef marine Protected areas

Coral reefs are both highly diverse and economically important. Human activities, however, threaten the world's coral reefs, endangering their biological and economic value. No take Marine Protected Areas (MPA), which ban fishing within MPA boundaries, help conserve and restore reef health and provide ecological resilience to reefs in the face of global warming and ocean acidification. In many cases, cost-benefit analyses have provided strong support for the establishment of protected areas, but insufficient funding is often the largest obstacle to successful MPA implementation. SCUBA diving tourism is one method for financing coral reef conservation. Creating employment opportunities in the tourist industry provides an alternative to destructive fishing methods for the local community, and diver user fees can also be used to directly fund MPA management. While diver fees are a successful source of funding for some MPAs, more often than not, no fees are collected or the fees collected are inadequate to cover the costs of managing an MPA. This paper compares current user fees charged for diving in Caribbean MPAs and compares the fees to what tourists pay to reach their destination, for hotel rooms and other amenities. Fewer than one quarter of MPAs charged fees. Whhen charged, the fees were, on average, well below likely willingness-to-pay levels. Fees were more likely to be charged when NGOs were involved with MPA management.

Lessons learnt from a collaborative management programme in coastal Tanzania

The Tanga Coastal Zone Conservation and Development Programme, initiated in 1994, was among the first such projects to make livelihoods improvement a key objective, and to use a community-based approach. It developed an approach to coastal management planning that is broadly satisfactory to both communities and the government. Six fisheries management areas and two mangrove management areas were established. Institutional arrangements for the collaborative approach were strengthened and community leaders and local government officers were trained in a range of relevant skills. A coastal environmental education programme for primary schools involved several thousand schoolchildren, and a gender programme built the confidence of women. Implementation of the management measures was noticeably harder than planning, particularly elimination of destructive fishing methods. Fishers and coastal communities now however have a much greater involvement in, and understanding of, coastal management and consequently a greater sense of ownership.

CORAL REEF HABITAT CHANGING ASSESSMENT OF DERAWAN ISLANDS, EAST KALIMANTAN, USING REMOTE SENSING DATA

Coral reefs in Dcrawan Islands are astonishingly rich in the marine diversity. However, these reefs are threatened by humans. Destructive fishing methods, such as trawl, blasting and cyanide fishing practise, are found to be the main cause of this degradation. The coral reefs habitat reduction is also caused by tourism activities due to trampling over the reef and charging organic and anorganic wastes. The capabilities of satellite remote sensing techniques combined with field data collection have been assessed for the coral reef mapping and the change detection of Derawan Island. Multi-temporal Landsat TM and ETM images (1991 and 2002) have been used. Comparison of the classified images of 1991 and 2002 shows spatial changes of the habitat. The changes were in accordance with the known changes in the reef conditions. The analysis shows the decrease of the coral reef and patchy seagrass percentage, while the increase of the algae composite and patchy reef percentage. Keywords : Coral Reef, Change Detection, Landsat-TM, Derawan

Fishing activities in Gendwuha, Guang, Shinfa and Ayima rivers in Tekeze and Abbay basins, Ethiopia: preliminary study

We sampled fishes of the rivers Gendwuha, Guang, Shinfa, and Ayima with 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14cm stretched mesh gillnet, monofilament of different mesh sizes, hook and line, fykenet and castnet. During October 2007 through January 2008 in both dry and wet seasons. 27 fish species were identified from the four rivers represented by the families: Centropomidae, Cichlidae, Bagridae, Schilbeidae, Clariidae, Mochokidae, Malapteruridae, Osteoglossidae, Mormyridae, Characidae, Citharinidae and Cyprinidae. Species richness was slightly highest in the rivers Shinfa and Ayima - 20 species each, whereas 16 and 18 species were identified from Gendwuha and Guang rivers, respectively. Most destructive fishing methods used in the region include plant poisons and chemicals (Malathion) which are nonselective and dangerous for all biota. Action towards awareness creation in this respect should be urgently undertaken before extinction of species.

Molecular systematics of the bubblegum coral genera (Paragorgiidae, Octocorallia) and description of a new deep-sea species

Bubblegum octocorals (Paragorgia and Sibogagorgia) play an important ecological role in many deep-sea ecosystems. However, these organisms are currently threatened by destructive fishing methods such as bottom trawling. Taxonomic knowledge of conservation targets is necessary for the creation and implementation of efficient conservation strategies. However, for most deep-sea coral groups this knowledge remains incomplete. For instance, despite its similarities with Paragorgia, Sibogagorgia is particular in lacking polyp sclerites, which are present in groups like Paragorgia and the Coralliidae. Although two kinds of sclerites are very similar between Paragorgia and Sibogagorgia, other characters challenge the monophyly of these genera. Here we help to clarify the taxonomy and evolutionary relationships of the bubblegum octocorals and related taxa by examining molecular data. We employed nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial (ND6, ND6-ND3 intergenic spacer, ND3, ND2, COI, msh1 and 16S) and nuclear (28S and ITS2) genomic regions from several taxa to infer molecular phylogenetics and to examine the correspondence of morphological features with the underlying genetic information. Our data strongly supported the monophyly of the genus Paragorgia, the family Coralliidae (precious corals), and a group of undescribed specimens resembling Sibogagorgia. Further morphological observations were congruent regarding the uniqueness of the undescribed specimens, here defined as a new species, Sibogagorgia cauliflora sp. nov., which occurs in both sides of the North American landmass at depths below 1700m. This new species resembles S. dennisgordoni with branching in one plane but has fairly different radiate sclerites and significantly divergent DNA sequences. The existence of several diagnostic characters of Sibogagorgia in S. cauliflora indicates that they indeed belong to this genus. It is however remarkable that a small number of medullar canals are also found in this species; medullar canals have been considered as the main diagnostic character of Paragorgia. Thus, the evidence generated here indicates that the presence or absence of these canals per se is not a conclusively diagnostic character for either genus. The lack of internal-node resolution in the inferred phylogenetic hypotheses of these genera does not allow us to propose a clear scenario regarding the evolution of these traits.

Genetic Diversity in Metapenaeus dobsoni using RAPD Analysis

IntroductionMaintenance of both genetic diversity and population distinctiveness is a major goalin the conservation management plans of overexploited species (Meffe 1994).Genetic data and phylogeographic structure throughout the species’ range constitutethe basic information required to understand their evolution and biogeographichistory. A widespread decline in the shrimp population in Indian waters has led to apressing need to assess genetic variability in the wild population for properconservation.Metapenaeus dobsoni (Miers, 1878) is a valuable shrimp distributed in thecoastal waters of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and thePhilippines (Fischer and Bianchi 1984). It contributes significantly to shrimpcatches from the east and west coasts of India and Sri Lanka. Overexploitation ofjuveniles and the use of destructive fishing methods in the estuarine environmentcould be responsible for the dwindling of this resource. Knowledge of thepopulation genetic structure of this species can help to determine the exploitationpattern and, hence, conservation.Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) is a simple and easy molecularmethod to determine genetic diversity, taxonomic identity, and systemic details ofvarious organisms (Welsh and McClelland 1990; Williams et al. 1990). Thistechnique has been used to estimate genetic diversity in penaeid shrimp, fish, andshellfish (Bardakci and Skibinski 1994; Garcia et al. 1994; Garcia and Benzie 1995;

Freshwater fishes, fisheries, and habitat prospects of Nepal

This paper deals with the status of fish, fisheries, and habitats in Nepal. Being a landlocked country, it has only freshwater habitats covering an area of 745,000 hectares (5% of the total area) that includes rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands, reservoirs, and irrigated rice fields. It has a diverse fish species totaling 200 fish species, of which 191 are indigenous and nine exotic. Thirty-four fish species were categorized as threatened (IUCN categories), requiring due attention for the conservation. Legal protection is recommended for ten fish species in the endangered and vulnerable categories. Fish harvests are mainly based on the subsistence fish farming, and from capture fisheries. National fish production in the year 2000/01 was 33,270 metric tons. Lowland areas are most suitable for aquaculture, whereas hill streams have a great attraction for sport fishing. Some destructive fishing methods are in use in capture fishery, e.g., electric fishing, explosives and poisons. In Nepal, some of the major fish habitats are in protected conservation areas, e.g., national parks and World Ramsar Sites. However, proper consideration has not been given for fish habitat management. The national plan includes a fisheries/aquaculture sub sector mainly for supplying animal protein, and for generating self-employment and income of small-scale farmers. The number of people involved in the capture fisheries has increased and included 142,000 men and 223,000 women in the year 2000/01. At the same time, commercial trout farming in the private sector has increased. Long-term perspectives in the fields of aquatic ecology, genetics, biotechnology and ecotoxicology are essential to enhance the fish and fisheries science in the country. [Supplementary material is available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management for the following free supplemental resource: an appendix containing a checklist of freshwater fishes of Nepal.]

Experimental Studies to Evaluate Larval Survival of the Fire Shrimp, Lysmata debelius, to the Juvenile Stage

Abstract Many coral reefs are threatened because of anthropogenic impacts such as destructive fishing methods for marine ornamentals. The marine ornamental industry is currently almost completely dependent upon wild collections. The development of commercially feasible methods to culture ornamental species could help to reduce the need for wild‐collected specimens and reduce pressure on coral reefs. Advances in larval rearing and nutrition would help overcome the bottlenecks that impede the commercial production of many marine ornamental species. This article focuses on research for improving the production of the fire shrimp, Lysmata debelius. Experiments were performed with larval fire shrimp to evaluate (1) the importance of essential fatty acid enrichment of live prey (rotifers and Artemia) and (2) feeding penaeid shrimp muscle tissue to improve survival to metamorphosis. We also provide the fatty acid composition of Day‐1 posthatch fire shrimp larvae. The enrichment of live prey with docosahexaenoic acid did not improve larval growth, survival, or time to metamorphosis, but larvae fed live prey together with pureed penaeid shrimp muscle had survival rates of 9.8 ± 1.2%. The data and protocols developed in this study provide a foundation and baseline for future fire shrimp larval studies.

Experimental sponge fishery in Egypt during recovery from sponge disease

1. A survey was undertaken (1995) on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt that investigated four sponge fishing grounds. These fishing banks suffered from sponge disease between 1987 and 1990, causing a mass mortality of commercial sponges in the eastern and central Mediterranean. 2. Adult commercial sponges (length >10 cm) were harvested by divers in the infralittoral zone (depth range 17–36 m). The substratum at most of the sampling stations was hard, consisting mainly of plaques, rocks and heavy stones, sometimes covered by Posidonia oceanica. 3. Two commercial sponge species were detected, Hippospongia communis and Spongia cfr zimocca; the former was more prevalent and abundant. Light penetration in the area surveyed was high. The two commercial sponge species detected seemed to be well adapted to these conditions, as indicated by the colour of their external membranes, which were almost black due to enhanced pigment formation. The absence of Spongia officinalis, in the area surveyed may also be related to light penetration, since S. officinalis is a more sciaphilous species. 4. The shape of H. communis was almost spherical, and the average dimensions (length, width, height, circumference) increased with increasing depth of the fishing grounds. At shallower depths (<30 m), adult H. communis occurred in lower densities, whereas young commercial sponges were abundant. No signs of sponge disease were found. 5. It is concluded that the recovery of the four sponge fishing grounds was in progress, and that the repopulation of commercial sponges in the infralittoral zone showed a gradient from deeper to shallower waters. It is recommended to prohibit destructive fishing methods in the deeper waters in order to protect the population and its ability to regenerate. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Marine Fisheries in Tanzania

Fishery resources are a vital source of food and make valuable economic contributions to the local communities involved in fishery activities along the 850 km stretch of the Tanzania coastline and numerous islands. Small-scale artisanal fishery accounts for the majority of fish catch produced by more than 43 000 fishermen in the country, mainly operating in shallow waters within the continental shelf, using traditional fishing vessels including small boats, dhows, canoes, outrigger canoes and dinghys. Various fishing techniques are applied using uncomplicated passive fishing gears such as basket traps, fence traps, nets as well as different hook and line techniques. Species composition and size of the fish varies with gear type and location. More than 500 species of fish are utilized for food with reef fishes being the most important category including emperors, snappers, sweetlips, parrotfish, surgeonfish, rabbitfish, groupers and goatfish. Most of the fish products are used for subsistence purposes. However, some are exported. Destructive fishing methods such as drag nets and dynamite fishing pose a serious problem as they destroy important habitats for fish and other organisms, and there is a long-term trend of overharvested fishery resources. However, fishing pressure varies within the country as fishery resources are utilized in a sustainable manner in some areas. For this report more than 340 references about Tanzanian fishery and fish ecology were covered. There are many gaps in terms of information needed for successful fishery management regarding both basic and applied research. Most research results have been presented as grey literature (57%) with limited distribution; only one-fifth were scientific publications in international journals.

Fulfilling the promise of biotechnology

Genetic engineering has produced pharmaceuticals, disease-resistant plants, cloned animals and research and industrial products. While the comparably mature field of medical biotechnology now reveals its true potential, marine biotechnology is still in the realm of the future. As we explore the earth for new sources of natural chemicals, we now search the waters. Myriad organisms, most unknown to us, live there. Many produce compounds that can be commercialized, or the organisms themselves may be commercialized, through genetic engineering methods. For decades, scientists studied the ocean depths searching for unique molecules and organisms. But not until the early 1980s was there a synthesis uniting marine natural products, ecology, aquaculture and bioremediation research under the heading of marine biotechnology. As harvesting enough products from marine sources to produce sufficient amounts, even for study, is nearly impossible, we need to use genomics techniques to identify biologically active compounds. As we damage our oceanic ecosystems through pollution, overfishing and destructive fishing methods, opportunities to learn more about marine organisms and their commercial potential may be limited. Although governments and intergovernmental agencies are committed to funding and expanding oceanic research, more funding is needed to discover and study the ocean's vast, unplumbed resources.

Status of Philippine Coral Reef Fisheries

Coral reefs have traditionally supplied coastal human populations with fishery products. Reef fisheries constitute about 20% of the total marine production (1.64 million mt) in the Philippines, as of the late 1990s. Based on the total area of coral reefs, which is 25,000 km2, and the average fish yield of good reefs, estimated at 15 mt·km2·yr, the potential annual production of Philippine coral reefs would be about 350,000 mt. Since only 30% remains in good condition and 70% is in degraded condition, this estimated annual production have been reduced to about 177,500 mt as of the 1990s. Coral reef fisheries in the central Philippines comprise about 125 reef and reef-associated species distributed in 14 families. Aside from being over-fished, the Philippine coral reefs have been damaged by the use of destructive fishing methods. The high intensity of fishing (up to 50% of fish standing stock removed by fishing annually) has resulted in the depletion of fishery species. Protection of reefs occurs at a slow rate, indicating a need to increase efforts at establishing marine reserves and restoring degraded reefs to stabilize or enhance fish yields.