Fishing with beach seines

This document provides a global overview of beach seine fisheries and identifies key issues relevant for the responsible use of beach seines and the sustainable livelihoods of beach seine fishers. It also provides guidelines for fisheries managers and other stakeholders on how best to address the issues of management processes and measures, which have the mutually beneficial goals of restoring and conserving the health of fishery resources and their habitats and safeguarding the livelihoods of fishers and their communities. Chapter 1 provides introductory and background information. It gives a general description of the design and operation of beach seines and highlights that the long-term livelihoods and food security of small-scale fishing communities can only be ensured if responsible and sustainable fishing methods are employed. The challenge is how to balance the short-term food security requirements of coastal fishing communities with responsible and sustainable fishing methods. Chapter 2 explains the coverage and focus of the country case studies as well as their field survey methodologies. Meanwhile, Chapter 3 contains a comparative analysis of the findings of the country case studies. The findings are complemented by the findings of the literature review. The chapter starts with a global overview of the operational and technical features of beach seining and its environmental impacts. This is followed by a comparison of the social and economic characteristics of beach seine owners and operators and their access to social and health services, education and infrastructure. Economic and financial aspects of beach seine fisheries operations are analysed, as well as post-harvest activities and fishers and beach seine operators' access to credit. An overview of fisheries legislation and management of beach seining and its compliance with fisheries management laws and regulations is also provided. The chapter also discusses the implications of the main findings of the case studies as they relate to the status of fishery resources and habitats and for food security and livelihoods of beach seine fishers. Global trends of beach seining are identified and the assessment of the studies regarding the future of beach seining is summarized. Chapter 4 presents the recommendations of the authors of the country case studies for achieving well-regulated and well-managed beach seine fisheries. Finally, Chapter 5 elaborates the topics raised by the case studies that are crucial for the formulation of recommendations and management guidelines. These topics include the approach to co-management and the use of fishers' ecological knowledge in resource management decision-making, the occupational diversification to other income-generating activities and livelihoods, and moving towards more selective and environmentally-friendly fishing methods. Also elaborated are improvements and modifications of beach seine gear and methods; opportunities for value addition and post-harvest improvements; microenterprise development; restoration of aquatic habitat by small-scale fishing communities; microfinance support; and the use of socio-economic indicators for the monitoring of the impact of management measures on the livelihoods of fishing communities. The chapter concludes with guidelines for fisheries managers and other stakeholders on how to manage beach seine fisheries in a responsible and participatory manner. Key resource, economic and social issues that are addressed by the management guidelines are: (i) the poverty and vulnerability of beach seine fishers due to lack of other income/ employment opportunities, low educational levels, and scarce medical and social services; (ii) the negative impact of beach seining on aquatic resources and sometimes on habitats; (iii) the depletion of fishery resources and the degradation of habitat caused by fisheries other than beach seining and by land-based pollution and human activities; (iv) a lack of compliance with fisheries and environmental regulations; (v) conflict and competition with other users of the common fishery resources; (vi) a generally low value of beach seine catches; (vii) a lack of access to microfinance and insurance services; and (viii) safety-at-sea issues. The findings of the country case studies are summarized in the annexes of the document for easy reference for readers who are interested in the features of beach seine fisheries in different countries. The annexes also contain designs of selected beach seines used in the India, Mozambique and Peru.