Africa: Who's Harming Fish Stocks? Trawlers or Artisanal Fishers? (AllAfrica.com)

[eppur_se_muova]

Isolda Agazzi
2 July 2009

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Geneva —
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"Industrial countries' agreements to access developing countries' waters largely contribute to overfishing, since these agreements are not always based on solid science and stock assessments," argues Anja von Moltke of UNEP's economics and trade branch.

"In addition, developing countries often do not have sufficient information and leverage to negotiate fair and sustainable access agreements. But local subsidies to artisanal fisheries have also proved to contribute to the disappearance of species, as in the case of Senegal."

In that country, a drastic decline of species threatens the livelihood of the small fisherpersons that make up 15 percent of the working population.

A reduction of the subsidies that lead to access agreements would help in deterring huge European vessels, equipped with highly sophisticated radars, from catching the last fish in the ocean.
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more: http://allafrica.com/stories/200907020582.html