June 16, 2014

Sustainable fishing is key to food security, UOW experts say

By 2030, 75 per cent of coastal fisheries are expected to fall short of food needs, says Dr Quentin Hanich.

Unsustainable fishing practices in many developing nations have created a precarious situation and resources are shrinking at a time when climate change looks set to have a profound affect on our coastal and marine zones.

Dr Quentin Hanich, who is researching fisheries governance as part of UOW’s Global Challenges Program, said Pacific islands are heavily dependent on fisheries for food security, as well as livelihoods and development, however, 75 per cent of coastal fisheries are expected to fall short of food needs by 2030.

Dr Hanich, from UOW’s Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, recently told ABC Rural that 60 per cent of the world's tuna comes from the Pacific.

"Some of the world's biggest fishing boats from Spain, 500 feet long, for example, will fish for those tuna. When you manage that fishery you need to make it sustainable,” he said.

In order to avert this catastrophic scenario and ensure the long-term viability of these nations, Dr Hanich said it is critical that communities, industry and government collaborate 
to implement conservation and management mechanisms that promote economic development, limit fishing effort to sustainable levels and protect important habitats.

A major research initiative, which brings together the Global Challenges Program, World Fish and the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security at UOW, aims to avert this catastrophic scenario by improving coastal fisheries management in the Pacific and provide a safeguard against declining food security.

The four-year project will target priority communities in the Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Vanuatu and will work with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community to scale out the research findings to other countries in the region.

The researchers will create a new framework for identifying food security threats in the Pacific, empowering local communities, and implementing a practical response to sustaining fishing practices and the impact of climate change.

Dr Hanich said food security was a truly global challenge and one that requires a coordinated response to achieve a realistic solution for islands in the Pacific.

“It is critical that coastal communities can effectively manage and sustainably develop their fisheries in a region where fish provide 40 to 90 per cent of animal protein for coastal communities and are a key resource for food security, livelihoods, revenue and development,” he said.

As the world’s population increases, and our reliance on coastal and marine environments show no sign of abating, overfishing and food security will place greater pressure on our oceans. While smaller island nations are the first line of defence, the potential impact on countries around the globe cannot be underestimated. It is a challenge that requires an international solution.