Catalog

	Table of Contents
p. 19 of 20 BACK | NEXT I. Introduction II. The Context: Fisheries in the Asian and Pacific Region III. The Bank's Experience in the Fisheries Sector IV. The Issues: Challenges and Opportunities V. The Recommended Strategy for the Bank A. Basic Principles of Bank Operations in Fisheries B. ADB’s Policy in the Fisheries Sector C. Operational Implications of Bank Policy D. Recommendation

Policy on Fisheries : V. The Recommended Strategy for the Bank

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B. Operational Implications of Bank Policy

Country Studies

The basis of future Bank investments in the fisheries sector of concerned DMCs will be country-specific sector studies, which will (i) provide sectoral assessments and directions for developing and managing fisheries resources, giving due consideration to each country's special characteristics and traditions; and (ii) identify the priority areas requiring Bank assistance. Institutional strengthening needs will be carefully assessed and appropriate measures introduced to meet them. Policy reforms needed to improve the fisheries sector will be identified, and policy dialogue to ensure that needed reforms are undertaken in a timely manner will be an important aspect of the Bank's operations. The strategies and investment priorities are expected to differ across DMCs, although the general guidelines have already been outlined for each subsector: artisanal, industrial, and aquaculture. Sector studies will analyze (i) the role of each subsector in the overall economy; (ii) the status of the fisheries and other living aquatic resources; (iii) the current and future trends in utilization and management; (iv) the overall policy climate; (v) the major linkages among social, resource, economic, and political concerns; and (vi) the capacities of the private sector (fishing communities, NGOs, interest groups, etc.) and the government to effectively and sustainably manage the resource. The sector studies will facilitate the formulation of development policies and strategies for the country as a whole, and determine investment priorities in the sector as the first step towards the identification of specific programs and projects. The country studies will be based on extensive consultations with relevant government agencies, fisher communities, private organizations, NGOs, representatives of fishing industries, and other stakeholders.

Regional Cooperation

The importance of international cooperation in fisheries has been highlighted in various sections of this Paper. Because of the open access nature of most fishery resources, national fisheries policies cannot be formulated in isolation and invariably have transboundary implications. Even for landlocked countries, policies are interlinked through issues of international trade and the availability of appropriate technology. The setting of global or regional goals is necessary to ensure that country-specific strategies are consonant with the regional strategies for fishery resources. A regional fisheries management approach will provide a framework for increased cooperation among DMCs in facing the major challenges in ensuring sustainable management of fishery resources. This is particularly critical for migratory and shared fishery resources, which require joint or multicountry management.

The Bank's objectives in promoting regional cooperation will be twofold: capacity building and information exchange. Deficiencies in most existing fisheries institutions have been referred to earlier. This is particularly applicable to the small island developing states, which are economically disadvantaged and physically vulnerable and have significant aquatic resources but inadequate capacity for husbanding them because they lack administrative machinery and trained personnel. These countries need institutional strengthening and national capacity building, especially with respect to human resource development, and enhanced conservation and management of their EEZs, with emphasis on sustainable development; fisheries management planning; technical development and coastal fisheries management; and legislation to strengthen monitoring, regulation, and surveillance systems. The Bank will, as appropriate, collaborate with the existing regional/subregional bodies in enhancing capacity for sustainable resource management.

The Bank will assist DMCs in proper, regular, and systematic stock assessment and will explore the possibility of strengthening regional networks in coordinating resource management programs on a regional and subregional basis. The Bank will also assist in commissioning studies to identify "best policies" in aquaculture and fisheries to be disseminated among DMCs to enable them to learn from each other's experience. Information exchange may also include data on pricing, trading, regulatory requirements of importing countries, etc. Regional research efforts, discussed in the next section, will broaden the knowledge base on issues of common interest to the Region's fisheries. The Bank will allocate, as appropriate, regional TA or loan funds to strengthen regional cooperation in all these areas.

Research Support

The Bank's support for strategic research in fisheries will be guided by its policy on agriculture and natural resources research, approved by the Board in December 1995. The policy states that, "the specific areas of research in fisheries and marine resources will comprise the preservation, rehabilitation, and management of marine, coastal and riverine resource systems, including the value of coral reefs and mangroves; and the development of inland and coastal aquaculture systems, while ensuring sustainability and environmental conservation."³¹ Within this framework, the Bank will seek to enhance the capability of national agricultural research systems in the priority areas of (i) addressing socioeconomic issues relating to open access and overfishing; (ii) stock assessment studies to provide information on the status of fishery resources; (iii) ecologic-economic studies to characterize and quantify interactions between the fisheries sector and other sectors, the results of which are important inputs to policy analysis; (iv) studies on nonmarket valuation and natural resource and environmental accounting to extend the conventional cost-benefit analysis, which will ensure meeting the sustainability criterion in fisheries projects; and (v) sustainable aquaculture studies and technology development.

Recognizing that international cooperation is vital in supplementing national research efforts as well as in promoting responsible fisheries practices, the Bank will synchronize its fisheries operations with the global initiatives in the post-UNCLOS regime. In supporting international research, the Bank will seek to strengthen collaboration through networking among national agricultural research systems, international centers, the CGIAR, and private sector research institutions. Specific research projects with operational relevance and with applicability to the Asian and Pacific Region will be supported in line with the Bank's strategic objectives.

Operations in Small Island Developing Member Countries

The problems and prospects of fisheries in the small island states are significantly different from those of the other DMCs and need to be approached in a different manner. In general, although these DMCs may have localized problems of overfishing in inshore waters, some areas still possess commercial tuna resources that can sustain increased levels of exploitation. The problem has been the lack of success in developing local industries and in realizing a larger share of the value accruing from the tuna harvest. The history of unsuccessful domestic fishing enterprises, especially in the Pacific, needs to be assessed and a coherent strategy developed that can improve the local benefits of this industry, which represents one of the most important opportunities for these countries to pursue economic development. The Bank has begun this process by providing regional TA,³² and initial indications suggest that a progressive and gradual approach should be adopted, led by private sector investment, which will allow the domestic industry to develop at its own pace. The Bank is also currently assisting several Pacific DMCs (Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and Republic of the Marshall Islands) in developing improved fisheries policies and in investing in modern fisheries management institutions that will support sustainable and competitive investment in the sector. Based on these efforts, the Bank will continue to pursue — in close coordination with subregional bodies, particularly the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency — an appropriate strategy to help the Pacific DMCs maximize the benefits realized from the fisheries resources in their waters.

Linkages with Other Sectors

The Bank finances many projects that impinge on water resources in the irrigation, drainage, hydropower, and other sectors. It is important that, in formulating such projects, their effects on fisheries resources be thoroughly assessed, and that any potential negative impacts on those resources be identified, investigated, and eliminated or mitigated. The Bank's environmental assessment requirements and review procedures require that every project be reviewed from an environmental point of view, and this process ensures that impacts on fisheries, among other resources, will be assessed. In the future, the Bank's Fisheries Specialists will be asked to review and comment on projects that are considered to have potential impacts on fisheries resources, and where so indicated appropriate remedial measures will be included in the design of the projects. Because of the effects of deforestation on water regimes and the consequent impact on fisheries, the Bank's Policy on Forestry,³³ which stresses the protective functions of forests and the sustainability of forest ecosystems, is complementary to and supportive of the Fisheries Policy.

Resource Requirements

At present, the Bank is administering eight ongoing fisheries loans and 12 technical assistance projects. In addition, the current Bank Assistance Plan includes five loan projects and 10 technical assistance projects in the fisheries sector over the four-year period from 1997 to 2000. It is considered that the present staffing complement in fisheries, which includes one Fisheries Specialist in Region East and one in Region West, plus one staff member with experience in the fisheries sector in the Office of Pacific Operations, is adequate to handle the present and projected workload in this area, including reviews of water sector projects as mentioned in the preceding paragraph. The adoption of the Fisheries Policy is not expected to increase the staffing or other requirements of the Bank's administrative budget.

Review of the Policy

The fisheries sector is going through a period of rapid evolution, with changes occurring both in the status of the natural resources and in the responses of national and international bodies, fishing communities, and the private sector. The effectiveness and continued relevance of the Fisheries Policy will therefore be monitored, and implementation of the Policy will be reviewed within five years.

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