These Sharks are worth millions - great pic by Andrej Narchuk.Interesting article about the consultation.
My thoughts on the matter in general are here.
In brief
- The local fishing industry is a vital component of Fiji's economy and it is extremely important that it be protected and kept vibrant. The blanket criticism of the fishing sector is unbecoming.
- For the industry to survive, it must focus on sustainability which presently means that they should probably catch less. Full sustainability also mandates bycatch mitigation.
- They can however compensate for the loss in volume by having the fishery certified like that of the PNA, as consumers will pay a premium for sustainably caught fish.
- After the recent fiasco at the last WCPFC meeting, I'm incresingly of the opinion that we should follow the example of the PNA and stop allowing distant nations to interfere with the management of the Pacific fish stocks - hell, were it for me I would also stop giving fishing licenses to those foreign fleets and have those nations buy the Fiji-caught Tuna from the Fijian processing plants!
- Leave those Sharks alone. At current depletion rates, this is at best a short-term fad and will certainly not save the Tuna industry. Catching them is completely unsustainable and the depletion of Shark stocks has wide ranging and largely irreversible consequences for the fishing sector as a whole but also, for tourism and the nation's overall ecological and cultural integrity. Of interest, Mr. Lagibalavu is a representative of the Bêche-de-mer industry that is wreaking havoc on our coastal Sharks.
- I would certainly not oppose (read the link before you get angry!) an independently certified sustainable food fishery for Sharks - however only once stocks have recovered and only if fully sustainable.
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