|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Wednesday, 23 February 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Business | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Build-up of excessive fishing capacity must be avoided - FAO Rome/Bangkok - A harmful build-up of excessive fishing capacity must be avoided in the countries hit by the tsunami, the FAO warned. Excessive capacity was a serious problem in some of the region's coastal fisheries prior to the disaster - a problem that reconstruction should avoid reproducing, according to the FAO's Fisheries Department,. "Clearly, fisheries in the affected countries are in need of extensive reconstruction," said Ichiro Nomura, FAO Assistant-Director General for Fisheries. "But this should be done in a responsible and far-sighted manner, to ensure the sector's long-term sustainability and continuing contributions to poverty alleviation and food security." Fishing capacity, in general terms, refers to the ability of a fleet of boats to catch fish. Sheer numbers of boats, their sizes, the time they spend fishing and the technology they use all contribute to a fleet's capacity. Too much capacity usually leads to overfishing, and overfishing can hurt fish stocks, even causing fisheries to collapse. According to the FAO, restored fishing capacity in the tsunami zone should generally not exceed the levels that existed prior to the disaster - and in some places capacity should even be reduced. Keeping fishing efforts in the balance with what local fish stocks are capable of sustaining will help guarantee the continued productivity of the region's fisheries, so that future generations can rely on them for food and income. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
