Sustainable fisheries with the Federation of Thai Fisher folk Association (FTFA)

 

 

The organization and local perspectives on conservation and stewardship

 

The Federation of Thai Fisher folk Association (FTFA) represents coastal fishing community groups (with both male and female members) in 19 provinces and in 55 organizations. It was formed and registered in 2009, with the following objectives:

1) To conserve, restore and manage marine and coastal resources including freshwater fisheries resources in a balanced and sustainable manner,

2) To restore and develop good wisdom, traditions, arts and culture of local fishing communities,

3) To promote and support community rights, specifically the right of local fishermen to participate in the management, maintenance and exploitation of natural resources and the environment with the public and private sectors, and

4) To promote cooperation of local fishermen in carrying out economic activities for self-sufficiency.

 

Because the local fishing profession has to rely on natural resources, if [these] are not preserved, the fishing profession cannot survive. It is therefore necessary to ensure that there is a balance between use and conservation. Since fishing is our main occupation, if fishing is unsustainable, the fishing community will collapse, and cannot be passed to the next generation. The important thing in the stewardship of resources and the environment is the participation of people in the community, which requires mutual consensus on the stewardship of resources. 

 

Stewardship experience: Collective action by fishers to improve sustainability of legal fishing practices

 

The issue or problem being addressed

A devastating overfishing problem, worsened by a law permitting the use of destructive fishing tools has resulted in the degradation of marine resources. Local fishing groups collectively called for the amendment of the law and to abolish the use of destructive fishing gear.  

 

The activities

Starting in 1993, the initial goal was to coordinate local fishing groups in 13 southern coastal provinces of Thailand to exchange experiences and learn about problems between them. Each fishing group raised concerns of the same problem of marine resource degradation.

Later these local groups jointly established “The Federation of Southern Fisherfolk” with the aim of expanding community rights protection work, to conserve and restore marine and coastal resources, to promote career development, and to support life and well-being of the community itself – as well as to learn, follow up and propose policies related to local fishing communities to support resource recovery. This network was then expanded across the country and registered as the “Federation of Thai Fisher folk Association” on November 10, 2010.

There was consultation with NGOs and educational institutes. We then held a meeting to discuss local fisheries in each community. This brought up the idea of establishing a group of local fisheries in order to gain access to the state information thoroughly and to have the power to solve the problem. Situation data was analyzed to formulate a policy proposal to the government in solving the problem. 

The government has since improved the law to abolish destructive fishing gears. Efforts also contributed to the Fisheries Act being adjusted in the current fishing royal decree. Fishermen were engaged in the conservation planning process to ensure measures were suitable for the local context, resulting in better use of resources. However, there are still many issues in promoting sustainable fisheries that have been delayed by the government, because the priorities of local small-scale fishing groups tend to differ from opinions of the commercial fisheries groups.  

 

The benefits/impacts including sustainability/environmental effects

• The government has improved the law to abolish harmful fishing gears. 
• Contribute to the redrafting of the Fisheries Act in the current fishing royal decree. 
• Increased engagement of the fishermen in conservation activities, in accordance with the local context, resulting in better use of resources.
• Ongoing meetings to raise voices to government agencies and the public about the goals and identities of local fishers.

 

The success and significance of the activities

Successfully pushed for a law to eliminate destructive fishing machines/ gears. We also pushed for registration of fisherman status, for better legal recognition of fishers’ rights. The government now has a policy to involve fishermen in setting up policies at the provincial and national levels, with representatives of local fishers as committees at both levels. The government has issued a law to promote participation in local fisheries groups according to the proposal of the association. 

 

Some lessons learned or words of wisdom 

An important lesson for strengthening local fishers to jointly use and maintain sustainable resources is the participation process of local fishers in every region. There must be a discussion and common goal setting for all groups to thoroughly understand the information. They can then work together to achieve it.

 

 

 

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Fishery Facts

(Below are the applicable categories of fisheries, environment, species, gear type and livelihood role.)

 

Fishery characteristics:

• Marine capture fishery (e.g. nearshore/coastal/reef-based/deep sea)
• Subsistence fishery
• Single-species

The environment where fishing takes place: 

• Coastal – Lagoon / Coral / Mangrove

Main species targeted:

• Marine – Large pelagics (finfish) – e.g. tuna/sharks
• Marine – Small pelagics (finfish) – e.g. reef fishes/herring/mackerel/sardines
• Marine – Demersal finfish – e.g. cod/flatfish/grouper
• Molluscs (including bivalves and cephalopods – e.g. octopus/clams)
• Crustaceans (e.g. shrimp/prawn/lobster)
• Other animals (e.g. jellyfish/ sea cucumber)
• Algae or seaweed and other aquatic plants

Gear types/ methods used:

• Gillnet
• Pot/ trap
• Beach harvest/ gleaning (e.g. collection of shellfish/algae/mangrove crabs etc.)

Role of the fishery in local livelihoods:

• Main source of employment
• Secondary source of employment
• Seasonal