NAIROBI, 19 January (IRIN) - The liberalisation of the fishing industry will have a negative impact on food security in the developing world, according to a new
report by the advocacy group, Greenpeace International. "Trading Away Our Oceans" states that liberalisation would cause fish prices to rise in developing countries as more resources would be
diverted to fishing for export, leading to a drop in supplies for local consumption. It would also increase pressure to divert food from the plates of the poor to fishmeal processing to supply
unsustainable forms of salmon and shrimp aquaculture. Tariffs on fish and fish products are to be significantly reduced and perhaps even eliminated by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), a move that
will benefit only a handful of developed fish-exporting countries that have well-established fisheries management, according to Greenpeace. "The WTO impact will be to make fish cheaper but only in
the short term," Daniel Mittler, a trade adviser with Greenpeace said at the launch of the report on Friday, in Nairobi, Kenya's capital. Liberalisation would only accelerate resource depletion
through continued over-fishing, especially in developing countries, leading to higher prices in the medium to long term as global supplies diminish, according to the report. In addition,
liberalisation of fisheries threatens the marine environment. Already, the effects of over-fishing are being felt along the Kenyan coast, with a decline in fish stocks undermining the livelihoods of
the coastal population, Athman Seif, the executive director of the Kenya Marine Forum, said. "Boats are sailing further from the shore but returning with less," Seif said. The cost of fish in
Malindi, one of Kenya's coastal towns, has doubled from 120 shillings (US$1.50) per fish 10 months ago to 240 shillings ($3) now, he said. "Fishing on the inner shores is also harmful for marine
life because these shores are a critical fish-breeding ground due to the coral reefs," he said. The fishermen often lack the necessary equipment to go farther out, with offshore fishing, beyond 10
nautical miles from the shore, dominated by foreigners. The fish is usually destined for sale in Europe and Japan. "Fish that should have fed the people [in the developing world] ends up on dinner
plates in Europe," Sari Tolvanen, a marine biologist and oceans campaigner for Greenpeace International, said. According to Mittler, local fishermen cannot compete against sophisticated large
trawler fishing. There are at least 600 foreign fishing vessels, operating with or without licences, along the Kenyan coast at any one time, according to a 2004/2005 study by the Kenya Fisheries
Department. Kenya should have a coast-guard system, Seif said. "Licensing [of foreign fishing vessels] should not take precedence over surveillance. There should be a balance between utilisation and
conservation," he said. Internationally, marine life close to becoming commercially extinct includes the popular blue fin tuna (sushi), cod and merlin, according to Greenpeace. Greenpeace is
calling on governments to create proper management systems for fisheries to prevent over-fishing. It is also urging the international community to adhere to international conservation instruments
such as the United Nations Law of the Sea, increase the monitoring and surveillance capacity of developing nations, and encourage the rebuilding of fish stocks through the establishment of marine
reserves to protect threatened species and coral reefs, which are important fish-breeding grounds. There is also a need for the implementation of fair fisheries partnership agreements between the
developing countries and the north, Tolvanen said. The launch of the Greenpeace report coincided with the World Social Forum, scheduled to start on 20 January, "which will be an opportune moment to
call on leaders of the developed world to stop pursuing free trade at all costs", Mittler said. Trade ministers are also scheduled to meet at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) on 27
January to discuss global trade liberalisation. "The message from Nairobi to Davos is crystal clear: plans for unbridled liberalisation of the global fish trade must be abandoned at once in light of
the serious negative social and environmental impacts of over-exploitation that would follow," Mittler said. "If Davos sets the path to move global trade liberalisation forward, our oceans and the
long-term food security of billions of people will pay the price," he said. [Full Report at: http://oceans.greenpeace.org/tradingaway ] aw/mw
