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The
Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is raising support
for increased international efforts to reduce bycatch levels
in shrimp and other fisheries, and we feel that the endorsement
of those working in the development field would be invaluable
in achieving this goal.
Over the past year, EJF has been investigating the impacts
of shrimp production on both local communities and marine
environments. Our findings are being presented in a series
of reports, the first of which, 'Squandering the Seas' can
be found at:
http://www.ejfoundation.org/reports.html#squanderingseas
This report documents how shrimp trawling is causing environmental
over-exploitation and undermining food security in some of
the world's poorest countries. Shrimp fisheries in the tropics
are particularly wasteful, with up to 20kg of non-target marine
life being caught to yield 1kg of shrimp. People in the developing
world witness trawlers – sometimes foreign-owned –
destroy their traditional fishing grounds and incidentally
catch and squander local fish stocks. In some cases this fishing
is illegal, in other cases it is the result of fisheries agreements,
such as those between the EU and African nations. Yet those
who suffer the environmental costs of shrimp trawling are
unlikely to see the financial rewards of these agreements.
In order to reduce the excessive bycatch levels associated
with these and other fisheries, EJF would like to see the
adoption of a UN Food and Agriculture Organisation 'International
Plan of Action on Bycatch Reduction'. EJF's 'Call to Action'
can be found at:
http://www.ejfoundation.org/pdfs/IPOA_sign_on.pdf We do
hope you will consider signing this.
If
you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate
to contact me (details below). You can also find further information
on our website www.ejfoundation.org
Annabelle Aish
Campaigner
Environmental Justice Foundation
5 St Peter's Street
London N1 8JD
UK
TEL +44 (0) 20 7359 0440
FAX +44 (0) 20 7359 7123
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