JICA 2001-A New Approach to fisheries and marine environment

Abstract

The fisheries of many developing small Island countries are declining as a result of overfishing, illegal fishing, urban pollution and coastal erosion. Coastal communities are heavily dependent on these resources as a source of food and income. Loss of natural resources has a dramatic impact on their livelihoods. Additionally, the role of women in many fishing communities has been marginalized or neglected even though they could make significant contributions to social and economic development. In the past, JICA has emphasized the importance of technical development in its ODA, however, self-reliance, empowerment, leadership and responsibility taken by fishing communities must also take into account the social, cultural and anthropological aspects of recipient countries. Developing effective countermeasure strategies to fishery declines through JICA ODA, requires a shift in emphasis from technology-centered development to human centered development. This can be achieved through; (1) training programs that develop skills to design practical and realistic countermeasure strategies, (2) training programs aimed to empower women in fishing communities and (3) greater integration between training and other components of JICA technical cooperation schemes to increase recipient country persons involvement at all stages of ODA. This paper describes two case studies of fisheries development and suggests that sustainability can only be achieved through extensive field experience, rigorous analysis of social, economic and cultural issues and full participation of recipient country nationals. The South Pacific case study could be a valuable model for other regions. © 2002, The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science. All rights reserved.