Gabon Government Bans Shrimp Fishing
12/27/99
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Title: ENVIRONMENT-GABON: Government Bans Shrimp Fishing
Source: InterPress Service
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: December 27, 1999
Byline: Antoine Lawson
LIBREVILLE, Dec 27 (IPS) - Gabonese government has banned shrimp
fishing to allow the endangered seafood to recover its number.
Under the ban, pink shrimp harvesting will be prohibited in Gabon's
territorial waters during January and February.
''Those who flout this decision will be subject to the penalties
provided for by the laws'', a communique from the Ministry of Water
and Forests indicates.
lates that fines from 100,000 to 1 million CFA francs plus prison
sentences will be levied against offenders.
One US dollar is equal to 600 CFA francs.
''The directors general for Fishing and Aquaculture and the Merchant
Marine, and the commander-in-chief of the Gendarmerie will all be in
charge of monitoring that this decision is strictly observed'', the
communique adds.
The amount of shrimp fished from the sea is estimated to be less than
1000 metric tonnes per year. ''This crustacean, which is a fragile but
very much sought-after seafood, is a big-seller, although the country
is aware of its bio-diversity imperatives'', says Philippe Tankes, who
studies the biology and environment of coastal Gabonese shrimp.
Shrimp harvesting is sensitive to human activity, especially the young
ones. Their numbers fluctuate wildly, in part due to varying mortality
rates among crustaceans, but also because their harvesting is
unregulated.
For the past few years, fishermen have been using material which
causes serious damage to lakeside and lagoon environments. Shrimp
reserves have been dwindling over the course of time, from 2000 metric
tonnes in 1992 to less than 875 metric tonnes to date.
Gabon's 800-kilometre coastline is very rich in fish and annual per
capita consumption of fish is estimated at 40 kilogrammes. The coast
is formed by plankton-breeding estuaries which provide food for
growing youngsters.
There are also other species of shrimp in river waters, which
constitute a welcoming ecosystem which encourages their reproduction.
''During their first three months of life, the young shrimp migrate
from the marine milieu where they reproduce and toward brackish
coastal waters. During three or four months, the young shrimp complete
their growth and head back toward the sea. During this time, many of
them are caught along the coast'', Tankes adds.
The arrival of young shrimp along the coast takes place all year long,
but especially in January and February, and in August and September.
''These results are extremely important for understanding the
mechanisms involved in renewing Gabonese shrimp resources'', says the
Ministry of Merchant Marine and Fishing.
To overcome market shrimp shortages, an industrial shrimp- farming
project will be instituted at Batanga, in the country's southwest.
The pilot phase of the project, which will cost 1,530 billion CFA
francs for the first three years, will be financed in its entirety by
the Gabonese government.(END/IPS/al/nrn/sz/mn/99)