Fishing is the second largest industry in Rakhine State, but growing population and development pressures threaten our fishing industry. Our mangrove protection and restoration projects do part of the work by creating a habitat where fish and crab populations can grow and thrive, but if these populations are overfished & mismanaged, fishermen will suffer anyway.
Certain species are already being over-fished, as fishermen increase catches to meet growing demand. Some resort to illegal fishing methods like using electroshocks or chemicals that poison our ecosystems and kill unsustainably large number of fish and other marine life. As well, international ships and offshore fishing boats are often spotted fishing illegally in local waters; while others from neighbouring states and divisions within Myanmar have been caught fishing in freshwater areas upstream.
We are now in the early stages of creating community fisheries that will allow fishermen to manage fish stocks sustainably and democratically through local fishermen’s associations. For example, local fishermen will designate some areas as protected during breeding seasons.
We are committed to helping Rakhine fishermen protect themselves against illegal fishing, by coordinating between the community and local authorities to ensure enforcement of fishing laws. We have also taken legal action against those caught using illegal fishing methods. In addition to the community fisheries, we are in discussions with local fishermen to create a fishermen’s association to protect our industry against these abuses by, organizing regular patrols along rivers where this type of activity commonly occurs.
Community fisheries are currently a pilot project in collaboration with the Rakhine Fisheries Partnership (RFP), founded by the Rakhine Fishery Department and local NGOs and communities.