fwd: Greenwire 11/18 story on coral reefs (fwd)
James C. Hendee
hendee at aoml.noaa.gov
Thu Nov 21 08:33:02 EST 1996
-------------
Original Text
From: Howard S. Marks at LA@NOAA, on 11/19/96 4:48 PM:
To: Arthur E. Paterson at IntlAff@NOAA
Cc: David S. Jansen at LA@NOAA
*23 PHILIPPINES: CORAL REEFS RAVAGED BY IMPOVERISHED FISHERS
"Local poverty and local politics" are working together to cause the
destruction of coral reefs in the Philippines, as poor fishers are forced
to rely on environmentally damaging fishing methods for survival, reports
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT.
Impoverished fishers in the Philippines often catch fish in coral
reef areas by detonating dynamite, spraying cyanide and pounding reefs
with rocks and crowbars to scare fish out (GREENWIRE, 10/31/95). The
methods are "horrifically effective,"yielding huge amounts of fish, but
ruining reefs.
Although the Philippine government "long ago" outlawed blast and
cyanide fishing, the practices continue because of a lack of enforcement
and a fear of retribution from illegal fishers. Also, because of extreme
poverty and population pressures, "the choice for many [fishers] each day
is not between illegal and legal fishing methods but between eating and
going hungry."
USAID PROGRAM AIMS TO HELP
The US Agency for Int'l Development has begun a $21 million Coastal
Resources Management Project to help combat the problem. It aims to put
10, 000 miles of Philippine coastline under sustainable management, and
eventually "create a local political coalition with a common interest in
preserving the coastal environment and strong enough to defeat those who
make money destroying it" (Steven Butler, US NEWS & WORLD REPORT, 11/25
issue).
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