9ICRS minisymposium on destructive fishing practices

[Erdmann/Mehta]

Dear Colleagues,
 For those who have not been monitoring the 9ICRS website for the list of
planned minisymposia and their abstracts, we herewith announce our scheduled
minisymposium, "Destructive Fishing Practices - Towards a global understanding
of causes, effects and management solutions."  The abstract for this
minisymposium is pasted below, and as with all planned papers for the 9ICRS,
abstracts are due 30 April 2000 to the 9ICRS scientific committee. Details on
abstract submission can be found on the 9ICRS website
<http://www.nova.edu/ocean/9icrs>, and we urge 
interested scientists and managers to contact us directly to express their
interest in participation.

Best regards,

Mark Erdmann (flotsam at manado.wasantara.net.id)
Lida Pet-Soede (lidapet at attglobal.net)
Annadel Cabanban (AnnadelC at ums.edu.my)
Jos Pet (jpet at attglobal.net)

Abstract: "Destructive Fishing Practices - Towards a global understanding of
causes, effects and management solutions." 

Destructive fishing practices (DFP) are those that result in direct damage to
either the fished habitat or the primary habitat-structuring organisms in that
habitat (e.g., scleractinian corals, seagrasses), and include such well-known
problems as blast and cyanide fishing. Although DFP have been recognized as
important threats to coral reefs on a regional basis for at least 2 decades,
the global significance of the DFP problem is perhaps underestimated, as it
continues to take a backseat to such commonly-cited coral reef threats as
sedimentation, eutrophication, overfishing in general, and global climate
change. In a number of developing countries, however, a strong case can be
made
that DFP may actually be the most immediate and significant threat to the
continued existence of coral reefs. It is the intention of this mini-symposium
to synthesize what is known of DFP worldwide - ranging from its socioeconomic
causes and effects on coral reef organisms to aspects of post-DFP recovery of
reefs and management of DFP threats. We invite papers relating to any
aspect of
DFP, but strongly encourage those with a quantitative and/or broad perspective
that will contribute towards a global assessment of the importance of DFP as a
primary threat to coral reefs. Contributed papers should directly address the
relevance of any findings therein to management solutions. The symposium will
conclude with a forum discussion featuring a panel of workers with a broad
background of expertise in various aspects of DFP, during which time all
participants will be encouraged to share experiences with DFP management
solutions and failures, and hopefully suggest new and innovative solutions to
this pervasive but perhaps underestimated reef threat.


Included below are a sample of the kinds of questions we hope to address at
this symposium: 

1) On either a regional or worldwide basis, how do the various forms of DFP
rank in terms of their contribution to reef destruction, both among themselves
and in relation to other anthropogenic threats on reefs? 

2) Are fishers "forced" into DFP as a last resort under malthusian overfishing
conditions, or is the adoption of DFP more often a case of greed rather than
need? 

3) How do DFP's differ from other anthropogenic impacts on coral reefs in
terms
of both effects on the reef and rates and manner of reef recovery? 

4) What types of enforcement and management solutions have proven effective in
combating DFP in local situations, and are these applicable on a global
basis? 

We look forward to receiving copies of abstracts for this minisymposium - from
the interest expressed to date, we expect a number or talks with both exciting
new research results and fresh management perspectives, and we will do our
best
to insure a lively forum discussion that should benefit all involved!