REGULATING THE USE OF BEACH SEINE NETS IN BENIN: the wish of the fisherfolk and the administration

Speakers:

Report by: Roland Yves Alaye
Place: Ouidah
Date:    December 2003

Beach seine nets are a type of fishing gear that has a serious effect on the sustainability of fisheries resources. They are not selective, meaning that they catch juveniles along with the adult fish. However, they are the main fishing technique used by small-scale coastal fishing communities in Benin. The use of beach seines must be regulated, to prevent juveniles being caught and to protect them. Ben Johnson, a fisheries administration official, says:

« The fisherfolk and the administration all know that something has to be done to regulate the use of beach seines because they catch the juvenile fish and we can all see that fewer and fewer fish are left every year. »

A project was set up to attempt to develop the regulations needed. The aim of the project was to carry out an experimental comparative study of the old beach seine net and another “new” type of beach seine net. They are both 475 m long, but have different mesh sizes in the pockets. The new beach seine has 20 mm mesh, which allows the small fish to escape. The old net has 10 mm mesh. At the end of the study, a feedback workshop was held to discuss the results. The workshop took place in Ouidah Cultural Centre on 5 December 2003. Mr Simplice Sogan, Director of Fisheries, spoke of the need to regulate the use of beach seine nets in Benin:

« This type of fishing gear is very important to the communities because it creates employment and provides animal protein; but it cannot guarantee sustainability in the exploitation of fisheries resources today. » 

Some way must urgently be found of restricting the catch of juveniles, but continuing the use of the beach seine. Banning the technique would plunge the coastal communities back into poverty. What should be done? The Director of Fisheries:

«  The project gave us an opportunity to look at the results and learn lessons which will feed the decision-making process on regulating the use of beach seines. The aim of the workshop is to inform the fishers of the results, to discuss the experience and to look together at ways of making the achievements sustainable, and even extending them to other coastal areas. ».

The new net has been in experimental use for the lasted 16 months. The results are interesting in several respects. The two types of seine net, the new and the old, have been used to fish on the same day, the new net producing catches of 39 062 kg, with a value of CFA 6 046 700[1], and the old producing 33 568 kg, with a value of CFA 5 769 700. Average monthly income is CFA 377 900 from the new gear and CFA 360 600 from the old. These results are thus further proof of the viability of regulating beach seines. The fishers themselves are convinced of this and are prepared to change their ways. As Hounnan Kodjo Henri, a fisherman and General Secretary of the Akpeyedje group, says:

«  At the beginning, we had huge problems getting the activities started up. Some of us were not convinced that the project would be worthwhile, but after using the new beach seine net for the last 16 months, I can see that we have achieved real results. With the new beach seine, we catch far fewer juveniles. The small fish get away, which means we will be able to catch them when they are bigger.  And they will bring in more money then. I agree that the mesh size should be increased to 20 mm  ».
 

The people behind the project are themselves surprised by the financial results. They did not expect such success and indeed had proposed alternative activities, such as the use of “tounga” gill nets, oyster farming and harvesting coconuts to compensate for the loss of earnings caused by using the new beach seine. Average monthly income from the gill net is CFA 131 4000. A combination of the beach seine net and the “tounga” gill net makes it possible to increase the communities’ income considerably as well as to guarantee the sustainability of the fisheries resources. The income from selling coconuts for biscuit manufacture: ”makes it easier for us to pay for our children’s education,” says Mouhounèssi Adji, a fish vendor.

« The new seine net is taking us back to something practised long ago here in Benin. The seines our parents used in the 1950s and 1960s were made with a large mesh. If these nets are used in all the coastal areas, they will help maintain the sustainability of our fisheries resources and allow our children to feed themselves and live, » says Dovodji Kakpo, Chairman of the Akpeyedje group.

The results are there, tangible and encouraging, but what is any regulation worth if it is only used in Benin, where the fish stocks are the same as those in Togo and Ghana? Regulation in just one country will have no effect, if nothing is done in the others. The results of this project must be extended to the whole coast and ways found of creating the right conditions for common regulations.

   

• Community Project

• Bulletin 13/14