Enmeshed: Australia and South-East Asia’s fisheries

A comprehensive fisheries engagement would need two stages. First, undertake a national analysis of the issues and options; and then engage with South-East Asian neighbours.

The first stage would be under the joint leadership of the Departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Environment and Heritage and Foreign Affairs and Trade, and would examine the priorities of a comprehensive fisheries engagement between Australia and the countries of South-East Asia and Papua New Guinea. The initial analysis and forward planning should also include other Commonwealth and certain northern State agencies involved in border security, development assistance and research.

Above all, the comprehensive approach would endeavour to bring all relevant Australian agencies with a role onto the same page. It would put the work of each agency in perspective and it would make good use of existing knowledge.

On the basis of the above analyses and the development of a national approach, Australia should stimulate interest in dialogue and engagement among South-East Asia and Papua New Guinea governments.

Although we cannot guess what the more comprehensive engagement might set as priorities, we are tempted to suggest five specific policy priorities that might be in a comprehensive engagement.

1. Improve regional fisheries management organisations: South-East Asian countries have been slow to sign and ratify many of the UN fisheries legal instruments such as the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. Australia should continue its efforts to have the big fishing countries - Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand - take a more active role in the regional management organisations, especially for tunas.

2. Fix up the northwest Australia “MoU Box” arrangements with Indonesia: with the co-operation of the Government of Indonesia, Australia should work to help understand and define the historical, current and likely future patterns of fishing vessel use of this conservation area and then make appropriate changes to long term access arrangements for traditional Indonesian fishers.

3. Inform consumers: Australia should promote market-based, supply chain schemes such as country of origin labelling and chain of custody identification to help combat illegal fishing and increase public and retail pressure for sustainable fish products.

4. Help make decentralisation work: Australia’s experience with the Offshore Constitutional Settlement between the States and the Commonwealth could offer insights for Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand, all of whom have decentralisation programs that affect fisheries’ regulation.

5. Support marine environment conservation: In the 1998 National Oceans Policy, Australia introduced a regional marine planning approach that offers models for ecosystem based management across levels of government. Australia should continue to support marine environmental efforts by global and regional networks for coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses. These networks are like the “IPCCs” of their fields and all grew from Australian aid programs of the 1980s.

Whether “business as usual” or the comprehensive approach prevails, Australia should embed a number of general approaches in all its bilateral and multi-lateral fisheries efforts. Here are some approaches with a proven track record.

• Australia should give priority to helping South-East Asian countries build their fisheries management capacity, research and information management skills. We should also help fisheries officers to raise the profile of fisheries and represent fisheries interests in trade, industry development and environment forums.
   
• Australia should embed the principle of stakeholder inclusion in its fisheries interventions by stressing the importance of including views from fishers’ representatives, environmental organisations, women’s and community groups, consumers and the supermarket, fast food and fish processing sectors.
   
• With sensitivity to the political, cultural and economic circumstances of other countries, Australian fisheries co-operation should help the countries develop rights-based management.
   
• Australia should substantially increase the quantum of co-operative fisheries and marine conservation research to support long-term fisheries engagement.
   
• Australia should join with regional bodies such as FAO-APFIC, ASEAN and SEAFDEC to create a regional process to assess fisheries resources and to provide publicly available scientific advice for fisheries management. These assessments would be like those in the periodic fisheries status reports of the Bureau of Rural Sciences and some States and Territories.