10%

Empowering seas

Scaling up rights-based fisheries management in the Arafura and Timor Seas

By IW:LEARN

August 22^nd, 2023

In many countries, ‘open access’ arrangements are the status quo, providing all fishers within a defined jurisdiction (e.g., national) the same rights to access fisheries resources. This "free-for-all" approach results in increasing number of fishers competing for finite resources. Unsurprisingly, this puts strain on fish stocks and can dramatically impact ecosystem health.

Conversely, rights-based fisheries management (RBFM) approaches intend to overcome these challenges by granting access to resources to those with recognised rights, for example, based on fishers’ place of domicile, their ethnicity or traditional practices, and promoting stewardship of those resources by the rights holder. This approach is deemed compatible with many parts of the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region, where remote areas have limited access and are inhabited mainly by local communities who rely heavily on coastal and marine resources.

Adara, Timor Sea. Photo: Unsplash/Tanushree Rao

The ATSEA-2 Project aims to promote RBFM practices for the ATS, acknowledging local communities’ authority to manage and use their coastal and marine resources. To do so, ATSEA-2 has developed a strategy to scale up RBFM in the ATS and encourage customary groups to participate in fisheries management by recognising and adopting local customary practices.

One example of such practices can be found in Aru, Indonesia. In there, customary laws known as sasi involve placing temporary prohibitions on the harvesting of marine resources, imposed voluntarily by the community themselves.

Elsewhere, in the South Fly District of Papua New Guinea, similar approaches are being implemented via the Treaty Villages initiative; and in Viqueque, Timor-Leste, through tara bandu. Each of these measures, imposed by and for the local community, are designed to support the prudent and sustainable management of marine resources.

Building capacity through regional exchange

From 20-23 June 2023, the ATSEA-2 Project organised a regional exchange on RBFM in Darwin, Australia. Presented in collaboration with Melbourne-based Fishwell Consulting, the event was attended by 15 participants from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste. The main objective of the exchange was to enhance participants' understanding of the Australian fisheries context, particularly in regards to RBFM.

Participants of the Regional Exchange held in Darwin, Australia from 20-23 June 2023. Photo: ATSEA Project Team

The ATSEA-2 Regional Project Manager, Dr. Handoko Adi Susanto, emphasized that this activity provided a platform for participants to discuss challenges faced in managing both commercial and artisanal/community-based fisheries. “This exchange also aimed to identify opportunities for adapting and replicating practices and lessons learned from Australia in other areas of the ATS region,” Dr. Susanto added.

The exchange covered a range of activities, including presentations, discussions, and field visits, which ensured a comprehensive learning experience for the participants. A total of eight speakers – representing esteemed Australian agencies such as Marine Parks, Northern Territory (NT) Seafood Council, Aboriginal Sea Company, Amateur Fishing Association of the NT (AFANT), Charles Darwin University (CDU), Northern Territory (NT) Fisheries, and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority – engaged with the participants.

These speakers provided valuable insights into Australia's management of commercial, recreational, and aboriginal/community-based fisheries. The participants gained a deeper understanding of how Australia endeavors to balance the various facets of fisheries. It facilitated a dynamic exchange of knowledge and expertise, enabling fruitful discussions on the various strategies employed by Australia to achieve sustainable fisheries management.

“During the Regional Exchange I developed my knowledge of RBFM in the Arafura and Timor Seas,” explained Siti Amania Raydesyana from the MMAF.

“We share the same ocean, so the characteristics of the problems in each country are very similar,”

Siti went on to underscore the importance of working together to resolve existing issues affecting ocean sustainability. As she explains,

“Big things can always be achieved by starting with a small step.”

Recognizing Indigenous rights to natural resources

In the last decade, there have been significant changes in the recognition of Aboriginal rights and access to coastal and marine areas and resources around Australia but particularly in the Northern Territory (NT). Dr Ian Knuckey of Fishwell Consulting explains that over 85% of the NT coastline including the intertidal zone is owned by the coastal Aboriginal communities. This has significant implications for licensed commercial fishers and recreational fishers who need permission from the Traditional Owners (TOs) to access these areas.

In line with this approach, Dr. Rachel Groom from Charles Darwin University (CDU) shared insights into how the Barra (barramundi) Project has attempted to incorporate Aboriginal perspectives into the fishery management review processes of NT barramundi fisheries, which supply the premium product to consumers in the NT and more broadly around Australia. Barramundi fisheries are socially, culturally and economically important; the Barramundi Fishery Management Advisory Committee (BFMAC) has been established to manage them effectively. CDU has been working to connect NT Fisheries and the Northern Land Council by bringing more voices from the TOs to the BFMAC.

Practical experience, valuable insights

During the RBFM exchange, participants had the opportunity to visit Darwin Aquaculture Centre (DAC) and the “Duck Pond” – the local name for the Frances Bay Mooring Basin. At the DAC, they learned how the centre not only focuses on research into barramundi, jewfish, black-lipped oysters, and other important commodities but also how results of this research are used to support Aboriginal mariculture (black-lipped oysters) and restocking programs (barramundi).

At the Duck Pond, participants saw various types of fishing vessels utilising different fishing gear (e.g., trawls and traps) and observed Australia Bay offloading tropical snappers from their trawler before they were sent to markets in the cities of Australia, such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The use of traps and trawls in the tropical snapper fishery is permitted in designated areas, but there are only a few strictly controlled licences with catch limits and strict environmental risk assessment – as explained at the exchange by Melanie Brenton from NT Fisheries.

The RBFM exchange in Darwin provided participants with valuable insights into how Australia strives to manage its fisheries while also recognising the rights of Aboriginal people. It emphasised the importance of acknowledging the rights of local communities, fostering community ownership, and delivering greater economic benefits at the grassroots level. Although much work remains to be done in the ATS region, some progress is being made towards recognising and implementing RBFM practices.

Kiram Parr is a South Fly Fisheries Officer in PNG who found the exchange to be very informative, particularly in terms of how the NT Government can able to manage their fisheries resources with Indigenous rights incorporated into fisheries-based management. He had several valuable takeaways from the event: “I look forward to working with my communities, merging key things I noted during the workshop into my activity plan and working closely with the ATSEA-2 Project; I truly appreciate (this opportunity) and thank you very much.”

Bendito Trindade, a participant from Timor-Leste also shared his insights on the lessons learned from Darwin, emphasising the importance of fish farming and adopting modern methods of fish care. "The lessons we gained were about fish farming activities and acquiring highly modern methods of fish care,” said Trindade, before commenting that “these are innovations that must be followed.”

“Thank you to ATSEA-2 for involving us from Viqueque, Timor-Leste, in learning about RBFM in Australia," he added.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ATSEA-2 Project recently released the final version of the 2023 Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) for the ATS following the endorsement of the ATSEA-2 Regional Steering Committee consisting of relevant government agencies of participating countries. Access the 2023 TDA. This updated TDA consolidates significant amount of information on current and emerging priority transboundary issues in the ATS, and is a product of all joint efforts since early 2022.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

About the ATSEA-2 Project

ATSEA-2 is the second phase of the Arafura & Timor Seas Ecosystem Action (ATSEA) program; a regional partnership involving the governments of Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea, with the support of the Australian Government. Its objective is to collectively manage high marine and fisheries resources in the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region. Since its inception in 2019, the program has been working to promote sustainable development in the ATS region and improve the quality of life of its inhabitants through a combination of restoration, conservation and sustainable management of marine-coastal ecosystems.

The ATSEA-2 Project is committed to safeguarding the livelihoods and prosperity of coastal people in the ATS region, particularly in transboundary areas, through the implementation of sustainable integrated concepts.

ATSEA-2 is a Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded program, managed and executed under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) Resource Facility (PRF) is an implementing partner.

For more information on the ATSEA-2 Project, please contact the Regional Project Manager, Handoko Adi Susanto (hasusanto@pemsea.org), visit the project page on iwlearn.net or the project website.