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- Maria
Recchia
- Bay of Fundy
Fisheries Council
- Box
167
- St. Andrews,
New Brunswick
- EOG
2XO
Position Paper for
Eco-knowledge Workshop
I have been working for fishers'
associations for the past couple of years. During which time
I have help collect and document local fishers' knowledge of
the marine ecosystem. Much if not most of the work is
motivated by local management issues, often in an attempt to
right an injustice. Our recent work has focused on
identification of local fish stocks, issues of pollution,
and the recognition of nonconservative fishing practices
such as dumping and discarding. Our biggest problem is
getting local knowledge documented in a form which can be
used in management decision-making. Below are some of my
opinions, ideas, and concerns. Attached please find a
description of the Bay of Fundy Fisheries Council, the
organization I am currently working with.
- Fishers' knowledge belongs to
the fishers and their communities. Its documentation
should be directed by the fishers. Its results should
remain in the possession of the fishers and used by
them.
- One good usage of eco-knowledge
is to point out problems with management or accepted/used
scientific theories. Once eco-knowledge is documented and
reveals a management problem or contradicts an accepted
scientific norm, a scientific study should be carried out
to test the fishers hypotheses. This type of research has
been done many times in the past, however; the scientific
research is generally conducted by government scientists
with the fishers playing a minimal role. For example, the
fishers may be asked to collect extensive data but are
almost never involved in the research design.
- In my opinion fisheries science
needs to focus more on basic biology and ecology and less
on quantitative predicting. I find fishers' knowledge to
be very compatible with biology and ecology, (i.e., fish
migration patterns, spawning behavior, predator prey
relationships, effects of environmental factors on an
ecosystem, etc.) and less compatible with quantitative
stock assessment, for example. It is imperative that
government science become more interested in basic
biological and ecological questions. There is real lack
of biological understanding in fisheries science. This, I
believe, is a root cause of the frequent failures of
stock assessment.
- Respected and experienced
fishers should be afforded the same level of credibility
as established scientists both in relationships between
fishers and scientists and in the eyes of the
public/government.
Bay of Fundy Fisheries
Council
1. Mission Statement
The mission of the BAY OF FUNDY
FISHERIES COUNCIL is to implement and establish fisheries
management in the Bay of Fundy according to the following
principles:
- That the Bay of Fundy fisheries
must be managed so as to ensure the sustainability of the
fisheries in the Bay of Fundy ecosystem as a
whole.
- That the fishermen in their
communities have the primary role in the stewardship and
management of the resource.
- That the organization will be
geographically based and driven by democratic,
transparent, trustworthy decision-making processes and
structures.
2. Objectives
The objectives of the BAY OF FUNDY
FISHERIES COUNCIL are to:
- develop and implement a
comprehensive ecosystem plan to be applied to the Bay of
Fundy fisheries, with a primary focus on spawning and
nursery areas, food species and habitat.
- encourage participation by all
Bay of Fundy fisheries.
- support local management boards
and resolve overlapping fisheries management
issues.
- act as an advocate for the Bay
of Fundy ecosystem and fisheries.
- develop a research agenda,
coordinate knowledge on Bay of Fundy fisheries and
ecosystem and foster two way interaction with the
research. community.
3. Terms of
Reference
- Board of Directors: The Board
of Directors will be made up of one representative of
each Bay of Fundy fishermen's organization which adheres
to the guiding principles and meets the following
criteria:
- is an incorporated,
non-profit fishermen's association-,
- represents the majority of
fishermen or harvesters in a specific geographical
area of the Bay of Fundy or in a fleet sector
operating in the Bay; 6 other criteria to be
identified by the Board.
- Decision Making: The Board will
operate on the basis of consensus. Where consensus cannot
be reached the issue will be forwarded to the Advisory
Committee for a recommendation. Advisory Committee
recommendations must be ratified by a 2/3 majority vote
of the Board.
- Executive: The Executive
Committee will be elected by the Board.
- Advisory Committee: The Board
will appoint an Advisory Committee to:
- advise the Board from an
ecological perspective;
- ensure that the Board and
its members adhere to ecological
principles;
- provide the Board with a
non-voting chairperson for each meeting; other roles as
determined by the Board-
- Observer Status: Board meetings
will be public and open to observers.
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