Transfer of Sustainable Set-net Fishing Technology from Japan to Costa Rica and Thailand Costa Rica and Thailand

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1 18 Transfer of Sustainable Set-net Fishing Technology from Japan to Costa Rica and Thailand Costa Rica and Thailand IOI Operational Centres Involved: IOI-Japan, located at Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan, and IOI-Costa Rica, located at Universidad Nacional (UNA), Costa Rica Project Coordinators: Tsutomu Fuse, Masako Bannai Otsuka and Alejandro Gutierrez S U M M A R Y The main thrust of the project was the transfer of the traditional Etchu set-net fishing gear, an environmentally friendly technology, from Japan to Costa Rica and Thailand. The project locations were the respective fishing communities in Himi, Japan; Tarcoles, Costa Rica; and Rayang, Thailand. The purpose of the project was to empower the coastal fishing communities in the developing countries and to formulate a model for sustainable management of the marine resources. There was a strong need on the part of Rayang and Tarcoles to empower the coastal fishing communities, stabilize livelihoods, encourage community-based activities and introduce sustainable fishery. There also was a strong desire on the part of Himi to develop international contacts and transfer its fishing technology. Himi had been facing a decline in population (particularly in the fishery 175

2 176 VOLUME 16: EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCES IN COASTAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT sector), migration of youth to larger cities and a high percentage of elderly people. The society in Himi needed a breakthrough to give the citizens confidence. Introducing set-net fishing gear an environmentally friendly technology that the citizens could be proud of to foreign fishermen was a suitable means of reevaluating their traditional wisdom in the contemporary context. The project was planned and implemented by IOI-Japan, IOI-Costa Rica, Himi citizens, Tarcoles villagers, the Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura (INCOPESCA), a national fishery cooperative in Costa Rica, and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). The first phase of the project started in 2000 and evolved into the second and third phases. The project was waiting for the fourth phase at the time of writing of the case study. The total budget for was about $900,000, which was provided by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Toyama Prefecture. B A C K G R O U N D A N D J U S T I F I C AT I O N Himi City, located on Toyama Bay, has traditionally been a fishing area; it is very well known in Japan for the tasty yellowtail fish. The warm Tsushima Current from the south carries migratory fish into the bay along the coast from the deep to the shallow water. Himi, however, had been facing a number of problems, which are described below. D E C R E A S E I N P O P U L AT I O N The population of Himi declined from 70,000 in 1950 to 56,000 in 2000, a drop of 20 per cent in 50 years. The population growth rate is 3.58 per cent in Himi compared to 2.43 per cent in Tokyo. One of the causes of this decrease is the fall in the birth rate. In Himi, the number of newborns decreased by more than 50 per cent in 13 years, from a little less than 1,000 in 1986 to just 422 in The second reason for the decrease in the population is emigration. In 1999, the number of people moving out was 1,280 while the number moving in was 1,050. A large number of young people who graduated from junior high school and high school left Himi for their higher education or for employment outside the city. Many of them seem to have remained in other cities after their graduation. There was an urgent need for Himi to make the city more attractive so that people would remain there. A G I N G S O C I E T Y It is expected that 23 per cent of the population of Japan will be over 65 years old in 2013, with the figure rising to 25.2 per cent in Japan will experience the aging of society much earlier than any

3 Transfer of Sustainable Set-net Fishing Technology from Japan to Costa Rica and Thailand Costa Rica and Thailand 177 other country in the world. In fact, some local cities in Japan have already started experiencing this situation. In Himi, citizens over 65 years of age already constituted 24.3 per cent of the population in The city was under stress to cope with this aging society. Further, the ratio of men to women in Himi also has been declining from 96.6 per cent in 1960 to 92.3 per cent in While the number of males in the 10-to- 30-year age group is much higher, the number of males in the 50+ age group is very low. In the 80+ age group, there are twice as many women as men because women live longer than men. Thus the aging society is dominated by women. Hence, it seemed important to make Himi a place where older women could work as well as enjoy life. D O W N S I Z I N G O F T H E E C O N O M Y Economic recession in Japan appears to have had a greater influence on the economy of the city of Himi than on the average cities. The gross domestic product of Himi declined by 6.9 per cent from 1996 to P R O B L E M S I N T H E F I S H I N G S E C T O R All these problems decreasing population, aging, recession in the economy were having an impact on the fishing sector in Himi. In spite of Himi s being quite famous as a fishing port, the population connected with fisheries in Himi has been decreasing. In Japan, traditionally, fishing rights have been passed along mainly within families. Today, however, the members of the younger generation are not always interested in inheriting from their elders the rights to become fishermen/fisherwomen; they want to choose their occupation according to their interests. As a result, the number of fisherfolk in Himi decreased from 934 in 1978 to 578 in 1993, for example. The age of the fisherfolk was also extremely high in Himi and it was increasing every year. In 1978, 30 per cent of the fisherfolk were over 60 years old, with the number increasing to 56 per cent in For a city where people depend on fishing, it is quite serious that the younger generation does not want to go into the fishery sector. Incomes from fishing increased drastically from less than 1,000 million yen in 1966 to over 5,000 million yen in The total has been stable since then, ranging between 5,000 million and 6,000 million yen per year. Fishing is not considered to be a growing business any more, but rather, a risky and labourintensive one. Degradation of the ocean environment was also serious, and there was an urgent need to promote awareness of marine degradation. To activate the economy in Himi and to encourage ecotourism, it was also essential to foster an international outlook among the citizens. For the reasons outlined above, the society of Himi needed some activity that would restore its confidence as a fishing city and boost its pride. The

4 178 VOLUME 16: EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCES IN COASTAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT people felt that they should re-evaluate their traditional wisdom in the contemporary context by introducing set-net fishing gear to international society. S E T - N E T F I S H I N G T E C H N O L O G Y The traditional set-net fishing technology of which Himi was proud was invented some 400 years ago. While it is an old method, it is quite innovative, being both eco- and people-friendly. The technology consists of a kind of trap net made from a long leading net and three to four net rooms. The length of leading net is about 1,000 to 2,000 m. Fish are led into the first trap room and then to the main trap net, where they remain until the fishing boats come to collect them. The fish caught in the main trap net are able to swim around freely until the arrival of the fishing boats. The third room is for keeping the excess fish to avoid overcatch. The size of the net of the entire trap part is 600 m by 100 m or less. In Himi, 45 sets of net of various sizes were located about 2 to 4 km offshore in depths from 10 to 100 m on the west side of Toyama Bay. Three to four fishing boats worked together to collect the fish captured in the net every morning. The set-net is eco-friendly because it enables the fishermen to collect the fish alive without harming them. The fisherfolk also avoid an excessive catch by keeping the fish in the third room or releasing them. The set-net itself serves as fishing banks to nurture the juvenile fish. The set-net is also people-friendly because fishermen do not need to go far to fish since the net is located near the shore and it does not take more than two hours to collect fish in the morning. The fish harvested can be sold as soon as they are captured alive or they can be sold as value-added branded fish. O B J E C T I V E S The objectives of the project were to: restore confidence within Himi society; and empower the coastal fishing communities in Costa Rica and Thailand by introducing the set-net fishing gear as an environmentally friendly technology. P R O J E C T A C T I V I T I E S In the first phase from 2000 to 2002, a trial transfer of set-net technology from Himi to Tarcoles, Costa Rica, was implemented. Three fishermen from Costa Rica were invited to experience the Himi-type set-net technology on site in Himi. They also had the experience of staying in the home of local people. A symposium on the set-net technology attracted 400 participants. In the second year, a delegation from Himi, including the Mayor, the Vice Mayor, fishermen, and high school students of fishery, visited Tarcoles. They

5 Transfer of Sustainable Set-net Fishing Technology from Japan to Costa Rica and Thailand Costa Rica and Thailand 179 Observing the set-net fishing technology on site. brought a 1/10 model of the set-net, explained its mechanism on land and then showed how it worked in the offshore waters of Tarcoles. A forum on set-net technology was also held, which was attended by 1,100 participants. This was followed by the research by IOI-Costa Rica and the National University of Costa Rica on the species and amount that they caught by using the technology. In the third year, Himi held an International Set-Net Summit, which was attended by 3,000 participants from 35 countries and districts. Various types of set-net in the world were introduced and Himi high school students had a chance to show to the guests from various parts of the world their studies on fishery at the poster session. Participants were invited to observe the set-net on site, and in the evening, they were invited to taste the results. The second phase was based on the success of the first phase. The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) asked Himi fisherfolk to give advice to the fisherfolk in Rayong Province, Thailand, based on their international experiences. The third stage started in Himi, invited by fishermen communities in Rayang Province in Thailand, decided to continue its project of technology transfer of its eco-friendly fishing gear. The project was supported by the JICA Grass Roots Project Fund. In 2007, the closing year for the third phase of technology transfer, the municipal government of Himi began asking citizens for their evaluation of the project and assessing their interest in continuing this international cooperation. The fourth phase could start in A C H I E V E M E N T S A N D O U T C O M E S All three fishing communities were very much influenced by the project, becoming more aware of environmental issues and sustainable management of marine living resources. For Himi, the project gave additional meaning to the lives of fisherfolk and citizens by bringing them to the international stage and making them feel that they were able to contribute to the solution of problems at the global level. The citizens, particularly the youth, became aware of

6 180 VOLUME 16: EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCES IN COASTAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT the value of their traditional fishing gear in a contemporary context such as the sustainable management of resources. Young people started to return to the fishing industry in Himi. International friendship and communication were promoted, and this is now contributing to the ecotourism in Himi. More than 200 articles and television/radio programmes covered the project in Himi and nationwide, which encouraged citizens and their business, including ecotourism. The fisherfolk of Rayang and Tarcoles were encouraged by Himi fisherfolk and their sincere contribution. The project to transfer eco- and peoplefriendly fishing technology promoted heart-to-heart communication among fisherfolk in the communities. The technology transfer benefited not only the communities to which the technology was transferred but also the one that transferred it. M O N I T O R I N G A N D E V A L U AT I O N The project was monitored by IOI-Japan, IOI-Costa Rica and the administration of the city of Himi. S T R E N G T H S A N D W E A K N E S S E S The strengths were the excellent technologies and techniques on environmentally friendly fishing gear and the strong will and passion to contribute in order to help other people in the world. There were no special weaknesses. P A R T N E R S H I P S The partners in the project included IOI- Japan, IOI-Costa Rica, the municipal government of Himi, the Himi Fishery Cooperative and JICA. I N N O V AT I O N S The idea of transferring traditional technology on a people-to-people basis was itself very innovative. R E P L I C A B I L I T Y Himi would probably be ready to transfer the technology to other developing countries. D I F F I C U LT I E S A N D L E S S O N S Himi citizens, from a local community in a remote place in Japan, were suddenly expected to organize a series of international events: to welcome and train fisherfolk from abroad, to visit Costa Rica and transfer their technology, and to hold an international conference with participants from more than 30 countries. It was fortunate for them that they had a mayor with a

7 Transfer of Sustainable Set-net Fishing Technology from Japan to Costa Rica and Thailand Costa Rica and Thailand 181 global perspective and who could obtain help from IOI-Japan and JICA. For set-net fishing technology, the geographical and physical conditions of the sea turned out to be more important than expected. Social infrastructure, such as whether the communities are ready to move into communitybased management of the fishery sector and how they arrive at a consensus, is also important. Socio-economic infrastructure, such as the post-harvesting process, and a culture of a fish diet are vital. The passion of fisherfolk on both sides was strong enough that most of the technological difficulties were eventually overcome. The experiences and impact for local communities on both sides were tremendous, especially for young students as well as old fisherfolk. Alejandro Gutierrez Director, IOI-Costa Rica Universidad Nacional P.O. Box 86 Heredia 3000 Costa Rica Tel.: +506 (-) (Office) +506 (-) (Residence) gechever@una.ac.cr Website: Contacts Masako Bannai Otsuka Director, IOI-Japan INTERCOM # Minami-Aoyama Minato-ku Tokyo Japan Tel.: +81 (3) Mobile: +81 (90) ioijapan@qb3.so-net.ne.jp

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