Dans Mongabay
Industrial shrimp vessels have been trawling Madagascar’s west coast since the 1960s. They cruise near the shore, dragging the seabed with their nets — a technique that scientists have compared to clear-cutting a forest. Usually, they catch Indian white prawn (Penaeus indicus) or speckled shrimp (Metapenaeus monoceros), freeze it on board, and export it to Europe. Local fishers and environmental groups say the trawlers are harming Madagascar’s marine environment and the fishing communities that depend on it. Until now, though, relatively little has been done to address the issue. (..) In the past, industrial fishing was banned within 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) of the shore. Many conservationists and local fishers still cite the 2-mile rule, but it is not followed in practice. Eighty-five percent of the country’s shrimp fishing grounds occur within that zone, where local fishers make their living, so disregarding or eliminating the rule has been crucial to the industry’s survival. (..) Last year, Madagascar’s shrimp industry exported $25 million worth of trawled shrimp from Madagascar, mainly to Europe; roughly $300,000 went back to the fishing ministry via licensing fees. The shrimp companies, though locally registered, have substantial foreign capital, according to the FAO. The industry also employs about 1,500 people. Between the money and the jobs, shrimp trawling has enough clout with the government to essentially write its own ticket. The shrimp lobby, Groupement des Aquaculteurs et Pêcheurs de Crevettes à Madagascar, helps to set the rules, co-managing the shrimp fishery with Madagascar’s fishing ministry. The lobby also has a representative on the board of the Fisheries Surveillance Center, the arm of the ministry that monitors the industry. (..) The center has limited capacity to enforce trawling regulations: it has only two boats to cover Madagascar’s entire 5,000-kilometer (3,000-mile) coastline.
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