An Overview Of Our Solution
Using radio broadcasting to save marine fauna in coastal communities
Who is this solution impacting?
Ecosystem
Oceans/Coasts
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: South America
Problem
Describe the problem
We propose the use of real-time, two-way radio broadcasting with fishermen at sea to help reduce the incidental catch (bycatch) of marine fauna & promote long-term fishery sustainability. Using low cost, widely available high frequency (HF) radio, we can reach out to fishermen over a massive geographic area. This is a promising tool to reduce the impact of coastal fisheries on threatened and endangered marine fauna. HF radio communication allows us to warn fishermen about areas with high bycatch (turtles, seabirds, dolphins, manta rays, whales) & to train them to safely release these animals. At the same time, we are able to provide fishermen information on oceanographic features that can benefit their fisheries (e.g. temperatures, currents, wind directions, severe weather alerts).
Biodiversity Impact
Our HF Radio program promotes the long-term sustainability of Peruvian coastal fisheries, the backbone of the country’s fisheries sector and the main source of income for over 200,000 families, by reducing their impact on threatened marine megafauna. The main goal of the program is to prevent and reduce the bycatch of threatened fauna. Information suggests that Peruvian small-scale fisheries catch thousands of small cetaceans, marine turtles and seabirds every year. Some of these species are listed as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable. Through information reported by the HF Radio, fishermen are made aware of areas of high bycatch and can then choose to avoid these areas or fish with caution. In the case of a bycatch event, we guide fishermen step by step over the radio on how to safely handle, resuscitate & release these animals. During the first year of the HF Radio program, about 1300 sea turtles were reported as bycatch by fishermen. The majority were released alive, while 5% drowned or were retained for food. With successes like this, threatened populations of sea turtles, as well as seabirds and small cetaceans, could see improvements & this promotes the overall health of the southeastern Pacific ecosystem. Moreover, there is growing awareness of the huge impacts of fisheries, including small-scale coastal fisheries, on marine fauna. By working voluntarily & pro-actively, these fishermen with whom we communicate are helping to make their fisheries more sustainable by reducing the bycatch of many globally threatened and protected species.
Solution
The local threat to biodiversity being addressed is bycatch by coastal fisheries in Peru. The HF Radio acts as a platform to inform fishermen about areas at sea with potential for high bycatch. By making fishermen more aware of this we are reducing the likelihood of capture and mortality of threatened fauna. The database of daily reports of bycatch at a regional level produced by the HF Radio program also allows us to better understand where & when bycatch is occurring or how fisheries are changing, & we are then better able to respond and provide more targeted solutions. The program also serves to identify fishermen or vessels that are ready to go a step further in conservation. To these individuals we have provided new, innovative bycatch mitigation tools that help them in releasing animals from their fishing gear (e.g. line cutters to facilitate disentanglement, dehookers to remove swallowed hooks). To contacted fishermen we have also distributed weighted swivels that increase longline branchline sink rates, thus reducing chances for seabird bycatch; & acoustic alarms (pingers) to reduce small cetacean bycatch in gillnet fisheries. Besides the benefits to the animals of helping reduce their bycatch or the severity of injuries, introducing these measures also helps fishermen in their jobs. The use of weighted swivels help fishermen reduce bait loss; dehookers are used to safely remove hooks from target catch species, including sharks and swordfish; line cutters help them reduce net damage and more safely disentangle large animals like manta rays or marine mammals. // Our HF radio base station in Lima, Peru has reached out to fishermen based in ports from Ecuador (Manta port) in the north to Chile (Iquique port) in the south, transcending political boundaries and covering over 4000 km of coastline. In Peru alone, the HF Radio has reached fishermen from basically the entire 3000+ km Peru coast, from Paita port in the north to Morro Sama in the south. The massive coverage area of the HF Radio is clearly one of its major benefits. Establishment of a similar program requires only the purchase of a HF radio and antenna. With that, and with a knowledge of the local fisheries and frequencies fishermen use, a similar conservation project can be rapidly created and begin working to reduce bycatch in other regions. And because the program provides fishermen with information they find useful to their work, they are more likely to tune in, and with time the program can begin to develop a stable and expanding listenership. Moreover, a similar program can be tailored to the needs, at-risk species, or questions of any particular region or fishery.
Replicability
How many years has your solution been applied? 1 year // Have others reproduced your solution elsewhere? No // We broadcast three days per week, from 9am to 2pm. We have a fixed base-station in Lima, from which we broadcast from two set frequencies (called the ‘work frequency’ by fishermen) that reach northern and southern areas. On most occasions, fishermen prefer to shift from the work frequency to a private frequency where they can report more sensitive information, such as their position (latitude, longitude) where they are fishing, the target catch and bycatch. Fishermen at sea usually turn on their radios during hours with fewer work duties and these usually match the hours we are broadcasting. We encourage communications directly with fishing captains since the captain has a leading role on the vessel and typically makes the important decisions onboard such as choosing the fishing area and whether to release or retain incidentally caught turtles, seabirds or other threatened fauna. We also monitor various internet sites that provide updated sea surface temperature, current and weather information and provide that to fishermen. We maintain a database of all daily contact information and this is used to build updated maps on areas of high bycatch. These areas are then reported to fishermen through our two set frequencies (north and south). Also, in cases where fishermen report a bycatch event, we provide guidance on how to safely handle and release the animal.
Human Well Being and Livelihood Impact
Because the coverage range of our HF Radio program is basically the entire Peru coast (and into Ecuador & Chile) we have the potential to impact the employment of Peru’s over 37,000 artisanal fishermen & their families. In the first 2 years, our HF Radio program reached over 500 fishing vessels, each of them with at least 3 crew members. Together with the information gained on high bycatch areas, we provide information beneficial to their fisheries, such as the sea surface temperatures, wind currents & severe weather alerts. We also provide information on the presence of manta rays & whales that can damage their fishing gear or pose a safety risk, due to their size. In seasons of high fishing activity we also offer fishermen updated price information for their products at port, thus allowing them to make better informed decisions about when and where to sell their catch. Another important benefit from the HF Radio is the personal contact that we establish with fishermen. This has become a real exchange between conservationists & fishermen, & we consider this a win-win situation, where we learn from their life at sea & at the same time we provide information useful to their jobs. On several occasions fishermen have shared pictures taken from their cellphone cameras while at sea & others have visited our offices to receive information & to meet the person on the other end of the HF Radio. On four occasions we provided important support to vessels adrift at sea, serving as a bridge of communication between the Coast Guard, their relatives & fishermen colleagues on land. // The HF Radio program was developed in response to some of the unique management and governance challenges facing conservation work with coastal fisheries. These fisheries are typically open access, under-regulated, highly dynamic & have fishing vessels distributed among many small, remote ports scattered along the coast. These characteristics make it very difficult to communicate & coordinate with fishermen, who are often at sea & rarely available when on land. As a result, monitoring bycatch, implementation of bycatch mitigation strategies & awareness raising efforts in these fisheries have proven very challenging. By reaching out by radio we are able to overcome many of these complications & speak directly to fishermen at sea. Moreover, we can take advantage of down-time during their days to pass along important conservation messages, facilitate the safe release of bycatch & provide fishermen information they find valuable for their work. HF Radio also works by communicating directly with those fishermen, captains & vessels, who are the leaders in their communities & most likely to respond by radio & implement bycatch mitigation measures. By working directly with these fishermen leaders, the chances of uptake of mitigation measures is improved as their fellow fishermen learn from them & repeat their efforts. In cases such as this, where more traditional management structures are absent, innovative programs such as HF Radio can help provide that missing organization & work from the bottom up to promote ecosystem health & fishery sustainability.