Introduction!
Historically, the fisheries collapsed sometime around the 1970s => Anchovies
It is agreed that something needs to be done to preserve the fisheries in Peru to prevent them from collapse once again.
Peru controlls 200km of waters of its coast in the westward direction.
So what can be done?
By default limits and quotas will be ineffective. Peru, and Latin America in general, has the disgraceful habit of not listening at all to what the government says, taking things to one extreme or another. Things aren't Extremes in latin America trace back from the conquest
For example: Blockbuster closed because of piracy.
Escasa cultura civica que se da en muchos ambientes en latino america hace que las normas de regulacion no se cumplan en su norma or integridad como debiera hacerse.
This culture causes this to be taken to one extreme or another.
/Show statistics of this happening/
The best solution involves the strategic placing of marine protected areas, areas under which fishing is totally off limits or restricted to small scale fishers. (Check this) This way, people have no way of circumventing the rules, at least in theory.
Peru right now has a successful system of national parks but only one marine reserve, the Paracas Marine Reserve located off the coast of south-central Peru, declared as such in 1975 and continuing on to this day.
Plan #1: Set aside a series of islands
One current proposal is to set aside a series of islands near the coast of Peru from the northern tip to the southern tip, as seen in the map below.
On these islands are found a diverse ecosystem, from land creatures to sea creatures. Many of these islands have served for many years as a source of guano, considered among the best fertilizers in the world.
One reason to set aside these islands is to prevent the collapse of fisheries in the occurrence of a weather phenomenon known as El Niño. (Basically every so often a warm air current comes streaming up the coastline from the south Pacific, warming up the waters near the coastline.) Since fish tend to live in cooler waters, they migrate outward from the coast towards cooler waters, which are found either around the islands or farther out in the ocean. Then during other years the area experiences the spillover effect.
Tourism is another important consideration in the setting aside of these islands. This plan follows in the footsteps of the Ballestas Islands, a group of islands found in Southern Peru. These islands are heavily visited by both national and international tourists alike. STATISTICS!
What is promoted by tourism: Lodging, food, tour guides, etc. People are willing to pay to experience nature, and to many it is the equivalent of going to a theme park.
Right now tourism is not permitted in all the other islands because PROABONOS has set them off limits to the public. If research can be done to figure out how to bring tourists with minimum disruption of the ecosystem, then this plan can work in the long range for both the government (in taxes) and the workers (in revenue) alike.
/State examples of species that live around the islands/
Plan #2: Set aside the waters along Mancora
Mancora is a province located on the northwest edge of Peru, as seen in the map below. The waters off its coast are among the richest fishing grounds in the world, something due to the geography of the region.
The Humboldt Current is a stream of cold water that travels from the south bordering the coast of South America. Along the way, it "pushes" cold water from about 200 meters below the sea towards the surface, resulting in temperatures of about 20 degrees Celsius at the surface, something unusual given Peru's close proximity to the equator. The Anti-Current pushes down from the north and collides with the Humboldt Current around northern Peru, displacing the latter towards the west where it meets up with the Equatorial Current which pushes on towards Polynesia. The fact that these currents affect how marine wildlife displace themselves essentially means that northern Peru is abounding in them. Whales, marine turtles, tuna, sharks, stingrays, and a myriad of marine birds are only a few of the many species that can be found there.
Every so often a current of warm water known as "El Niño" pushes up from the South Pacific, disrupting the Humboldt Current and displacing marine wildlife, causing both damage to the ecosystem and the inhabitants of Peru who depend on the sea for a living.
Aside from the problem of "El Niño," overfishing and petroleum ventures have proven to be devastating to the ecosystem. The latter, due to its very nature, causes damage to the ocean floor, and minor spills are a common occurrence.
Losing this area would be a devastating blow to Peru and the world, so Pronaturaleza, a Peruvian non-governmental conservation agency, has come up with a plan to declare the waters off Mancora a marine protected area, making the waters off limits to anyone and/or anything not motivated by scientific research. [A possible exception may be made for small-scale fishers, although I have yet to confirm this.]
As Jorge Ugaz said, "the Peruvian waters, in spite of being one of the most yielding [of fish] on the planet and possessing a high amount of biological diversity, paradoxically has been little studied and the studies and investigations that have been realized are almost none." In light of this fact, Pronaturaleza has also proposed the creation of a "Marine Scientific Station" (Estación Científica Marina) to conduct research in the area. This research would be focused on the ecosystem rather than the species that inhabit it, because the ecosystem is an essential aspect in the lifecycles of fish and other marine species. This is beneficial so that the implementation of aquaculture programs to restore fish populations can occur intelligently.
Difficulty arises in implementing this solution. Pronaturaleza, as a technologically well-equipped conservation agency, is willing to assume leadership. Initial funds necessary for the establishment of the proposed marine reserve will trickle in from sources such as the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Pronaturaleza will request the expertise of both the Institute of the Americas and the Scripp Institute of Oceanography for the purposes of research. The Peruvian Sea Institute (IMARPE) and the National Institute of National Resources (INRENA), both government agencies, will be expected to contribute to this project as well. (Insert Jorge Ugaz quote here) Perhaps the most integral sources of cooperation, although the most difficult to acquire, will be the neighboring countries of Ecuador (to the north) and Chile (to the south), because of their similar use of marine resources.
Using Peru as a Case Study for the examination of the effectiveness or lack thereof of marine reserves
Cambridge, November 5, 2007
Proposal to add 17 groups of islands and 10 main guano sources to the list of Marine Protected Areas in Peru
Guano is basically a fertilizer that comes from the waste of birds, seals, and bats. (Wise Geek)
1. Marine reserves were pushed as the quickest and most viable way to restore ecosystems, and these places were chosen strategically.
- These places harbor a diverse variety of marine resources.
- These places can be used as a haven by marine wildlife: When the weather phenomenon of "El Niño" (warming of waters) hits, marine wildlife generally go to colder waters, which is provided by the islands. Therefore, setting these islands as a protected area will preserve marine wildlife during these periods.
2. Marine reserves can be implemented in conjunction with aquaculture.
3. Open the reserves to tourism
- Investigate what tourism causes minimum disruption to the ecosystem before opening the areas.
- Great source of $$$
Cambridge, November 1, 2007
Working Paper: Proposal for Marine Conservation by the Pronaturaleza Foundation: Mancora Bank, Tumbes/Piura, Peru (2004)
This was a proposal to create a new marine protected area in the northern coast of Peru.
Why here? Well, this is an area of great richness in terms of marine wildlife because of its location. Here the Humboldt Current and the Equatorial Current of the Pacific come together, as well as the Sub-superficial Anti-current. These currents influence the movements of marine wildlife, they "influence patterns of migration, movement, reproduction, and eating patterns of a great number of species of regional and global relevance."
Problems in the area are both natural and man-made:
1. "El Niño": Weather Pattern which affects the movement of marine wildlife, something that can cause massive disruption in the area (e.g. The Mochica Civilization is believed to have gone extinct due to this phenomenon. Disruptions have more recently happened in 1983 and 1997.)
2. Contamination due to petroleum related activities in the area: Transport of crude petroleum, exploration and exploitation on land and in sea, petroleum refineries, and spillovers all contribute to the contamination of the ecosystem.
3. Unrestricted fishing and overfishing. This area also has the largest number of independent fishers of the country as a whole.
It was proposed that a "Marine Scientific Station" be created in the area to do research, because little studies have been done in the area thus far. That fact surprised me because Peru is one of the largest exporters of fish in the world, although right now their fisheries are not necessarily in a sustainable position.
Studies conducted would focus on the ecosystem as a whole because marine species are affected by its surroundings.
Also stated that many entities can be counted on for this project, including but not limited to:
- Scripps Oceanographic Institute (USA)
- Institute of the Americas (USA)
- National Universities, including the University of Piura
- Peruvian Sea Institute
- National Institute for Natural Resources (INRENA)
Time of Implementation for the project ~ 5 years
If successful, this project would be spread through the whole of Peru and be a model for other similar projects to be implemented.
Cambridge, October 29, 2007
I started at http://www.inrena.gob.pe
: This is the webpage for INRENA, translated to the National Institute for Natural Resources a.k.a. the Peruvian Version of the EPA.
(By the way, my uncle is head of this department, so if you have any consultations just e-mail him at areas.naturales@inrena.gob.pe)
Under the protected areas tab, there was a link to a main webpage which dealt with marine reserves: http://www.inrena.gob.pe/ianp/web_sinanpe2006/sinanpe.htm
There I found a list of marine protected areas. Among others,
1. National Reserve of Paracas
2. National Reserve of Lake Titicaca
National Reserve of Paracas: Founded in 1975
Useful website for general information on Peru's fisheries:
http://www.fao.org/fi/fcp/en/PER/profile.htm
Peru produces about 10% of the world's fish, because of the currents in the South Pacific that push the fish into shallow waters.
Photos of my trip to the Paracas Marine Reserve:
Questions I'd like answered:
What is the status of fisheries in the nation? I don't seem to find much information on this, so I'll have to dig deeper into this.
What is the connection between the fishing industry and the marine reserves?
Are the marine reserves effective in creating a sustainable fish population?
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Climate Change for Western South America (Peru/Chile)
Coastal Fishery off of South America resides at an upwelling zone. This upwelling goes through cycles during ENSO cycles. Mortality rates were highest during EN events (Hernandez-Miranda, 2006). There is a chance that there could be a long toward shift in the climate towards the EN, which would most likely have a negative effect on fish populations (Collins, 2005). Another evaluation predicts global warming will ultimately lead to longer and weaker ENSO cycles. This occurs via complex interactions between currents and atmospheric circulation. If the first case occurs and the system shifts in the El Nino spectrum, then the fish populations in this region stand to be much lower than would be expected otherwise (Zhang, 2005). In the 1990's this region underwent several mild to moderate EN events, without intervening LN events (IPCC, 2001), perhaps indicative of the first case. If this trend is the case then it would have to be taken into account and stricter enforcements would be needed to produce the same results that would be expected without climate change. The fisheries in these regions might also take additional hits during el-nino years, so additional protection might be required for these years. If the second case happens, then climate change will most likely play a much smaller role in the management of this fishery, and plans can be carried out without too much modification for climate change. ENSO is also linked to changes in weather, which have effects on the terrestrial environment of Western South America. Floods and landslides in Peru during El-Nino years cause an increased mortality rate by 40% (IPCC, 2001).
Collins, M., (2005),. El Nino- or La Nina-like climate change? Climate Dynamics, 24, 89-104.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2001). Climate Change 2001: IPCC Third Assessment Report
Hernandez-Miranda, E., Ojeda, F. P. (2006). Inter-annual variability in somatic growth rates and mortality of coastal fishes off central Chile: an ENSO driven process? Marine Biology, 149, 925-936.
Zhang, Q., Yang, H., Zhong, Y., et all (2005). An idealized study of the impact of extratropical climate change on El Nino-Southern Oscillation. Climate Dynamics, 25, 869-880.