By Nneka Nwogwugwu
A recent study by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), has stated that marine resources are necessary prerequisites for developing a sustainable blue economy in Tunisia.
It stated that the rational exploitation and preservation of marine resources, the coastline and the health of the marine and coastal domain, the adoption of a social and solidarity-based economy, the sensitisation of the youth to environmental problems and the construction of a deep-water port are necessary for sustainable economy.
Hence, for a rational exploitation that preserves marine resources, the study entitled: “The blue component of sustainable development in Tunisia: State of play and outlook,” proposes a more intensive control of fishing activity by the competent authorities, to ensure compliance with regulations regarding authorised fishing zones, biological rest periods for the various species, minimum catch size and the use of authorised mesh sizes, etc.
The forum also suggests increasing the number of prospection campaigns to revise the biological rest periods according to the state of exploitation of resources, devising a fishing strategy for each fishing region, reducing the fishing effort exerted on overexploited resources and taking initiatives to declare protected areas where the practice of fishing would be strictly forbidden and others where artificial reefs would be built.
The FTDES furthermore calls for encouraging artisanal fishing, which is less destructive and less energy-consuming, and for undertaking repopulation operations in coastal areas, particularly lagoons, using marine fish fry produced in the hatcheries of research institutions.
The forum also suggests increasing the number of prospection campaigns to revise the biological rest periods according to the state of exploitation of resources, devising a fishing strategy for each fishing region, reducing the fishing effort exerted on overexploited resources and taking initiatives to declare protected areas where the practice of fishing would be strictly forbidden and others where artificial reefs would be built.
The FTDES furthermore calls for encouraging artisanal fishing, which is less destructive and less energy-consuming, and for undertaking repopulation operations in coastal areas, particularly lagoons, using marine fish fry produced in the hatcheries of research institutions.
It also considers it necessary to ensure regular supervision of fishermen, to encourage them to organise themselves into structures capable of defending their interests and to create a fund to support them in case of need.
The forum considers that the management of the coastline must integrate all the components of socio-economic activities and that lagoon environments, which are fragile and subject to ever-increasing anthropic pressures, must be regularly monitored to determine the state of eutrophication in order to devise the appropriate development strategy.
To this end, development projects must protect the public domain and the administration must be very firm in authorising industrial projects, particularly with regard to the direct and indirect impacts of discharges into the surrounding environment. Regular and rigorous controls of the industrial units in operation must be carried out to ensure the fate of the waste and polluting substances discharged.
Source: Tunis Afrique Press
