The Irrawaddy Magazine |
| Posted: 16 Jan 2015 04:30 PM PST  A fisherman waits for a tail-swishing signal from a dolphin to begin a cooperative fishing session. (Photo: Teza Hlaing / The Irrawaddy) SINT GU, Mandalay — "La Bine! La Bine! They are coming!" shouted Ko Tin Phyo Aung, a fisherman who lives in Sae Thae village by the majestic Ayeyarwady River. He was pointing to where a group of Irrawaddy dolphins were swimming. He ran with a net to a small wooden boat as his fisherman friends called out, "Let's go fishing! Hurry! Hurry! They are here! La Bine are here!" "La Bine" is the Myanmar word for dolphin. Unlike dolphins found in other parts of Asia, including Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Bangladesh and India, Irrawaddy dolphins in Myanmar are famous for helping fishermen. In a few small motorized wooden boats, the fishermen headed to the area where about 15 Irrawaddy dolphins were playing. They killed the engine and began rowing with oars after selecting a place to fish alongside the group of dolphins that included two baby calves swimming with their mothers. One of the fishermen began tapping a wooden rod on the side of his boat while another made deep sounds from the throat. More than ten minutes passed but the dolphins just continued swimming playfully. "Give them the sound of the net," one fisherman said. One of the men threw his net into the water and another gently rustled a net on the floor of his boat. Still the dolphins ignored them, although one or two pretended to swim towards the fishermen, making deep breathing sounds. In this method of fishing, the fishermen seek to communicate to the dolphins, via clicking, tapping and rustling sounds, that they are friends who need help to catch fish. It often takes some time to persuade the dolphins and there are occasions when the dolphins don't cooperate. When the dolphins accept the fishermen's calls, they swim in semi-circles, herding the fish. When a decent amount of fish are driven close to the boats, the dolphins wave their tails, signaling that it is time for the fishermen to cast their nets. Other dolphins wait further out to prevent fish from escaping. As soon as the fishermen cast their nets, the dolphins quickly swim away—to avoid becoming entangled and to hoover up escapees. According to the fishermen, fishing with the dolphins can triple their catch. But on this occasion, it has taken nearly an hour to convince the dolphins to help the fishermen. "They are afraid of us now and took time to realize we were not going to hurt them," said fisherman Ko Zaw Lwin Aung. "They thought we were the ones using electric shockers and that's why they stayed away from us." Ko Zaw Lwin Aung was referring to electro-fishing, a prohibited fishing method that some fishermen still use to increase their catch. "They call the dolphins to herd the school of fish like we do. But instead of casting the net on the school, they use the high-voltage electric shockers to kill the fish and that also hurts the dolphins," he explained. "That's why the dolphins are [now] afraid to approach the fishermen's boats." In December, three dolphins, including two calves, were found dead in suspicious circumstances. The two calves were found on the bank of the Ayeyarwady River in Mingun Township, north of Mandalay. Locals said they were believed to have died from electric shock. A male dolphin was found near Katha with its tail cut off and injuries to its belly. The deaths have triggered concern that these endangered creatures are increasingly under threat from human interference, including electro-fishing. Electro-fishing With fish stocks in the Ayeyarwady River already depleted due to the damaging effects of deforestation and mining operations that continue to negatively impact the river's ecosystem, some unscrupulous fishermen have turned to the practice of electro-fishing. This has not only threatened the Irrawaddy dolphins' environment but also the culture of cooperative fishing. Although the Irrawaddy dolphins can be found in the stretch of waterway between Katha and Mandalay, the area between the riverside towns of Kyauk Myaung and Mingun in Sagaing Region is the only area where cooperative fishing with the dolphins can still be seen. Some fishermen that practice electro-fishing also use the dolphins to herd fish. When the dolphins give the signal to cast a net, the fishermen place high-voltage powered iron rods into the water instead, causing shocked fish to float to the surface. The electric current is strong enough to kill some dolphins—that are often just meters from the school of fish—instantly, while others die later. "The shockers which were seized a few years ago could cover a radius of approximately 3 to 5 feet. But nowadays, they are using more powerful shockers that can cover up to 10 feet," said U Zaw Mann, an assistant officer from the government's Department of Fisheries. Although electro-fishing is strictly prohibited, fishermen sometimes gather in groups to fish and are prepared to attack authorities that attempt to arrest them. "Some of our colleagues in the department were attacked by fishermen after their fishing gear was seized. The fishermen even threatened fellow villagers not to inform the authorities [of their illegal fishing practices]," U Zaw Mann said. "We have the responsibility to arrest them but since we have no weapons or power to defend ourselves, we have to just watch them, sadly." According to authorities and locals, fishermen that practice electro-fishing often operate as a kind of gang, fishing under cover of darkness and always managing to flee authorities in motorized wooden boats with high-powered engines. "If they see the authorities' boats from afar, they spread out and flee. We convinced them not to fish using that method but they threatened to kill us or burn down the village," said U Aung Thin, a local from Myit Kan Gyi village in Sint Gu Township who is still practicing cooperative fishing with the dolphins. "Since we are afraid for our lives, we don't inform the authorities." Protection Plans There is already a ban on catching, killing or trading in the meat of dolphins. The use of gillnets more than 300 feet (91 meters) long or spaced less than 600 feet (180 meters) apart is strictly forbidden and the release of dolphins entangled in fishing nets is mandatory. The use of mercury in gold mining operations—said to be a leading cause of the Ayeyarwady River's depleted fish stocks—is also prohibited. In a bid to raise awareness and promote the protection of the dolphins' habitat, the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is planning ecotourism packages in 2015. The proposed tours would include cruises near the Irrawaddy dolphins' protection zone, an area spanning about 230 miles of freshwater between Mingun and Kyauk Myaung. The area was established as a protection zone in 2005. However, the ecotourism plans face several obstacles, including uncertainty over whether tour groups would be able to spot the dolphins. "The problem is we can't guarantee that we could see the dolphins [at any one spot] because they are moving along the river depending on the current and the availability of fish stock," said Paul Eshoo, ecotourism advisor to WCS. The organization is also concerned with ensuring the dolphins' natural environment is left unspoiled, effective waste management practices, and obtaining official approval for home stays with local villagers living along the waterway. "We believe the plan will work and will create awareness around protecting the Irrawaddy dolphins, [as well as helping to] preserve the culture of cooperative fishing, which is slowly fading away," Paul Eshoo said. "But we are just a small organization, we can't work alone. We need support and help from government, local authorities, tour companies and the locals as well." The post Dolphins Need a Lifeline appeared first on The Irrawaddy. | |
| The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (Jan. 17, 2015) Posted: 16 Jan 2015 04:00 PM PST Market-Based Financial System Reforms Needed for Growth Burma's economic growth in 2015 will "remain robust" but an inadequate financial system continues to pose a problem, according to a new analysis. "Reforms are in progress, but further steps to establish market-based money and financial systems are needed to maintain the momentum," said a study by Mantis, a Dutch economic forecasting company specialising in frontier markets. It said that although Burma's central bank has already internally adopted reserve money targeting under the guidance of the International Monetary Fund, "missing money market instruments are preventing active monetary policy." "In order to move away from the current state of administratively set interest rates, the [bank] needs to step up its efforts to establish a working money market and introduce monetary policy instruments." Burma's first market-based treasury bonds are due to be offered via an auction system at the end of January, Mantis said. The study forecasts that the kyat will take a "gradual depreciation path" but inflation could rise to 12% for a time in 2015 "fuelled by fast real growth and exchange rate pass-through effects". "Lagged reforms or sustained pressures on [Burma's] current account would lead to faster depreciation of the kyat. On the other hand, if recent reforms are successful and FDI [foreign direct investment] remains strong, then appreciation of the kyat is possible." Health Spending Set to Triple by 2020 Spending on healthcare in Burma is forecast to grow over 300% up to 2020 as more products enter the retail market and more people have disposable income, a study has said. Spending on over-the-counter healthcare products is anticipated to grow three-to-four-times, from about $140 million in 2013 to $480 million in 2020, the report by US analysts Research & Markets said. "The strong overall market growth is partly driven by the vast increase in government spending on pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Specialty products, in particular cardiovascular, diabetes and oncology products are expected to experience high growth rates for the next years," a summary of the study said. However, the study also noted that the market will be restrained by Burma's "opaque regulatory environment, the abundance of counterfeit products, complex channels to market and the extremely fragmented point of sale network". "Collaborating with a local distribution partner is the only viable means of efficiently accessing the market in [Burma]," it noted. Arakan Factories Complex Proceeding Early Plans are going ahead for an industrial development zone in an area of Arakan State close to the port of Sittwe. The zone, Ponnarkyun, will accommodate factories for garment manufacturing, food and wood processing, and vehicle parts assembly, Myanmar Business Today quoted state authority spokesman Hla Thein saying. "As we have secured 24-hour electricity supply recently all the development operations will be implemented sooner than expected," Hla Thein said. It is unclear why the zone is not being developed at Sittwe, whose port facilities are being renovated and expanded by Indian companies to provide a commercial cargo route linking with northeast India. Rights Groups Urge End to Burmese Fishing Labor Abuse in Thailand The plight of thousands of Burmese working in Thailand's sea fishing industry which feeds Western supermarkets has been spotlighted in a letter to the Thai government signed by 45 NGOs. The letter urged the Bangkok government to rethink proposals to push Thais serving prison sentences, or just finishing sentences, into an industry suffering an acute labor shortage. "The plan would merely augment the migrant workers from Burma and Cambodia who currently comprise the majority of the workforce on Thai fishing vessels," the letter said. "Migrant fishers are almost entirely undocumented and without legal status, making them afraid to report to Thai authorities about rights violations they suffer on fishing boats." There is ample evidence of "gross labor violations on Thai fishing boats, including forced labor, physical violence, illegally low wages and human trafficking," it said. Spotlight on Abuses in Hydro Dam Proposals Community rights abuses associated with the development of controversial hydroelectric dams in Southeast Asia have been underlined in a new report by the US-based International Rivers. The NGO has lodged a complaint with the United Nations over allegations that thousands of people will lose their homes and ancestral land with the construction of two dams in Cambodia. The dams not only undermine the rights of the people directly affected but will have a knock-on impact on all people living along the River Mekong, including Burma, the NGO warned. One of the criticised dams, the Lower Sesan 2 project, will necessitate the forced relocation of 5,000 people, said International Rivers. "Thousands of people's lives will be devastated and destroyed by this project. Despite its severe impacts, there has been no transparency in the decision-making and no real consultation with the communities in order for them to express their concerns," the NGO said. It is urging the Mekong Rivers Commission, of which Burma is a dialogue partner, to urgently reassess all dam projects in the region, which it argues will undermine fishing and food supply on upper and lower reaches of the River Mekong. The post The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (Jan. 17, 2015) appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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