Myanmar: Fishing Gear

(asked on 1st September 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ODA Marine - Reducing the Impacts of Ghost Gear in Myanmar Grant.


Answered by
Trudy Harrison Portrait
Trudy Harrison
This question was answered on 11th September 2023

The UK is an active member of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI): a pioneering alliance of the fishing industry, private companies, NGOs and Governments working to solve the global problem of ghost gear, also known as Abandoned, Lost or Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG). The GGGI aims to improve the health of marine ecosystems, protect marine animals and safeguard human health and livelihoods. It is the first initiative dedicated to tackling the problem of ghost fishing gear on a global scale.

In 2021, Defra allocated funding of £50,000 to a community-led pilot project in Myanmar in partnership with the GGGI to reduce ALDFG that harms marine life, which was delivered by the Myanmar Ocean Project (MOP). The aims of the project were to raise awareness of the issues caused by ghost gear to local fishers, produce factsheets to engage nationally and regionally, and to run ghost gear collection trials.

MOP’s field work was scheduled to begin in early February; however, a coup occurred in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, which significantly impacted the planned activities. As a result, £6,600 of the £50,000 allocated was paid to the GGGI, to cover the activities that they were able to undertake prior to the coup. No further activity was possible following the coup. The activities funded included the translation of materials for local divers into Burmese in anticipation of the field work, including the diver protocol, COVID-19 protocol, and social media guidelines, and the training of in-country team members ahead of project activities being undertaken. The payment of the grant was made following assessment that the grant outputs have been delivered to a satisfactory standard, within the challenging circumstances.

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