1. Is this the solution to overfishing in Madagascar?
Local management of marine areas is an increasingly popular way to
promote responsible and sustainable fishing
Our destination was remote. It took four hours of driving, through 20kms of rough terrain and
bumpy roads, for our USAID team to reach Rantohely, a small fishermen’s village along the Bay
of Antongil in northeastern Madagascar. Perhaps because of the physical isolation, these were a
people used to managing things on their own. That may be a reason why the LMMA – Locally
Managed Marine Area – approach to managing marine resources had so quickly caught on here.
We were there to do an assessment of how the LMMA approach was working.
We were greeted at the entrance of the village by a collection of clamoring, noisy kids and the
president of the local fishermen’s association, Augustin Randriamiharisoa. He was flanked by the
community chief and a group of fishermen who had just returned to the village after going out
to sea at daybreak.
Two of the fishermen’s associations had been managing LMMAs in Rantohely since 2012, which
local people wouldrefer to as “Tahirin-daoko”, or fish reserves in Malagasy. LMMAs are areas of
ocean that coastal communities self-manage to help protect fisheries, safeguard marine
biodiversity, amplify their community voices, and ensure the seas upon which their livelihoods
depend remain productive, The idea behind LMMAs is simple, really: to entrust stewardship of
marine resources to the people who are closest to those resources and who depend on them for
their livelihoods. Those peopleare empowered to be sustainable managers of specific marine
areas.
The fishermen reported the LMMA approach was valuable, had delivered benefits to the
communities and that they were very motivated to create more LMMAs.
“We are very eager to develop our locally managed marine area in our community because, as
fishermen, we know the LMMA will help us improve our livelihood. We look forward to closely
working with any organization that may help us further develop our LMMA and improve our living
conditions,” said Mr. Augustin.
Turbulent Waters
The LMMAs are facing some challenges. The large commercial fishers that operate boats in the
area do not always comply with the established rules not to fish within 3.8km from the shores -
a fishing zone where fish and prawns are often found because they lay eggs and reproduce
around the mouths of rivers, coral reefs, rocks and mangroves. This is a territory that is
supposed to be reserved for traditional fishers.

2. President Augustin explained that it has also been difficult to enforce the rules established by
the LMMAs because of corrupt practices and lack of awareness of the laws by the very law
enforcement officers. Moreover, an increasing demand for fish and prawns, damage from
cyclones and river sedimentation, and the violation of rules by some community members are
depleting fish and prawn stocks. There is a need to establish clear-cut boundaries for the fishing
zones so that seasonal restrictions on fishery access are respected, he explained.
Cooperation with law enforcement authorities should also be strengthened to ensure
enforcement of the rules. An increasing local population and impacts of climate change are also
challenges, but ensuring that these critical marine habitats and breeding grounds are actually
protected would go a long way towards ensuring that the local fish population remains healthy
and is not over-fished.
Spawning a New Approach
Madagascar’s first LMMA was established in 2005 in the southwest. In response to dwindling
catches, 25 villages joined together to jointly manage their marine resources. The success of the
project sparked interest in other locations. In 2012, a meeting of community members
representing 18 LMMAs took place during which they recognized the need to identify common
challenges and share experiences and skills. This led to the establishment of a national LMMA
network called MIHARI (Mitantana HArena an-dRanomasina avy eny Ifotony or ‘marine
resources management at the local level’). Today, more than 120 community associations are
participating in over 65 LMMAs.
Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy, is the Coordinator of the MIHARI Network and a former LMMA
researcher at British Columbia University. She says that while some LMMAs are started by NGOs,
many are established at the initiative of the communities, and, “the ultimate goal is to have
LMMAs that are not too dependent upon NGOs.” To make this possible, the capacity of LMMAs
management teams will need to be strengthened, in order to make the teams more self-
sufficient.
Rakotondrazafy asserts that time has proven the LMMA approach works. “Although the benefits
are not for the moment measurable, established LMMAs are contributing to Madagascar’s coastal
and marine resource conservation, improving the communities’ livelihoods, and involving them
directly with resource management.”
USAID is keen to provide assistance to improve fishermen’s livelihoods and at the same time
contribute to marine biodiversity conservation through fisheries development in Madagascar.
For the first time in its history, USAID is planning to help in marine and coastal resource
management and conservation as part of an upcoming new 5-year conservation and
communities program.

3. Bruno Rasamoel
May 2016
“Catch of the day” (photo: MIHARI network)

4. “Traditional fishers” – Copyright Garth Cripps/Blue Ventures, 2015