The illegal use of ‘derris’ in fishing

Hafa Adai, everyone! My name is Rosezonia S. Jack. I was given an opportunity to pick a topic and write about it while I was a CNMI Coral Reef Initiative Summer Intern at Coastal Resources Management Office. My topic is the illegal use of derris, a chemical more technically known as rotenone. You all are probably wondering why I chose this topic. First and foremost, derris has been used on the islands to capture fish without using a spear or other fishing gear. Using the chemicals that are in derris, it kills/paralyzes the fish so that it is easier to catch. My question to the public would be, “Is derris really a threat to our CNMI marine environment?”

Rotenone is a naturally occurring chemical with bug and fish-killing properties, which is obtained from the roots of several tropical and subtropical plant species belonging to the genus Lonchocarpus or Derris. Commercial formulations are used in home gardens for insect control, for lice and tick control on pets and for fish eradications as part of water body management. Both a contact and stomach poison to insects, it kills them slowly, but causes them to stop their feeding almost immediately. It exerts its toxic action by acting as a general inhibitor of cellular respiration. (http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/Actives/rotenone.htm).

So why is derris illegal? For many years men have been fishing in our beautiful Saipan lagoon. Some men work hard to catch fish for their families and some do it the easier way. Derris is prohibited in taking any fish because it is said to kill not only the fish that are being targeted but other sea creatures as well and damage the actual environment the fish use as a home. On the other hand some say that it doesn’t kill other sea creatures, just the fish. I interviewed some people about this particular root and this is what some had to say:

“Yes, they should keep it illegal because of the harmful things that occur when using this type of root,” one man says. His advice to the public was: “If you see anyone using derris they should call DFW [Division of Fish and Wildlife] or DPS [Division of Public Safety] to handle the matter.” He said that he has fished here so many times and never used derris. He’d rather fish the hard way because he thinks it is the right way to catch fish.

Another man said, “No, derris is not like Clorox that bleaches and kills the fish, the corals and other small creatures. Derris is natural, unlike Clorox, I’ve been fishing for many years using derris sometimes and it never killed any corals,” one fisherman told me. “I tried coming back to the same rock that I used derris on and the corals are still alive,” he added.

A hotel worker also had opinions to add. He said derris is not poison and does not kill the fish. This man tested the root on a fish and it didn’t die. “It’s not the derris that kills the fish, it’s the people that kill fish.” But still the man said that derris should not be used anyway as he thought that if derris was OK’d for use, people would abuse the fishing method.

The last person I interviewed was the owner of a marine sports operation, who said it is a “lazy way of fishing.” He disagreed with the use of derris and hopes to see the law enforce this issue. “Sometimes when I go out fishing I find some empty bottles and ice keki tubes in the water… it just makes me wonder who is going to eat ice keki out there.”

Based on people’s opinions, it seems many are undecided about the effects of derris on the environment and I wanted to see if anyone ever did a scientific study on derris. In 1973 scientists from the Florida Department of Natural Resources Marine Research Laboratory did studies at Western Sambo, a fringing-barrier reef located south offshore of Boca Chica Key, a small island much like Mañagaha. The study showed certain species of coral were quickly and severely damaged by the rotenone derivative tested. Others took more than seven months to show any damage! This showed that derris not only kills/paralyzes fishes but also harms our coral reef, even if it might take awhile to see the damage to corals.

It takes years for coral to grow and create the beautiful environment we see today and for someone to just take that all away doesn’t make sense. I’m not saying that I am against any fishermen catching fish! I’m asking anyone considering using it why they would destroy the very home fish need to live and reproduce in. I’m against the use of derris and the harm it can do to the coral environment. Any fisherman who uses any poisons of any sort should know that not only does its use violate DFW, CRM, and DEQ regulations, it destroys the environment as well. My advice to the public is “Don’t use any sort of poison to catch any fish…Not only because it’s wrong but because it’s the LAW!” [B][I](Rosezonia S. Jack)[/I][/B]