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Promotion of sustainable fisheries resources enhancement measures in critical habitats/fishing grounds in Southeast Asia
(Year : 2015-2019)
1 Brief Project Description
The project involves the identification of appropriate resource enhancement tools for the region in order to develop fisheries resource enhancement and habitat conservation measures/analysis and diagnosis of effectiveness of the measures and formulate strategies and guideline through the regional consultative meeting/workshop. Regional training programs on the theory and methodology of fisheries resource enhancement and habitat conservation measures will be conducted to build up capacity in ASEAN member countries for promote sustainable fisheries resources enhancement.
2 Background and Justification
Coastal waters of Southeast Asia are blessed with high productivity of fisheries resources because of rich ecosystems such as dense mangrove forests and seagrass beds sustained by rich effluence of nutrients from land, as well as extensive coral reefs with clean tropical sea environment. These areas are critical to a broad range of aquatic organisms during their life cycle from breeding, spawning, nursing and growing, hosting the feeding zones of aquatic species that are economically important, and serving as important source of recruitment of a wide diversity of fishery resources.
It is widely recognized that healthy marine environment is a prerequisite for sustainable marine fisheries production. Therefore, it is one of the most important responsibilities of fishery managers in the Southeast Asian Region to work for realization of good balance and relationship between human activity and coastal environment so that we can utilize marine fishery resources in a sustainable manner.
However, commercially important fishery resources in the region have declined due to many factors that include overfishing, illegal fishing, use of destructive fishing practices, and environmental degradation. Massive clearance of mangrove forests for aquaculture, urbanization, industrialization, wood fuel, timber and the like, could bring about large temporary economic benefits to certain groups of people or governments but in the end, the breeding, nursery and feeding areas of many aquatic species such as fishes, crustaceans, and mollusks might be destroyed and lost.
Furthermore, the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Conference on Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security Towards 2020 “Fish for the People 2020: Adaptation to a Change Environment”, held in June 2011, adopted a resolution recommending that “optimize the use of inshore waters through resources enhancement programs such as promoting the installation of artificial reefs and structures, encouraging coordinated and effective planning for coastal fisheries management programs, undertaking environmental impact assessment studies, restocking of commercially-important fish species, as appropriate, and give priority to human resources development for the implementation of such programs”. Then, project on Promotion of sustainable fisheries resources enhancement measures in critical habitats/fishing grounds in Southeast Asia is necessary for SEAFDEC member countries.
3 Project Overall Objectives, Outcomes, Outputs, Indicators and Activities
3.1 Objectives, Outcome and Output of the Project
Objectives 1
Information gathering on fisheries resources enhancement and habitat conservation measures in Southeast Asia.Outputs 1
Mapping of important critical fishing grounds and habitats and associated fish species.Outcomes 1
Application and verification of various methodologies for quantitative assessment, monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of resources enhancement initiatives.Activities 1
Development on diagnoses of critical fishing grounds and evaluation by resources enhancement practicesSub-activity 1.1: Investigation/review of the status of critical habitats/fishing grounds in the Southeast Asian region
Sub-activity 1.2: Information collection on suitable designs of resource enhancement practices including their evaluation and promotion.
Sub-activity 1.3: Workshop/Expert consultation on suitable measures for sustainable fisheries resource enhancement and habitat conservation.
Objectives 2
Human resources development for implementation of fisheries resources enhancement and habitat conservation measures.Outputs 2
Regional training programs on fisheries resource enhancement and habitat conservation measures as well as technical transferring through the technical assistance in a pilot site implementation.Outcomes 2
Strengthen and developed of human capacity in fisheries resources enhancement and habitat conservation.Activities 2
Technical assistance in pilot project sites and capacity building on rehabilitation of fisheries resources and habitats/fishing grounds.Sub-activity 2.1: Technical assistance in a pilot site for suitable designs of resource enhancement practices.
Sub-activity 2.2: Technical assistance in pilot sites for diagnoses of fishing grounds and evaluation of fishery ecosystem management.
Sub-activity 2.3: Capacity building on theory and methodology of fisheries resource enhancement and habitat conservation measures
Objectives 3
Disseminating and promoting fisheries resources enhancement and habitat conservation measures suitable for Southeast AsiaOutputs 3
Publication of the promotion materials on importance of fisheries resources enhancement and habitat conservation.Outcomes 3
Rising awareness of resources users on the important of fisheries resources enhancement and habitat conservationActivities 3
Promotion and extension on rehabilitation of fisheries resources and habitat/ fishing grounds in ASEAN Region3.2 Overall Scope/Description of Project
Activity 1
Development on diagnoses of critical fishing grounds and evaluation by resources enhancement practicesDescription
Under this activity will composed of investigation of the existing basic information and research works in identifying the critical fishing grounds as well as spawning and nursery grounds known also as “ Fishery refugia” for commercial fishes including bottom and pelagic species, will be conducted. Information collection would be conducted through deskwork and visit to the member countries. The results of the information gathering will be used for mapping and assessment by indices of the status of the critical fishing grounds in the region.Activity will conceptual on the investigation of existing information and research works on the effective designs/ models and methodologies for the resource enhancement tools/practices used in various fisheries habitat will be conducted. Information collection would be conducted through deskwork and designs/ models experiment.
This activity includes workshops as well as expert consultations to identify appropriate and effective resources enhancement tools and measures for fishery resources enhancement and habitats conservation and other related activities.
Activity 2
Technical assistance in pilot project sites and capacity building on rehabilitation of fisheries resources and habitats/fishing groundsDescription
In this activity, selected onsite study and evaluation on enhancement practices including artificial reefs impact to fisheries resources and environment are conducted in selected pilot project site of member countries. The pilot site selection will be decided following the discussion at the project inception workshop.In order to develop strategies and actions in rehabilitating the critical fishing grounds as practical management measures, critical fishing grounds will be selected for diagnosing fishing grounds and monitoring the achievements of rehabilitation program in selected pilot sites such as seagrass beds for fisheries resources in member countries. The pilot site selection will be decided following the discussion at the project inception workshop.
Also Case studies on the selected priority important fisheries ecosystem identified and evaluated in cooperation with member countries, will be conducted including a case study by SEAFDEC on identification and evaluation of fisheries ecosystem in the fresh water reservoir in member countries.
Capacity building on theory and methodology of fisheries resources and habitats/fishing grounds would be provided through a training course and study trip to transfer of assistance both in terms of technical and management aspects to member countries in order to enhance their capacities and awareness of fishery resources rehabilitation and habitats/fishing grounds practices
Activity 3
Promotion and extension on rehabilitation of fisheries resources and habitat/ fishing grounds in ASEAN RegionDescription
Documentation of the best practices of the project implementation will be carry out, which can be used as inputs in the preparation of IEC ( information, education and communication) materials for dissemination in the region.The regional seminar is primarily aimed at reviewing the impact of project and disseminating the modality of the project operation and resultant outcomes to other SEAFDEC member countries. The project activities and its outcomes during its 4. 5 years’ implementation are described in detail by the responsible parties. In addition, the impacts of the respective activity and expected followup actions after the termination of the project are also highlighted.
