REGIONAL TECHNICAL MEETING

FISHERIES RESOURCES ENHANCEMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

24 - 26  April 2018

Bangkok, Thailand

1. BACKGROUND/RATIONALE 

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.

In addressing such concerns, SEAFDEC has conducted projects to promote resources enhancement through the following two approaches: one is through improvement of critical habitat/nursing ground of fishery resources, and the other is through direct enhancement of fisheries resources by artificial propagation techniques.  And these approaches are being applied and implemented in most of the SEAFDEC Member Countries.

SEAFDEC conducted the Symposium on strategy for Fisheries Resources Enhancement in Southeast Asian Region in year 2015 with the outputs to sharing knowledge and information on the implementation and lesson learned on the fisheries resources enhancement activities conducted by SEAFDEC and SEAFDEC Member Countries. Due to the delayed project implementation in year 2016 and 2017, SEAFDEC needs to adjust the project activities in year 2018 by organizing the Regional Expert Meeting Fisheries Resources Enhancement in the Southeast Asia with the main objective to update the appropriate and effective resources enhancement tools and measures for fishery resources enhancement and habitats rehabilitation and conservation implemented by SEAFDEC Member Countries. In this meeting, SEAFDEC will identify needs of each SEAFDEC Member Countries on the national implementation of fisheries resources enhancement programs and SEAFDEC activities on fisheries resource enhancement that plan to develop during 2018-2019 and it would be background information to develop for JTF-7 implemented from 2020-2025.

2. OBJECTIVES 

This 3-day meeting is aimed to;

1. Update the plan and implementation on fisheries resources enhancement national and regional program/activity;
2. Share information and lesson learned from activities on the of fisheries resources enhancement of SEAFDEC Member Countries and relevant organizations/agencies;
3. Follow up the management measures on fisheries resources enhancement activities at national level of SEAFDEC Member Countries; and
4. Identify the needs of SEAFDEC Member Countries on the national and regional implementation of fisheries resources enhancement program/activity.

3. EXPECTED OUTPUTS

1. Updated national and regional information on the fisheries resources enhancement programs/activities implement carried out in Southeast Asia;
2. Updated information on the management measure of fisheries resources enhancement at national level;
3. Establishment of scientist network on the fisheries resources enhancement works in SEAFDEC Member Countries; and
4. Recommendation of SEAFDEC Member Countries on the implementation of fisheries resources enhancement programs that could be SEAFDEC information and direction to develop activities to support SEAFDEC Member Countries both short-term and long-term activities, include direction to develop the SEAFDEC future project implemented from year 2020-2025.

4. DATE AND VENUE

Dates:  24 - 26 April 2018

Venue: Berkeley Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

5. PROCESS

Preparation

1. Each SEAFDEC Member Countries will agree on two representatives to participate in the Regional Technical Meeting. One participant would be the researcher on resource enhancement project of SEAFDEC Member Countries or a member of the project team who is involved with resources enhancement project. The other participant would be the person who is involved with the management measure of fisheries resources enhancement in their country. This person could be the National Coordinator for SEAFDEC Member Countries. Project will accept additional representative (s) funding support by their own countries;
2. Resource Person will be requested to prepare the study of impact assessment on the installation of Artificial habitat (Environmental or/and socio-economic); and
3. SEAFDEC researcher(s) will present the activities in related with resources enhancement.

During the Workshop

1. General information by the organizer (SEAFDEC Training Department);
2. Opening Remarks of the Regional Technical Meeting by Mr. Akito Sato, SEAFDEC Senior Expert and Technical Coordinator;
3. Organizer will present the introduction of Regional Technical Meeting including objectives, outputs and agendas. Participants will be requested to comment and adopt the agendas of Regional Technical Meeting;
4. Representative of each SEAFDEC Member Countries will present the updated status of fisheries resources enhancement programs/activities in their countries focusing on the given template that organizer sent before meeting
   • National policy on fisheries resource enhancement
   • Important national fisheries resource enhancement program (s)/activity (s) g. Artificial Habitats, Artificial Reefs, Fish Aggregating Devices, Fish Enhancing Devices, large construction in the sea, and etc;
   • Habitat rehabilitation (Coral Reef, Sea Grass Bed, Mangrove Forests, Seed release, Inland Habitats); and
   • Constraints on the planning or implementation of national fisheries resource enhancement program (s)/activity (s) g. Artificial Habitats, Artificial Reefs, Fish Aggregating Devices, Fish Enhancing Devices, large construction in the sea, and etc, Conservation Zone (include Marine Protected Area) Coral Reef, Sea Grass Bed, Mangrove Forests, Seed release, Inland Habitats Rehabilitation.

5. The meeting will discuss on the terms and definitions of the Artificial Habitats, Artificial Reefs (ARs), Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs), and Fish Enhancing Devices (FEDs);
6. Representative from SEAFDEC Departments will present SEAFDEC activities on fisheries resources enhancement under each relevant departments;
7. Resource person will be requested to present;
   • Experience and devices for fishing ground enhancement include artificial reef placement in Japan
   • Study of impact assessment on the installation of Artificial habitat (Environmental or/and socio-economic), lesson learned from case study of Thailand
   • Local fisher network to manage and conserve coastal fisheries resources; and
   • Roles of private sector on the national initiative of Fisheries Resources Enhancement program
8. Identification needs of SEAFDEC Member Countries on national implementation of fisheries resources enhancement programs; and
9. Closing Remarks by Mr. Akito Sato, SEAFDEC Senior Expert and Technical Coordinator.