Asia-Pacific moves to strengthen Asian aquaculture governance
Asian aquaculture has engaged over 18 million fish
farmers in primary production and nearly equal numbers of job opportunities in
related supporting sectors – United Nations
By SeaWestNews
The Asia-Pacific region is taking important preparatory steps to strengthen the governance of Asian aquaculture for sustainable development and future food security, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today.
Following four decades of advancements,
aquaculture has surpassed capture fisheries to become the major source of fish
for human consumption in Asia.
The total production of aquaculture reached 103 million tonnes in 2017, and that fish supplied some 60 percent of food fish for human consumption. In 2017, the average per capita fish consumption in Asia reached 24 kg, contributing 23 percent of animal protein in Asian diets.
Asian aquaculture also provides an
important source of livelihoods for rural communities as well as creating job
opportunities in related supporting sectors, such as input manufacture,
construction, processing, trade and other service sectors.
It has engaged over 18 million fish farmers
in primary production and nearly equal numbers of job opportunities in related
supporting sectors.
Globally, fish consumption is projected to
increase by some 30 million tonnes by 2030 as the result of population
increases, and improved living standards.
It is essential that this demand be met through the sustainable growth of aquaculture which will contribute to the attainment of SDG targets related to zero hunger, poverty alleviation and conservation and sustainable utilisation of natural resources.
However, the aquaculture sector is
increasingly being required to meet stringent environmental standards,
biosecurity safeguards, food safety standards and others – and so improved
governance of the sector is needed.
“The governance of Asia’s aquaculture sector generally lags behind that of other sectors in the region,” said Weimin Miao, FAO Aquaculture Officer for Asia and the Pacific.
“Improvement of governance of the aquaculture
sector is vital to ensure its sustainable growth.”
FAO has collaborated with the Network of
Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) through the convening of a regional
consultation on strengthening the governance of aquaculture in Asia-Pacific to
ensure sustainable development.
In preparation for the regional
consultation, underway this week in Bangkok, FAO and NACA have coordinated
national assessment studies on the status of aquaculture governance in eight
countries and developed a draft regional synthesis.
More than 40 government officials and
experts from 15 countries and a number of regional and international
organizations are participating in the regional consultation.
The participants are reviewing the comprehensiveness of current laws, acts and other regulatory instruments to safeguard the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry in different countries in the region.
The participants are working toward a
consensus on priority issues related to aquaculture governance and a guiding
strategy for member governments to strengthen aquaculture governance.
“Supporting FAO member countries to
strengthen the governance in aquaculture and fisheries sectoral development
will be one of the priority areas of FAO’s work in the region in the coming
biennium. This regional consultation is just the start of FAO’s new programme
activities to support the sustainability and resilience of the fisheries sector
in the region” said Xiangjun Yao, FAO Regional Programme Leader for Asia and
the Pacific.
“The outputs of this regional consultation, will provide a good strategic direction to FAO, NACA and APFIC’s fisheries programme priorities.”
– source FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Image – ifpri.org