SEAFDEC Newsletter Vol.41 No.4

Abstract

During the last quarter of 2018, SEAFDEC organized events that are significant for the region, such as the Forty-first Program Committee Meeting (41PCM) which discussed and reviewed the program, projects, and activities implemented by SEAFDEC in 2018 and those proposed for 2019. Back-to-back with the 41PCM was the Twenty-first Meeting of Fisheries Consultative Group of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Strategic Partnership (21FCG/ASSP) which addressed the policy considerations on issues of importance to the fisheries sector of the region.

Regional events were also organized including the Meeting on the “Regional Fishing Vessels Record (RFVR) for vessels 24 meters in length and over” which updated the RFVR Database. The “7th Meeting of the Gulf of Thailand Sub-region” and “the 4th Meeting of the Andaman Sea Sub-region” updated the information from the countries in these sub-regions on transboundary fishery resources, such as anchovies, mackerels, and neritic tunas. Also discussed were the respective country’s efforts on combating IUU fishing and management of fishing capacity.

Other regional events included the “2nd Regional Meeting on Enhancing Sustainable Utilization and Management Scheme of Tropical Anguiliid Eels in Southeast Asia” which focused on the eel resources management policy; and the series of consultative meetings on the promotion of the ASEAN Guidelines for Preventing the Entry of Fish and Fishery Products from IUU Fishing Activities into the Supply Chain that evaluated the status of implementation of the Guidelines by the Southeast Asian countries.

SEAFDEC continued the conduct of several training courses including the “Regional Training Course on Fish Handling Technique Applicable to Various Fishing Operations” conducted by TD, as well as that on fish health management, sandfish feed production, mangrove crab nursery, and seaweed propagation by AQD; and workshop on estimating freshwater fish stock by IFRDMD.

Another highlighted activity at this quarter was the official visit to TD of the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand, Mr. Luck Wajanawat where he observed the Department’s facilities such as the M.V. SEAFDEC and the fishing boat modification project. Another special activity was the Signing Ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SEAFDEC and Southern Vocational Institute of Agriculture of Thailand.