Fish for the People Vol.18 No.2http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12066/66992024-03-29T09:10:46Z2024-03-29T09:10:46ZFish for the People Vol.18 No.2http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12066/65642020-09-29T06:53:36Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZFish for the People Vol.18 No.2
During the five-year period from 2013 to 2017, the fisheries production of the Southeast Asian region posted an annual average increase of about 3.2 %. Specifically in 2017, the total fisheries production of the Southeast Asian countries was 45.5 million tonnes (t) contributing about 22.2 % to the world’s fisheries production of 205.5 t also in the same year. Such an achievement has been attained through the intensified efforts of the Southeast Asian governments to promote responsible fishing practices and sustainable management of their fishery resources, coupled with their adherence to the new paradigm of change in fisheries management that is geared towards sustainability as well as their compliance to the traceability requirements of importing countries. Assuming that the said annual rate of increase in fisheries production is modestly maintained while the sustainability of the fisheries sector is constantly supported, by 2020 the region’s fisheries production could easily reach 50.0 million t, and by 2030 about 68.5 million t.
With the region’s total population in 2017 of 655.0 million and an average per capita fish consumption of 35.2 kg/year, about 23.1 million t of fish must have been consumed by the peoples in the region in 2017. Based on UN projections that the region’s population in 2020 is 669.4 million, and in 2030 about 721.0 million, and assuming also that fish consumption remains at 35.2 kg/year, about 23.6 million t of fish must have been consumed in 2020, and about 25.4 million t by 2030.
Furthermore, also considering the FAO assumption that about 88 % of fisheries production is bound for direct consumption while the remaining 12 % is transformed into non-food purposes, this implies that about 40.0 million t must have been used for human food in 2017, and about 44.0 million t in 2020, and 60.3 million t in 2030. Such a scenario ensures that the Southeast Asian region would remain self-sufficient in fish supply in the next ten or even 20 years, affording the countries to increase their fish exports to supply the food fish requirements of the world as well as to generate returns that would fill the countries’ coffers.
A sudden turn of events however occurred starting in early 2020, disrupting the supply chain due to the stoppage and movement restrictions in fish production, marketing, and trade brought about by the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic, creating a severe dent in the whole fish supply chain from production to consumption. While the effects of the pandemic in the fish trade are being assessed through research and the corresponding appropriate polices are being formulated to ensure that the Southeast Asian countries are coping up with the current crisis, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) continues to advocate the promotion of sustainable fisheries management, not only to arm the ASEAN Member States (AMSs) with adoptable technologies in order that their fisheries operations remain sustainable, but also to make sure that the AMSs are always on their toes and ever ready, once the fish market systems would resume their normal operations.
2020-01-01T00:00:00ZSeverity of the Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Smallscale Fisheries of Thailand: A Preliminary AssessmentChanrachkij, IsaraLaongmanee, PenchanLanmeen, JeerasakSuasi, ThanyalakSornkliang, JariyaTiaye, RattanaYasook, NakaretPutsa, SanthipongChumchuen, Shiela Villamorhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12066/65632021-11-28T03:05:37Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZSeverity of the Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Smallscale Fisheries of Thailand: A Preliminary Assessment
Chanrachkij, Isara; Laongmanee, Penchan; Lanmeen, Jeerasak; Suasi, Thanyalak; Sornkliang, Jariya; Tiaye, Rattana; Yasook, Nakaret; Putsa, Santhipong; Chumchuen, Shiela Villamor
The onslaught of COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020 due to alarming levels of spread and severity as well as distressing levels of inaction (WHO, 2020). To control the rate of infection, countries around the world have taken several measures such as home confinement, travel bans, and business closures. In the case of Thailand, the Government enforced the State of Emergency on 26 March 2020, and subsequently, the nationwide curfew and lockdown were imposed on 3 and 4 April 2020, respectively, that led to travel restrictions across provinces and borders, and suspensions of domestic and international flights (MOPH, 2020). Thailand is among the countries in the world that acted earlier and ranked very low in terms of COVID-19 infections and currently recorded only more than 3,000 positive cases.
COVID-19 is believed not to affect fish nor does it cause infection in humans by consuming fish. However, the dwindling supply and demand of fish has impacted on the livelihoods of small-scale fishers, who are vulnerable to the indirect impacts of the pandemic. The pandemic situation is rapidly evolving and the impacts of the pandemic on small-scale fisheries are varying due to changing consumer demands, market access, and logistical problems related to transportation and border restrictions. This in turn brought about detrimental effects on the social wellbeing and economies of nations as well as on food security and nutrition of populations, especially the small-scale fishers who rely on fish for animal protein and essential micronutrients. In this connection, the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) initiated several actions to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the fisheries and aquaculture sector. FAO provided and continued to share up-to-date information such as policy briefs and other relevant documents containing practical information on coordinated support to development of measures and interventions that address the impacts of COVID-19 on fisheries and aquaculture (FAO, 2020a). FAO also tapped the SEAFDEC Training Department (SEAFDEC/TD) to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on small-scale fisheries of Thailand and to identify the adaptive strategies carried out by the small-scale fishing communities to mitigate such impacts.
2020-01-01T00:00:00ZWestern Region of Indonesia: the Nucleus of Anguillid Eel Fisheries and TradeMuthmainnah, DinaSuryati, Ni KomangPamungkas, Yanu PrasetyoMulyani, Yenni Srihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12066/65622021-11-28T03:05:31Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZWestern Region of Indonesia: the Nucleus of Anguillid Eel Fisheries and Trade
Muthmainnah, Dina; Suryati, Ni Komang; Pamungkas, Yanu Prasetyo; Mulyani, Yenni Sri
Recent statistical information indicates that Indonesia embraces a huge resource of anguillid eels in its western region, especially the areas in Sumatra Island and Java that face the Indian Ocean. There are a number of anguillid eel species in Indonesia, nine of which are the most common, i.e. Anguilla bicolor bicolor, Anguilla bicolour pacifica, Anguilla nebulosa nebulosa, Anguilla marmorata, Anguilla celebesensis, Anguilla borneensis, Anguilla interioris, Anguilla obscura, and Anguilla megastoma. The anguillid resources of Indonesia are being exploited mostly by smallscale fishers who are mostly temporary fishers, fishing eels from evening to midnight and doing other jobs in the morning until noon. Anguillid eels are traded as glass eels or yellow eels where they have high potentials for export to the regional market. The demand of eel products in Indonesia is still low as it is not a food preferred by the local people, although processed eel products are now being developed and promoted in the country. In order to sustain the fisheries and management of the anguillid eel resources, it is deemed necessary that capacity building is promoted for the sustainable capture fisheries and aquaculture of anguillid eels, advocacies initiated for the conservation of the eel resources, and human resource enhanced in product processing and development, and marketing of anguillid eels.
2020-01-01T00:00:00ZImpeding the Outbreaks of Transboundary Aquatic Animal Diseases in Southeast Asian Aquaculture: the Aquatic Emergency Preparedness and Response System GuidelinesBaliao, Dan D.de la Peña, Leobert D.Tendencia, Eleanor A.de la Cruz, Joesyl Marie V.Sulit, Virgilia T.http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12066/65612021-11-28T03:05:37Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZImpeding the Outbreaks of Transboundary Aquatic Animal Diseases in Southeast Asian Aquaculture: the Aquatic Emergency Preparedness and Response System Guidelines
Baliao, Dan D.; de la Peña, Leobert D.; Tendencia, Eleanor A.; de la Cruz, Joesyl Marie V.; Sulit, Virgilia T.
As aquaculture in Southeast Asia rapidly grows, it is being confronted with incidences of aquatic animal diseases threatening its sustainability. In early 2013, the SEAFDEC Member Countries raised concerns regarding the outbreaks of acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), one of the causative agents of early mortality syndrome (EMS), that affected the shrimp industry of the region, specifically in Viet Nam, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines that led to low production and significant economic losses. In addressing such concerns, the SEAFDEC Council of Directors during its Meeting in 2014, suggested that health management, particularly the control and prevention of transboundary aquatic animal diseases, should be included in the future programs of the Aquaculture Department (AQD) of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). The pressing situation on AHPND in cultured shrimp in the region prompted SEAFDEC/AQD to seek financial support to fund a consultative meeting that would assess the occurrence of EMS/AHPND and other emerging diseases in farmed shrimps in the ASEAN Member States (AMSs). In response, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) collaborated with SEAFDEC/AQD and agreed to co-host the said consultative meeting, while the Government of Japan committed to fund the meeting through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). Thus, the Regional Technical Consultation (RTC) on EMS/AHPND and Other Transboundary Diseases for Improved Aquatic Animal Health in Southeast Asia was organized on 22-24 February 2016 in Makati City, Philippines. While assessing the status of EMS/AHPND and other emerging diseases in farmed shrimps, the RTC identified the gaps and priority areas for R&D and potential collaboration, and formulated the regional policy recommendations that centered on emergency preparedness and response systems (EPRS) through early warning, detection and response, for effective management of aquatic animal disease outbreaks in the region. The recommended EPRS comprises contingency planning arrangements that minimize the impacts of serious aquatic animal disease outbreaks through containment, i.e. prevention of further spread or eradication of the diseases whether at regional, national, or farm levels. Thus, establishing a harmonized aquatic EPRS among the AMSs was recognized as a top priority warranting a solid platform for effective and expeditious decision-making with clearly defined responsibilities and authority.
2020-01-01T00:00:00Z