Fish for the People Vol. 17 No. 2

Abstract

While targeting the sustainability of fisheries development in the Southeast Asian region, SEAFDEC ensures that the balance scale is tipped towards responsible utilization and conservation of the fishery resources through the implementation of programs and activities that are aimed at attaining environmental integrity and socio-economic stability. Since 1998, SEAFDEC has been promoting the adoption in Southeast Asia, of the Regional Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries in Southeast Asia that were developed based on the Global Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, and recently, the measures and tools towards combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to make sure that the region’s fisheries operations are conducted in responsible ways that aim for the sustainability of the fishery resources. The traceability of fish and fishery products from the region has also been strengthened for the safety of consumers. SEAFDEC also ensures that utilizing the region’s fishery resources should be responsive to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development,” and also to SDG 15.5 “Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species,” believing that by balancing the utilization of the fishery resources with conservation, the socio-economic stability of the countries in the region would be assured.