Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission

This publication is the proceedings of the workshop on low value and "trash fish" in the Asia-Pacific region convened in Hanoi, Viet Nam from 7 to 9 June 2005. The workshop was attended by 70 experts from APFIC member countries and from fishery organizations in the region. Trash fish is a broadly used term for fish species that by virtue of their small size or low consumer preference have little or no commercial value. The use of the term varies among countries and can also change both seasonally and with location. One category of trash fish are those not used for human consumption, either landed or discarded at sea. Those that are landed are often small fish that are targeted for processing into fish/animal meal. The other category is low value fish used for human consumption. The huge number of small-scale fisheries in the Asia-Pacific region generates a large quantity of trash fish, much of which is consumed or utilized locally as part of household food security, artisanal processing or for small-scale rural aquaculture and livestock raising. The aim of the workshop was to come up with a clear picture of the current trends and status of trash fish exploitation and utilization

This document presents the report of the special session on the establishment of the Ad Hoc Legal and Financial Working Group to review the future direction of the Commission. Subsequently, the Working Group discussed the challenges in fisheries and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region and recommended actions to be undertaken by APFIC to meet these challenges.

Aquaculture techniques for backyard rural aquaculture in Lao PDR This document contains some extension materials preared in Lao language developed by the Department of Livestock and Fisheries of Lao PDR during the Provincial Aquaculture Development Project (LAO/97/007).

There are short training sheets covering: basic techniques for small pond aquaculture, the nursing of fish in net cages, the formation of fish farmer groups, the breeding of common carp using simple techniques, the breeding and nursing of silver barb.

FAO. 2012. APFIC/FAO Regional consultative workshop: strengthening assessment of fisheries and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region for policy development, Yangon, Myanmar, 4–6 October, 2011. FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand. RAP Publication 2012/12, 50 pp.

At its 31st Session, the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) noted the need to strengthen fishery and aquaculture management in the region and encouraged member countries to undertake assessments where possible to assist fishery and aquaculture management decision-making. APFIC further emphasized the need to implement lower cost fishery assessment methods that are not heavily reliant on survey cruises, and to develop assessment techniques for data-poor, small-scale fisheries based on qualitative data and the use of risk-based approaches. It also recalled the need for improved management of aquaculture at the farm and sector level. As part of APFIC’s goals to support dialogue and improve understanding of key fisheries issues of common interest to the Asia-Pacific region, the 31st Session of APFIC identified the need to organize a workshop on “Strengthening assessment of fisheries and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region for policy development”. In response, a regional consultative workshop was convened which brought together 58 participants from APFIC member countries and from competent regional organization partners to discuss, consult on, and influence the region’s efforts to develop and apply various types of fishery-related assessments to support the fisheries management process.

The workshop reviewed how existing capture fisheries assessment approaches can contribute to the different phases of the fisheries management process. The workshop also considered how to help develop standards for environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and footprint type activities to support ecosystem approaches to aquaculture sector management. In particular, the workshop addressed how these assessment methods could be tailored to the characteristics of fisheries/aquaculture within the region (especially small-scale fisheries) to facilitate the sharing of learning experiences and contribute to the increased use of lower cost assessment tools.

The workshop report contains a priority list of recommendations on how the use of lower cost assessment tools can be applied appropriately in data-poor, small-scale fishery/aquaculture situations that are characteristic of the region. It also identified the capacity building needs to support this. This workshop was therefore an important step in building regional capacity to assess the management conditions and needs of the aquaculture and fisheries sectors. In particular, it established a foundation for further work on developing technical guidance on methods as well as formulating and implementing pilot level fishery management plans in member countries.

The need to apply an ecosystem approach to fisheries management is now globally accepted and has been endorsed in a range of international decision-making fora. This approach represents a move away from fisheries management systems that focus only on the sustainable harvest of target species towards systems and decision-making processes that balance environmental well-being with human and social well-being within improved governance frameworks.

The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) provides a global framework for responsible fisheries, but member countries, fisheries organizations and fisheries stakeholders require a practical framework to implement the recommendations of the CCRF. The ecosystem approach to management of fisheries (EAF) and aquaculture (EAA) presents such a practical framework whereby the objectives of responsible and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture can be implemented at national and local levels. Although there is an increasing will to move towards more holistic fisheries and aquaculture management and planning frameworks, the practical approach and application of ecosystem based planning and management remains challenged by a lack of familiarity with EAF and EAA and the need for considerable policy reform.

The 2nd Regional Consultative Forum Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) and the 30th Session of APFIC convened in Manado in 2008, recommended that APFIC promote understanding of how to implement ecosystem approaches to aquaculture and fisheries management.

They noted too that this would effectively contribute to the implementation of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. The session emphasized the need for guidance on how to apply this management approach to the small-scale production sector, the development of offshore fisheries and in the data-poor situations that prevail in the APFIC region.

This report is the proceedings of the APFIC/FAO/Government of Sri Lanka regional consultative workshop convened in response to this recommendation. The workshop brought together 75 participants from member countries across the Asia and Pacific region together with representatives of regional fisheries, aquaculture and environmental intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, alongside projects and other arrangements. The workshop enabled participants to familiarize themselves with ecosystem approaches to management and explore how these planning and management frameworks can be applied to the complex issues facing fisheries and aquaculture systems that are typical of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia. The workshop also developed recommendations for action directed at APFIC member countries and the regional partners of APFIC for individual or collective action.

The workshop represented a unique opportunity to build awareness and understanding of the potential opportunities that are offered by an ecosystem approach to management and hopefully will lead to the development of ecologically sound action plans for fisheries and aquaculture in the region. I am sure that the outcome of this workshop sees the beginning of wider adoption and implementation of ecosystem based management in the APFIC region, and encourages all to pursue the recommendations contained herein.

For resource background materials and presentations:
http://www.apfic.org/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=375

Report of the APFIC Regional Consultative Workshop on Implications of Climate Change on Fisheries and Aquaculture: Challenges for Adaptation and Mitigation in the Asia-Pacific Region, Kathmandu, Nepal, 24-26 May 2011. RAP Publication 2011/17.

It is now widely recognized that the effects of climate change will impact the fisheries sector, and result in increased uncertainty in the supply of fish from capture fisheries and aquaculture. The warming of the sea surface, river and lakes, changing precipitation, water salinity and ocean acidity and sea level rise will have an effect on marine, coastal and inland environments, producing changes in habitats, stocks and species distribution. Long-term and cyclical fluctuations in marine environments and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as excessive rainfall, cyclones and droughts, will certainly have an impact on the supply of fish and fisheries products. Food quality may also be threatened with the increased risk of species invasions and the spreading of vector-borne diseases. Nevertheless, there may also be positive impacts like access to new species and new markets as a result of climatic change.

Trying to understand the challenges as well as the opportunities that may arise in future scenarios, member countries of the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) and regional organizations have convened this technical workshop with the purpose of reviewing their mitigation and adaptation strategies for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. As expected for a region as diverse as Asia and the Pacific, the focus and priorities of the countries vary according to the variety of issues that might affect them. The workshop nonetheless identified shared concerns such as the lack of understanding of the effects that climate change could have in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors and the insufficient capacity available to deal with such effects in the region. Member countries further underlined the need for integration of the fishery and aquaculture sectors into the national climate change planning process.

This workshop report provides recommendations for member countries and partner organizations to take timely actions to address climate change issues related to the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. These cover the strengthening of climate change related policies for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, the allocation of financial resources, the strengthening of governance and the use of integrated management approaches and monitoring tools. The workshop highlighted the involvement of all the relevant stakeholders in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, especially the most vulnerable. These recommendations aim to strengthen the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in the Asia and the Pacific region by promoting better preparedness for climate related change.

This Report is based the APFIC Regional Consultative Workshop on Certification schemes for capture fisheries and aquaculture held in HCMC, VietNam in September 2007. The Workshop is a contribution to the ongoing process of transforming the Asia

The Meeting of the APFIC Ad hoc Working Group of Experts in Capture Fishery Data Collection was convened in Bangkok, Thailand, from 7 to 9 September 1999. Its main task was to discuss implementation of the Guidelines for the Routine Collection of Capture Fishery Data (Appendix A). The Guidelines were prepared during the FAO/DANIDA Expert Consultation in Bangkok, Thailand, in May 1998 following a recommendation made during the First Session of the APFIC Joint Working Party on Fisheries Statistics and Economics in August 1997. The Meeting was chaired by Mr Romeo Recide, in his capacity as Chairman of the Joint Working Party and for the inter-sessional period 1997-1999.

This document contains the report of the FAO/APFIC/SEAFDEC Regional Workshop on Port State Measures to Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated [IUU] Fishing, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 31 March to 4 April 2008. The objective of the Workshop was to develop national capacity and promote bilateral, subregional and/or regional coordination so that countries would be better placed to strengthen and harmonize port State measures and, as a result, implement further the 2001 FAO International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, the 2005 FAO Model Scheme on Port State Measures to Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and contribute to the development of a legallybinding instrument on port State measures. The Workshop addressed: the background and framework for port State measures; the FAO Model Scheme including national plans of action to combat IUU fishing and IUU fishing activities in Southeast Asia; the FAO Model Scheme and regional approaches and the 2007 draft Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing; key elements of national laws, and the role of the Asia Pacific Fisheries Commission and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center; national coordination and implementation of port State measures; industry perspectives on port State measures, and responses to the questionnaire on port State measures. Working groups were formed to enhance the participatory nature of the Workshop and as a means of engendering broader and deeper discussion on concepts and issues relating to port State measures. In the first exercise, participants addressed multidisciplinary aspects of port State measures, and in the second exercise, thematic issues were considered. A fictitious case study exercise was also undertaken. It was intended to demonstrate how a port State might deal with a realistic IUU fishing problem. The final session of the Workshop sought to identify key issues to be addressed on a regional basis as followup to the Workshop.

This Final Report on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia draws primarily upon secondary sources, supplemented with field interviews. The report provides:
• analysis of demographics for the fishing sector in east coast States;
• a summary of the nature and extent of IUU fishing in the east coast region;
• an overview of the drivers and impacts of IUU fishing;
• a description of monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) arrangements for east coast Peninsular Malaysian fisheries; and
• a summary of relevant laws and regulations for the fisheries industry in Malaysia.

The study of demographics indicates that east coast Peninsular Malaysian States are less wealthy than the more industrialised States in the west, and that northern east coast States are poorer than the southern States. Fishing families in the east coast region appear to be amongst the less wealthy segment of society, with the lowest levels of education and few opportunities for employment diversity.

There are many forms of IUU fishing evident in the east coast region of Peninsular Malaysia,including:
violation of fishing licence conditions such as encroachment and use of unauthorised fishing gear;
• unlicensed fishing;
• unregulated and unreported harvest of lobster;
• IUU harvest and smuggling of cockle spat;
• IUU turtle egg harvest and unreported turtle by-catch;
• illegal harvest of arowana;
• IUU harvest of grouper fry;
• illegal fishing by foreign vessels;
• possible violent crime against fishing boats;
• illegal fishing within marine protected areas; and
• shark fin fishing.
The drivers, pressures and impacts of IUU fishing are summarised in the form of a ‘Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response’ (DPSIR) model. The use of the DPSIR tool demonstrates well the complexity of the problem, including subtle influences such as cultural tolerance for rule bending; a highly developed respect for hierarchy, even in the context of evident corruption; the role of ethnicity in market behaviour, and much more. However, some aspects of IUU fishing in the area are far from subtle, such as the smuggling of subsidised diesel fuel and fish, and possibly the trafficking
of persons as forced labour on fishing boats.

The financial loss to local communities from IUU fishing in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia is difficult to calculate, but can reasonably be demonstrated to be considerable. The financial loss from smuggled subsidised fuel alone is estimated conservatively to cost more than RM6 million per year. The smuggling of fish caught in Kelantan waters to Thailand is likely to represent a direct loss of at least RM72m per year (possibly much more) plus additional losses through wasted subsidised fuel, artificially inflated fish prices in local markets, lost fishing boat provisioning business, and unproductive capital expenditure on idle fish cold-store facilities. Other losses through ecosystem harm caused by IUU over-fishing and the use of inappropriate gear in delicate environments would involve extensive observational data and complex models to quantify; nevertheless, such losses can be accepted as occurring at a certain level.

This APEC fisheries working group report provides an analysis of the nature and extent of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Sulawesi Sea, including their economic, social and environmental impacts and the factors contributing to IUU fishing in the area. The report also examines the efforts being made by the states bordering the Sulawesi Sea at the national, bilateral and regional levels to combat IUU fishing.

Assessment of Impacts of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing in the Asia-Pacific.
Frank Meere and Mary Lack, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Fisheries Working Group, November 2008

The Pacific Ocean is a source of more than 60% of global marine capture production (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2008a) and fishing makes a significant economic and social contribution to many economies in the Asia-Pacific region. However, the status of a number of economically important fish stocks in the Pacific Ocean is of concern. Overfishing has caused significant declines of some stocks in waters under national jurisdiction and of some migratory and straddling stocks. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is one of a range of interrelated factors that is putting these stocks at risk. It is estimated that 3.4

Beverly, S., Griffiths D. & Lee, R. (2012). Anchored fish aggregating devices for artisanal fisheries in South and Southeast Asia: benefits and risks. FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand, RAP Publication 2012/20,65p.

For centuries fishers have known that fish are attracted to and congregate around naturally occurring floating objects. By fishing close to these, they can often bring back fish for their families. They have also learned that by placing their own floating objects in the sea that fish would aggregate around them making catching easier. These man-made objects are called Fish Aggregating Devices or FADs and they can be either drifting or anchored.

Since FADs can improve fish catches, governments and national fisheries agencies in the Asia region are examining the merits of using anchored FAD programmes. Their policy objectives are typically improved food security through better availability of localized aquatic animal protein, increasing the reliability of income from fishing for artisanal fishers and the creation of employment in coastal areas through fish and aquatic product trading and processing.

In the last decade or so, FADs for both artisanal and commercial/industrial fisheries have proliferated in Asia and the Pacific region. In some areas this has caused concern about the potential negative impacts on fisheries and the marine environment. This has led environmental and conservation groups to lobby for FAD-free caught tuna, particularly in industrial type tuna fisheries.

This publication responds to requests from governments within the region for additional information on the use of anchored fish aggregating devices for artisanal fisheries. It was produced by the Spanish-funded and FAO-executed Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (RFLP), which is conducting activities in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam.

The book highlights the potential benefits of well co-managed anchored FAD programmes, which can contribute to overall food security. It covers the planning and background research requirements and emphasizes the importance and need for holistic and inclusive community consultation and monitoring processes and the development of enabling policies.

The book also covers the environmental concerns and possible negative ecosystem impacts of unplanned and poorly managed programmes, which inevitably lead to unsustainable resource exploitation and financial and economic losses.

An Advisory note was also developed as a summary and findings of this book to promote responsible planning, implementation and monitoring of anchored fish aggregating devices for artisanal fisheries in line with the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/v9878e/v9878e00.htm). It provides recommendations to governments, fisheries agencies, donors and other key stakeholders on the technical, socio-economic and environmental aspects to be considered before deciding on whether to embark on a FAD programme.

Lymer D. & S. Funge-Smith (2009). An analysis of historical national reports of inland capture fisheries statistics in the Asia-Pacific region (1950-2007). FAO Regional Office for Asia and Pacific. RAP Publication 2009/18, 18 pp.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse whether the apparent trend in inland capture fishery production in the Asia-Pacific region since 1950 according to FAO statistics is reflective of the growth in inland fisheries or whether it is influenced by changes in statistical reporting practices. The objective of this analysis was to identify large changes (between years) that are significant for a reporting country and to investigate whether these changes also affect the regional change of that year (for the countries of the Asia-Pacific region). An analysis was undertaken, albeit making several unsubstantiated assumptions, which provided indications that reporting practices have indeed changed and that historical catches were probably higher.

The review suggests that the regional trend of continually increasing production may be misleading and hides a period of limited growth in production. The effect of the trend line when compared against growth in opulations of the countries reviewed indicates that per capita fish availability rose up to a peak in 1975, but subsequently declined until the early 1990�s. This has more recently started to increase again, possibly due to a number of factors particularly stock enhancement programmes.

The results presented in this study have implications for policy and our understanding of the status of inland fisheries in the region, as the review concludes that even where figures are adjusted upwards, these may still not be indicating increasing fishery production in some countries, but rather, the readjustments are reflecting previous systematic under-estimates and that it is possible that some inland fisheries may still have a declining trend.

This document is a collection of all the technical papers presented at the international Workshop on Advances in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Management (ASCAM) held from 14 to 18 October 2003 in Dalian (Liaoning Province), People's Republic of China, and organized by the FAO Fisheries Department.

The publication is divided into four sections. The first part includes the introduction and recommendations made by the participants on issues concerning sea cucumber resource management and aquaculture. The next sections contain the technical papers presented and discussed at the workshop sessions, namely (i) on the status of resources and utilization (Session I), (ii) on resource management (Session II), and (iii) on aquaculture advances (Session III).

The first section introduces up-to-date information on the present status of world sea cucumber resources and utilization with special focus on those countries such as China, Ecuador, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines which have been heavily involved in the industry for decades. Information from other countries such as Cuba, Egypt, Madagascar and Tanzania, relative newcomers to the sector, is also provided indicating to some extent the growing interest with regards to the exploitation of holothurians for the increasing Asian markets.

The section on resource management focuses on the experiences of countries, highlighting progress made as well as identifying the constraints and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to ensure adequate management of these multispecies fisheries. Issues raised include whether restocking and stock enhancement should be used to manage sea cucumber fisheries.

The third section presents information on technical advances made in the artificial reproduction and farming of selected commercial species, particularly for the Japanese sea cucumber, Apostichopusjaponicus. Furthermore, the workshop in Dalian provided the opportunity to share findings from on-going research activities on a variety of other sea cucumber species including the Galapagos sea cucumber, Isostichopus fuscus. The interest in holothurian aquaculture is clearly growing. This is evident from the number of countries participating in sea cucumber aquaculture research, possibly as a result of declining natural resources or national aquaculture species diversification programmes.

The workshop recommendations were formulated and agreed during discussion sessions and are designed to help international and regional development organizations and national governments prioritize their activities concerning sea cucumber conservation and exploitation.

Key words: Holothurians, sea cucumber, beche-de-mer, resource management, conservation, fisheries, aquaculture, polyculture, hatchery operations, reproduction, spawning, larval rearing, parasites, processing, markets

This paper explores the development of industrial fishing in the 22 countries and territories in the central and western Pacific Ocean. For the purpose of this short paper, industrial fishing is defined using large vessels, generally greater than 15 m in length, for fishing activity that is mainly carried out in offshore areas.

Industrial tuna fisheries produce about ten times the amount of fish being produced by all of the other fisheries of the region combined. Various forms of industrial tuna fishing were attempted in the past century, but only three types have enjoyed any degree of commercial success: purse-seining, longlining, and pole-and-line fishing.

The first substantive industrial fishing activities were those by the Japanese in the 1920s and 1930s in Micronesia. Following the destruction of fisheries infrastructure during World War II, little industrial fishing development occurred until the early 1950s when Japanese fishing activity resumed in Micronesia. Both Japan and the United States of America became active in establishing tuna bases in several parts of the Pacific Islands area in the early 1960s.

Financial shocks to the Japanese and USA fleets in the late 1950s and 1960s resulted in considerable innovation that both enabled the survival of the fleets and affected their presence in the Pacific Islands area. This included the development of sashimi freezer longlining by the Japanese and the tuna purse-seining by the Americans. Important recent developments in the Pacific Islands area include the entry of tuna vessels from China into the fishery and the development of domestic longlining in most countries.

In both longlining and purse-seining, the other Asian players (Taiwan (Province of China), Republic of Korea, and most recently China) have become increasingly successful. This has not occurred through innovation but rather by coupling existing technology with low production costs and aggressive fishing practices.

Besides industrial tuna fishing, which occurs in the waters of all Pacific Island countries, the only other significant form of industrial fishing in the Pacific Islands region is shrimp trawling in Papua New Guinea. The magnitude of shrimp trawling in the Pacific Islands is actually quite small compared with industrial tuna fishing, with the value of fishing for tuna being about 400 times greater.

Some of the important lessons learned in the development of industrial fishing in the region are:
- Government-owned tuna fishing companies are rarely, if ever, successful. It was an extremely expensive learning process, but now the general consensus in the region is that the government is very poor at running large and complex fishing operations.
- Past sustainable industrial operations have been mainly associated with the tuna resources. Similarly, most industrial-scale opportunities for the foreseeable future are likely to be tuna-related.

The contribution of inland fisheries to the livelihoods and food security of the peoples of Asia has long been achnowledged. Inland fisheries are one of the last open access natural resources and provide both income and food to some of the poorest rural inhabitants of the region. In Asia, inland fisheries are mostly rural, artisanal activities catering to rural populations and providing an affordable source of animal protein, employment and household income. In more recent years, Asian inland fisheries have been seen to decline as environmental degradation, increasing fishing and population place pressure on these resources. This review looks at the resources and practices of management and enhancement of some key inland fisheries and how these resources can be enhanced to continue to provide food and income. Stock enhancement is an integral component of many inland fisheries. Indeed, new avenues of production such as culture-based fisheries are being increasingly adopted and are seen as a way forward in most countries. Inland fishery activities also have a distinct advantage in that their development is usually less resource intensive than is conventional aquaculture. This review provides suggestions and recommendations on what needs to be done to improve current enhancement practices and the institutional and practical issues that relate to this. The effect of enhancement on wild fish stocks and the implications for hatchery management of stocks and stocking strategies are also covered.

This report examines the current status of production and participation in large-scale and small-scale fisheries in Thailand. It also looks at both the marine and inland capture fisheries of the country and capture fisheries out of Thai waters by Thai fishing boats.

The main conclusion of this report is that inland capture fisheries are considered to be underestimated by a factor of at least five, suggesting considerable undervaluation of this resource. Furthermore, a large proportion of Thailand

Small-scale fisheries and fisheries related activities make an important contribution to the nutrition, food security and sustainable livelihoods of people in many countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. In the Mekong Delta region alone, more than 15 million people are estimated to depend on fisheries activities on a daily basis, either for income, employment or food supply. The majority of these people live in rural (often remote) areas, with poor standards of living, and are unable to influence their operating constraints. Small-scale fisheries have tended to receive little attention from policy-makers despite their significant contribution to food security. Systematic research support to improve understanding of their functioning, governance, and human and resource benefits has been lacking. This publication identifies some of the major issues affecting small-scale fisheries and provides a research agenda for addressing them. Consideration is also given to the means by which the gap between research and action can be bridged.

Recent years have seen markets becoming increasingly stringent towards the quality of food products. Initially, quality criteria addressed mainly food safety issues. However, in response to the concerns expressed by many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders, product quality increasingly began to include criteria related to environmental and socio-economic sustainability. This trend can be clearly identified by looking at market trends for sustainable products. According to the market watcher Mintel, the amount of ethical and sustainable food and drink products, including fair-trade and organic items, almost doubled in 2006.1 The trend towards better quality experienced by the overall food sector can also be observed in fisheries and aquaculture products. Sustainability and corporate social and environmental responsibility were key topics discussed at the 2007 Seafood Summit and are likely to play a greater role in the sector.

There is a notable difference between agriculture and fisheries commodities, especially as fisheries products are often much more diverse than those of agriculture in terms of both commodities and production systems. Requirements for quality criteria and the need to cope with this diversity have led, over the past few years, to an overwhelming proliferation of certification schemes. Also the additional potential for further expansion in the number of programmes if other stakeholders involved with the certification of agricultural products3 were to increase attention in the aquaculture sector has led several Asian countries to express concerns about the potential impact that these certification schemes may have on the supply chain of especially on small-scale producers.

At the 29th Session of APFIC in Kuala Lumpur, August 2006, member countries recommended that APFIC’s work should focus on Certification in Fisheries and Aquaculture as one of the emerging issues for the fisheries sector in the region. This document is part of APFIC’s response to its members’ request and is aimed at reviewing the voluntary standards and certification programmes applicable to the aquaculture sector in the Asia–Pacific region, in particular looking at the challenges and opportunities of the most important schemes with the objective of advising stakeholders on strategies to maximize the sustainability of the aquaculture sector for all parties involved and especially for small-scale producers. In an attempt to assess the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to quality assurance, the criteria for selection of schemes have been kept as inclusive as possible. However, a smaller number of schemes particularly relevant to the aquaculture sector in the Asia–Pacific region were also selected to allow a more detailed qualitative assessment.

Fisheries management is a complex and evolving discipline and much is still being learnt about what it involves, what works and what doesn’t. The problem is compounded by the fact that fisheries management as a coherent discipline is still poorly defined and frequently equally poorly understood. This publication strives to identify the primary tasks in management of capture fisheries, with particular emphasis on sustainable utilization of the biological resources, and to demonstrate how these tasks should be undertaken in an integrated and coordinated manner to obtain the desired benefits from the biological resources in a sustainable and responsible manner.

The Guidebook is divided into nine different chapters, individually authored by experts in the field from around the world. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to fisheries management, discussing what it is and who or what is the fishery manager. It discusses the inter-relationships between goals and objectives and management plans, measures and strategies, and examines some of the primary issues which need to be considered by the managers in executing their task.

Chapter 2 provides an overview of the different types of fishing gear used in fisheries and the impacts each can have on the target species, bycatch species and rest of the ecosystem and discusses how management can regulate the use and characteristics of fishing gear. Chapter 3 examines the role of closed areas and closed seasons in fisheries management, considering the different goals they can serve and their potential advantages and disadvantages.
Consideration of a number of case studies demonstrates their use in practice. Chapter 4 examines direct input (effort) and output (catch) control in fisheries and provides insight into different types of input and output control, the structures and capacity needed for their application, and some of the more common problems that can be encountered in using them.

All of these management measures and strategies should be developed in order to achieve the agreed objectives for the fishery, and Chapter 5 describes how the fisheries manager can determine the most appropriate strategies for their objectives, with particular emphasis on the role and use of scientific and other information on the fishery and the resources it exploits.

It is now generally accepted that open access fisheries are biologically, economically and socially damaging and Chapter 6 examines the topical question of allocating use rights in fisheries. It discusses the nature and forms of use rights and how they are implemented. It demonstrates that use rights are also a form of management measure and different systems of use rights will assist in achieving different objectives.

Chapter 7 continues the emphasis on the user groups or interested parties and considers the importance of involving these parties as partners in fisheries management. It presents the different scopes and scales which such partnerships can cover, and examines the benefits and problems in managing in partnership, including the conditions required for effective partnerships.

Finally, Chapter 9 describes the importance of formulating management plans and what should be included in fisheries management plans. It examines their implementation and the need to review them periodically. It also provides some case studies of their development and role in a range of fishery types.

A Blueprint for Ocean and Coastal Sustainability (IOC/UNESCO, FAO, IMO, UNDP). This document is a SUMMARY of “A Blueprint for Ocean and Coastal Sustainability”, an interagency paper that provides context for the Rio+20 discussions, through analysis of current challenges in ocean and coastal management around the world.

The ocean is an integral part of our planet, and is an absolutely essential component of human lives, livelihoods and the environment that sustains us. Use of ocean space and resources has been an essential component of global economic growth and prosperity. The concepts and objectives of ‘sustainable development’ and ‘Green Economy’ make sense only if the ocean is fully incorporated. Sustainable development is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Sustainable development is the approach recognised by the international community to deal with environmental, social and economic issues the world has faced in the past 20 years. Nevertheless we still find the ocean in peril, coastal communities unable to cope with existing and emerging issues, and all levels of government unable to effect the institutional change required to address these issues.

The aim of this Report is to provide context for Rio+20 discussions through analysis of current challenges in ocean and coastal management around the world, assessment of how well the multiple goals and objectives of previous international efforts have been met, and building on recent dialogue and inputs including the meeting of the UN Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (UNICPOLOS) and the Secretary General’s report on Oceans and Law of the Sea. The above mentioned issues are presented in Sections One to Four of the Report.

Importantly, this Report presents a number of tangible proposals towards ocean sustainability that should be regarded as priorities for consideration in the Rio+20 outcomes (Section Five). Each is assessed against the three pillars of sustainable development (environmental, social and economic), a range of cross-cutting issues, as well as the dual focus of Rio+20: Green Economy and institutional framework for sustainable development. In the lead-up to Rio+20, considerable momentum is building to ensure that ocean and coastal management challenges and innovative strategies are incorporated in the new sustainable development approaches that will emerge from Rio+20.

This Report is a product of several UN agencies and programmes (IOC/UNESCO, UNDP, IMO, and FAO) and has benefited from comments from a range of ocean stakeholders, including the World Bank, the Global Ocean Forum, the Pew Foundation, and the World Ocean Council as well as a number of dedicated experts.