AQD and BFAR host Southeast Asian program and consultation meetings in Manila

Over 50 participants gathered in Heritage Hotel, Manila from 14 to 18 November 2011 for the 34^th Meeting of the Program Committee of SEAFDEC and the 14^th Meeting of the Fisheries Consultative Group / ASEAN-SEAFDEC Strategic Partnership (FCG-ASSP).

The participants comprised delegates from SEAFDEC’s 11 member-countries and representatives from the FAO Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat, SEAFDEC Departments and Secretariat. SEAFDEC/AQD and the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) were hosts.

The meeting, chaired by SEAFDEC Secretary-General Dr. Chumnarn Pongsri, commended and congratulated AQD for the well-implemented programs in 2011 and endorsed the thematic programs that will be conducted beginning in 2012. The latter is based on the recently-concluded 2011 ASEAN-SEAFDEC Conference on sustainable fisheries for food security towards 2020.

The meeting also suggested that AQD put further emphasis on the emerging needs of the aquaculture sector in Southeast Asia; and, depending on available resources, the following specific tasks were suggested:

ON RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

• continue R&D on important freshwater aquaculture species
• provide technical assistance to Myanmar to help develop the country’s rural aquaculture
• continue R&D to reduce the use of fish meal in aquafeeds; develop feeds for  soft-shelled crabs; give priority to studies on sources of phyto-proteins with considerations on applicability, protein efficiency, protein digestibility, and availability
• develop appropriate technology for climate change adaptation especially in the context of pond designs, species selection as well as feed and health management

COLLABORATION AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT

• collaborate with NACA on promotion of on-farm feed formulations for small-scale aquaculture; and collaborate with DA-BFAR on organic aquaculture research to address the increasing demands on organically produced aquaculture products
• provide more emphasis on dissemination of relevant aquaculture technologies for small-scale aquaculture; and disseminate pertinent manuals and other publications through accessible media
• conduct post-evaluation of completed AQD training programs to assess the effectiveness and impacts

Another matter discussed during the meeting was the establishment of a new SEAFDEC Department – the Regional Center for Inland Fisheries Development — in Palembang, Indonesia as proposed by the Indonesian government during the ministerial session of the 2011 ASEAN-SEAFDEC conference. The proposed mandate of the new department is to promote and develop sustainable inland fisheries in Southeast Asia. — Story and photos by B. Acosta