Representatives of the ASEAN and SEAFDEC Member Countries, regional and international organizations and officials of the SEAFDEC Secretariat and Departments gathered together last November 16-20 in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia for the 32nd SEAFDEC Program Committee Meeting (PCM) and 12th Meeting of the Fisheries Consultative Group of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Strategic Partnerships (FCG-ASSP).

AQD Chief Dr. Joebert Toledo, Deputy Chief Dr. Teruo Azuma, Research Division head Dr. Evelyn Grace Ayson, Training and Information Division head Mr. Renato Agbayani, and Special Departmental Coordinator Ms. Belen Acosta represented AQD in the meetings.

During the Program Committee Meeting, Dr. Azuma, Dr. Ayson and Mr. Agbayani presented the progress of AQD programs and activities implemented in 2009 as well as the plans for 2010. The Program Committee acknowledged the achievements made by AQD in 2009 and endorsed its planned activities for 2010.

Recognizing the importance of these programs in generating aquaculture technologies that will help address the needs of the Member Countries, the Committee recommended AQD to continue disseminating the important findings and extend technical assistance to the Member Countries, particularly on the following aspects:
 

• Use of plant meals as alternative to fish meal in aquaculture feeds;
• Seed production, nursery and grow-out techniques for mud crab;
• Seed production techniques for sea bass;
• Seed production and hatchery techniques for grouper;
• Grow-out and hybridization techniques for abalone;
• Techniques for grow-out culture of milkfish;
• Management protocol to remove the off-flavor in tilapia before harvesting; and
• Techniques for grow-out and mass propagation of seaweeds.

Apart from presentations on the progress and plans of various SEAFDEC programs, the other issues discussed that have direct relevance to AQD’s work were the implementation of initiatives of the ASEAN in: (1) the development of the ASEAN integrated food security framework, (2) climate change and its impact on fisheries and aquaculture, (3) the outcomes of the 2nd Regional Advisory Committee Meeting on Fisheries Management, and (4) organization of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Conference on Sustainable fisheries for food security towards 2020.

The next Program Committee Meeting and Fisheries Consultative Group Meeting will be held in Thailand sometime in 2010, to be hosted by the SEAFDEC Training Department.

© 2010 SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department

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