REPORT OF THE
FIRST NATIONAL COORDINATORS' MEETING ON
REGIONAL SEAFARMING AND DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT
27–28 October 1987, Bangkok, Thailand
|
REPORT OF THE
FIRST NATIONAL COORDINATORS' MEETING ON
REGIONAL SEAFARMING AND DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT 27–28 October 1987, Bangkok, Thailand |
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1. The First National Coordinators' Meeting of the Regional Seafarming Development and Demonstration Project (RAS/86/024) was held from 27 to 30 October 1987 in Thailand, with the formal session at the Conference Hall of the National Inland Fisheries Institute, Bangkhen, Bangkok from 27 to 28 October, followed by an observation study tour conducted in Phuket and Phang-Nga, Thailand from 29 to 30 October.
ATTENDANCE
2. The Meeting was attended by the National Coordinators and representatives from China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Republic of Korea (ROK), Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. An information specialist from IRRI along with FAO personnel from Rome, RAPA, Seafarming Development Project in Indonesia and Seafarming/NACA projects also participated in the Meeting. The list of the participants is shown in Appendix 1.
OPENING CEREMONY
3. In the brief opening ceremony, Mr. Vanich Varikul, Director-General of the Department of Fisheries, Government of Thailand, welcomed the participants to the maiden meeting of the National Coordinators. He expressed his pleasure in hosting the Meeting in Thailand and noted that the Seafarming Project, like NACA, is also based on the principle of technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC) for technology development/transfer and information exchange. He reiterated and reaffirmed Thailand's support and commitment to the TCDC activities in the region, and stated that Thailand fully supports the FAO/UNDP Regional Seafarming Development and Demonstration Project.
4. Further, he added that the Project will strengthen the early initiatives and efforts taken by each of the member countries in seafarming development, and he hoped that it will become another network, under the umbrella of NACA, which will soon be institutionalized as an inter-governmental agency. He took the opportunity to invite participating countries of the Seafarming Project, which are presently non-NACA members, to join NACA so as to make it a self-sustaining, wholly Asian activity for the benefit of the Asian peoples. He hoped that several such networks on different disciplines related to fish farming will come under this umbrella for the expanded development of aquaculture in the region.
5. As Thailand has a special interest in the outcome of the National Coordinators' Meeting, he expressed the hope that the participants would assess the project activities in the light of the resources available as proposed in the Project Document. His Welcome Address appears in Appendix 2.
6. Mr. Chen Foo Yan, NACA Coordinator and Chief Technical Adviser (CTA) of the Project expressed his appreciation for the reaffirmation of Thailand's support and also for the guidelines given for the Meeting by the Director-General. Before calling for the election of a Chairman for the Meeting, he stressed the need for all National Coordinators to participate actively in the discussion and formulation of the work plan.
ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN
7. Dr. William Chan, representative from FAO Rome, moved that Dr. Kitjar Jaiyen, Director of the National Inland Fisheries Institute (NACA lead centre in Thailand), be elected as the Chairman. The Director of the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mr. Juanito Malig, seconded it. There being no further nominations, Dr. Jaiyen was unanimously designated as Chairman of the First National Coordinators' Meeting. Director Malig was elected as Vice Chairman.
8. Dr. Jaiyen expressed his appreciation for the confidence shown in him by the participants. He also requested the National Coordinators to actively participate in the meeting to further crystallize the direction, work plan, and activities of the Seafarming Project so as to achieve the objectives spelled out in the Project Document.
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
9. The Provisional Agenda was adopted by the participants without alteration. The adopted Agenda appears as Appendix 3.
10. The CTA, while reiterating the need for TCDC in implementing the project activities, explained the purpose of the Meeting and requested the National Coordinators to develop the work plan and programme of activities within the limits of available resources. The formulated work plan will be incorporated as part of the Project Document which will be submitted to the first annual review scheduled for January 1988. In order to assist their deliberation, several documents have been prepared or reproduced, including the Project Document. The list of documents appears in Appendix 4. He then requested the National Coordinators to present summaries of their country papers.
11. Summaries of country papers of China, Indonesia, DPRK, ROK, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand were presented by the designated National Coordinators of the respective countries, reflecting the current status and increasing trends in seafarming. The country papers also highlighted the importance of mariculture in the national fisheries development plans.
12. The development of aquaculture in the People's Republic of China has been made an important fishery policy for upgrading fishery production and reducing pressure on fishing resources. Mariculture is planned as the main means of increasing nearshore fisheries production and is expected to produce high-value species for both domestic consumption and export. By 1990, area devoted to mariculture will amount to more than 600,000 hectares, and production, about 1.2 million MT.
13. The Country Paper also indicates that more marine species, other than those which are presently cultivated on commercial scale, are being cultivated on an experimental basis. Emphasis will also be given to exportable high-value species. The PRC Country Paper appears in Appendix 5.
14. The Government of Indonesia attaches great importance to
seafarming and recognizes its role in increasing fish production.
The national effort is being strengthened through the FAO/UNDP
Project on seafarming development, which started in 1982.
However, seafarming production is still negligible. The present
seafarming commodity under culture is seaweed; mussel and other
species are still under experimentation. Cockle culture has not
been started, while techniques of seabass production are still
being improved. The Country Paper for Indonesia appears in
Appendix 6.
15. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has taken several measures to artificially increase shallow sea resources so as to increase fish production. Water areas for increasing national resources are legislated as special protected areas. Seafarming research institutions at Korea East and West Sea and a subsidiary experimental institution in each province have been established, thus leading to rapid growth in the production of Laminaria, Undaria, laver, Gracilaria, scallops, mussel, oyster and abalone.
16. To achieve the government target of increasing seafarming production to about 8 million tons in the 1990's, it has increased its investments on the industry, paying close attention to training of experts and research activities. The Country Paper reflecting the status and prospects of seafarming, and research and development activities in DPRK appears in Appendix 7.
17. The Republic of Korea possesses a coastline of about 9,325 miles and shallow coastal areas on its east, west and south. Thus, it has most favourable conditions for the development of marine aquaculture. While there has not been a marked increase in the production from the capture fisheries sector, the demand for fishery products has continuously increased due to correspondingly increasing income and population growth. To meet the growing demand, the government has placed great emphasis on mariculture, which has shown an increasing trend in production.
18. The government has put its serious efforts to utilize and develop its aquacultural resources. Of the total culturable area of 187,300 hectares, about 96,885 hectares have been developed for aquaculture; 43,471 hectares for shellfish; 51,547 hectares for seaweed; 1,650 hectares for other sea animals; and 217 hectares for fish culture. The Country Paper for ROK appears in Appendix 8.
19. In the Philippines, aquaculture is traditionally based on brackishwater pond culture of milkfish, expanded in recent years to include shrimp culture, tilapia and carp in pens and cages; and the culture of oyster, mussels and seaweeds in marine waters.
20. Seafarming still has the geatest potentials of development due to the archipelagic nature of the country, as well as its coastal waters overexploited by sustenance capture fisheries. Four species of oysters, three of mussels, and two of seaweeds are cultured in the Philippines. The research and development requirements for seafarming have been identified, with particular reference to spat collection and transplanting to pre-identified areas. Production areas are indicated in the Country Paper which appears as Appendix 9.
21. Seafarming in Singapore is mainly intensive culture of economically important marine fish and shellfish species in floating cage and raft systems. The operation is still largely manual and trash fish is the principal feed used. However, the trend is towards the application of high technology to maximize productivity, save on labour, ensure consistently high product quality, and reduce dependence on trash fish supply.
22. Seafarming production was negligible in 1970 but increased to 1,027 in 1980 and 1,290 MT in 1986, the latter of which constituted 6.35 percent of the total local production, reflecting an increasing production trend. It is envisaged that by 1995, the production will account for about 10 percent of total fish supply, or a target production of 10,000 to 14,000 MT annually. The Country Paper on the status and trends of seafarming activities, research and development appears in Appendix 10.
23. In Thailand, seafarming has been practiced in many places near the sea coast. However, the more important commercial operations are centered around the extensive areas of the main rivers, lakes and intertidal coastal areas. Possibilities exist not only for the culture of finfish like seabass and grouper, but also for crabs, molluscs and seaweed. Presently, Thailand cultures mostly two major species of fish (seabass and grouper) and five of mollusc [cockle, green mussel, small oyster (Crassostrea vitrefacto), large oyster (Crassostrea belcheri) and horse mussel].
24. Total amount and value of species produced by seafarming (shrimp, fish and mollusc) and exports of major coastal aquaculture products are given in the Country Paper which appears in Appendix 11.
25. As the National Coordinator for India was unable to attend the Meeting, the Chairman requested Dr. V.R.P. Sinha of NACA to throw some light on the status of seafarming in the country. Dr. Sinha said that as far as he understands, India has a great interest in the development of seafarming. It has been experimenting with seaweed cultivation and mollusc culture, but that considerable effort is required for transfer of technology to the small-scale farmers and fishermen.
26. Identification of possible focal points for training and demonstration in the member countries was made by the National Coordinators, including the type of facilities and number of staff available for the project activities. While some centres are well-staffed and well-equipped, some require further upgrading. The summary of facilities and staff available, by nodal centre, is shown in Appendix 12.
27. All the National Coordinators expressed interest in the inter-country transfer of most of the seafarming systems proposed in the Project Document. However, in addition to the species proposed in the Document, other species of commercial interest were identified, including sea cucumber, scallop, Gracilaria and pearl oyster.
28. In identifying the seafarming systems in which their countries were particularly interested in gaining further experience, the National Coordinators agreed that training by demonstration (for farmers) and by formal training courses (for technical personnel) should be organized for the systems proposed. The expertise of farmers in some countries practising a particular farming system could be upgraded through demonstration organized by a member country with advanced technology in the system. However, the need to organize formal training courses for technical staff particularly for the introduction of seafarming systems new to their countries was also stressed. It was felt that the technical staff, upon their return to their respective countries, could further investigate the acquired technology and adapt it to suit their local environmental conditions. The identified systems for demonstration and/or training are indicated in Appendix 13.
29. The National Coordinators agreed to organize training programmes as indicated in the Project Document, except in the case of cockle culture. The training programme for this system would be held in Thailand instead of Indonesia which indicated certain reservations in organizing the said training. It was also suggested that a training course on depuration of mollusc be organized. The National Coordinators indicated provisional starting dates for demonstration and/or training courses to be held in their respective countries, with the duration ranging from 2 to 4 weeks, or even two months for some courses.
30. Most of the National Coordinators were able to provide cost estimates for the courses. The budgetary requirements differed depending on whether the courses are of the demonstration or training type. It was agreed that details would be finalized with the CTA at a later date. It was noted that the cost of training/demonstrations was much higher than that allocated in the Project Document. It was also agreed that training manuals should be prepared by the National Coordinators and made available to all training programme participants prior to the commencement of the courses. The Coordinating Unit in Bangkok will provide the guidelines for the preparation of such manuals, to ensure uniformity in format and style; final editing of the manuals will be done by the Coordinating Unit.
31. Considering seafarming possibilities and prospects, and its impact on the ecosystem and its vulnerability, the Meeting unanimously agreed on the urgent need to establish a well-formulated national management system for judicial seafarming development for each country. The system will enable national authorities to identify development potential, support investment, and regulate development activities. In this connection, the Meeting agreed that it is essential for the National Coordinators to initiate activities towards the preparation and production of a Seafarming Development Resources Atlas through remote sensing and other known methods. It was noted that certain countries in the region have some data for the preparation of such an atlas. However, it is necessary to strengthen these efforts and produce a proper Resources Atlas for each country. The Meeting agreed that suitable projects to strengthen the national efforts may be formulated to generate funding support either through TCP or country IPF or other funding agencies. In view of the provision of limited man months for consultancy in the Project Document, RAPA indicated the possibility of assisting the member governments in formulating such project proposal.
32. The Meeting agreed on the need to establish national capabilities in the management of seafarming development. In this regard, it endorsed the Project's design to initially identify potential sea areas or water resources available to the country, for the purpose of confirming their suitability for the culture of commercial aquatic organisms through the technical process of site selection. Considering the complexities of site selection involving oceanographic, biological, hydrobiological and demographic parameters, the Meeting further agreed that there is an urgent need to evolve procedures for seafarming site designation and selection. There are a few countries in the region which have certain information available; these could be helpful to other countries in the region in prospecting sites for seafarming.
33. The Meeting benefited from an overview presentation by Dr. John E. Lukens of the Interdisciplinary National Resource Development and Management Programme located at AIT, Bangkok on advanced remote sensing, geographical information system and the more conventional techniques such as aerial photography and ground survey as they relate to aquaculture planning and site designation. The outline of his presentation appears in Appendix 14. The Meeting felt the need to upgrade the staff capability in the use and application of remote sensing as well as the ground survey methods for site prospecting to eliminate unsuitable areas.
34. Seafarming regulations are considered essential to orderly development on the one hand, and the preservation of the environment on the other. Although the Meeting considered that the preparation of such regulations is a legal matter, it was felt that the role of the National Coordinators, being technical personnel, in recommending technical requirements for this preparation is indispensable. A few of the countries presented their existing seafarming regulations. However, it was felt that the site selection exercise will provide suitable information for such recommendations. It was therefore recommended that relevant criteria should be identified, and based on these criteria the technical information collected would assist the legal authorities of the respective countries to formulate seafarming regulations.
35. The need for legal protection and reservation of identified suitable sites for future development planning was stressed. In so doing, the seafarming authority will need to coordinate with common users of the sea. While regulatory provisions will strengthen the negotiating position of the seafarming authority, they also provide recognition of the rights of the producers and the management need of seafarming within the overall national development plan. Therefore, the Meeting agreed that a Seafarming Resources Atlas, site selection criteria and the formulation of seafarming regulations by the respective governments are essential to evolve strategies in dealing with the common users of the sea.
36. The need for dissemination of processed information like newsletters and reviews, digested information like abstracts, summaries, specialised information like reports, technical manuals and copied information from non-conventional sources was stressed. Further, the objectives of the information system component of the project were discussed along with the mechanism needed to generate and disseminate both numerical and bibligraphic information. AQUIS data base of NACA and other regional information systems will also be accessed. The NACA Newsletter will also be used for seafarming news. The National Coordinators agreed to designate personnel in their respective nodal centres, who will perform the basic tasks of information collection, classification, and transmission to NACA for processing into the desired forms and subsequent dissemination to end-users.
37. As a first step to set up a data base and to collect data for economic and socio-economic analysis, the National Coordinators agreed to fill up the proforma tables on their return to their respective countries. These tables with detailed breakdown of the statistics required, such as fish production by source, areas under cultivation, production of different seafarming commodities, fish farmer households, etc., can be reviewed in Appendix 15. The Regional Coordinating Unit will compile and collate the data provided by the National Coordinators.
38. Dr. R. Kvam highlighted the anthropological aspect of seafarming and emphasised the need to investigate the role of women, both as producers and in other fields related to marine aquaculture. He noted that women could constitute better target groups than men for development projects related to seafarming. However, he also stressed that care should be taken in the transfer of technologies and implementation of new projects, so that existing social stratification is not accentuated.
39. Dr. K.C. Chong elaborated on the different socio-economic components of seafarming and apprised the National Coordinators of the data base needed for such studies. These studies are essential for the transfer of technology to the grassroots on the one hand and also to attract enterpreneurs to invest in such activities. The figure showing the relationships between the input and output markets of aquaculture systems emphasize the importance of integrating the two markets closely so that aquaculture planning and investment are not carried out in isolation.
40. Recognising the need to complement and avoid duplicative efforts of the various agencies in strengthening the national efforts for the development of seafarming in the region, the National Coordinators agreed that the Project will closely collaborate with SEAFDEC, ASEAN/EEC Aquaculture Project, BOBP Project and ASEAN Small-Scale Coastal Fisheries Development Project which has a small aquaculture component. The CTA of the Indonesia Seafarming Development (INS/81/008) has offered to complement the efforts of the Project. Similarly FAO/UNDP projects on Chinese Marine Fish Culture Development (CPR/81/014) and on Strengthening of Shallow Sea Farming Institute Project (DPRK/86/005) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are expected to be linked to this regional project.
41. In concluding the Meeting, the CTA expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by all participants in ensuring the achievement of its primary purpose. The developed work plan, as appears in Appendix 16, will be incorporated as part of the Project Document. In view of some essential changes resulting from the Meeting, it was recommended that the Project Document be revised accordingly, and submitted to the first Tripartite Review of the Project (TPR) scheduled to be held on 14 January 1988.
DATE AND VENUE OF NEXT MEETING.
42. The date and venue for the Second National Coordinators' Meeting will be determined after consultation with participating governments.
ADOPTION OF REPORT
43. The Meeting adopted this Report on 30.10.87 at the Phuket Merlin Hotel, Phuket, Thailand.
