REPORT OF THE FOURTH NATIONAL COORDINATORSf' MEETING
OF THE REGIONAL SEAFARMING DEVELOPMENT
AND DEMONSTRATION PROJECT
9–12 January 1991
BANGKOK, THAILAND
1. The Fourth National Coordinators' Meeting (NCM) of the Regional Seafarming Development Project RAS/90/002 (RAS/86/024), hosted by the Government of Thailand was held at the Conference Hall of the Regional Office of FAO (RAPA) in Bangkok on 9–12 January 1991. The Tripartite Review (TPR) of the project was conducted on 10 January. A study tour was made on 11 January of some of the aquaculture and mariculture establishments and farms in Thailand.
2. The Meeting was attended by National Coordinators of the Project and representatives from Bangladesh, China, DPR Korea, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as representatives from FAO, UNDP, the ASEAN-EEC Aquaculture Development Coordinating Programme (AADCP), and Project staff. The list of participants appears as Annex I.
3. The Director of the Coastal Aquaculture Division of the Department of Fisheries of Thailand and national coordinator for the seafarming project, Mr. Chanintorn Sritongsuk, welcomed the participants. He expressed his pleasure at meeting fellow national coordinators from the original participating governments and extended a special welcome to the coordinators of the new participating governments.
4. He noted that the expansion in the number of participating governments would mean more opportunities for sharing development experiences and resources through TCDC. This increase in participation would thus bring into the project a greater and richer pool of seafarming technologies as well as expertise.
5. Thailand has been privileged to share its seafarming technologies with other countries, such as the breeding and culture of the seabass, Lates calcarifer and techniques of backyard shrimp hatchery and operation. Thailand's technicians and farmers have also benefitted from several training and demonstration courses organized in other countries. There have been many important and highly beneficial training and workshop activities since the project started in July, he said. The speech of Mr. Chanintorn appears as Annex II.
6. The project Coordinator, Mr. Chen Foo Yan, also welcomed the participants and extended a very special welcome to the coordinators of the new participating governments and delegates from FAO and AADCP who were attending the NCM for the first time.
7. He thanked the Government of Thailand, for their ready assistance to the project, and particularly for arranging to host the 4th National Coordinators' Meeting. He also acknowledged the meeting arrangement made by the FAO Regional Office (RAPA). The pragmatism and dynamism of the leadership of the Thai Department of Fisheries which have contributed much to fisheries and aquaculture development, was highlighted in the Project Coordinator's speech which appears as Annex III.
8. The representative of FAO, Dr. William Chan, said the project's objectives have increased in importance in the region, which is largely due to the development potentials of seafarming as an effective and viable means to meet increasing needs for fish protein and support rural coastal development.
9. However, seafarming development must also consider the need for manageability of the various development undertakings and the proper use of the seafarming resources to ensure long-term interest of the aquatic environment and investments in seafarming development. Improvement of known production systems and their introduction in new areas for trial enable the effective transfer of technology in the region, he said.
10. The positive participation and cooperation of the National Coordinators has ensured the timely delivery of outputs and effective coordination even under considerable resource limitations. Dr. Chan thanked the project staff for their effective performance under various constraints. His speech appears as Annex IV.
11. The keynote address of the Director General for Fisheries, Dr. Plodprasop Suraswadi, was read by Mrs. Bung-orn Saisithi, Deputy Director General.
12. He said the expansion of the project activities was made possible by the inclusion in the Project of the components on seaweed and the assistance to NACA, a newly established intergovernmental organization. He thanked UNDP and FAO for extending the seafarming project and incorporating the above mentioned objectives into the project.
13. He noted that TCDC has been a strong point of the project and affirmed that the Government of Thailand will continue to be an active supporter and a consistent practitioner of regional cooperation to promote national development.
14. Seafarming development in Thailand has accelerated in the past few years. Having succeeded in promoting improved techniques in the traditional species, Thailand is now looking at new and promising seafarming commodities to develop, including seaweed, tropical abalone and pearl oysters.
15. He acknowledged the technical assistance extended by the Project in the initial exploratory studies on these species. The participation of Thailand's technical personnel, as well as some progressive farmers in the regional workshops and training courses has boosted its expertise in promoting the development of new seafarming species of potential. Thus, the government looks forward to the expansion of the seafarming industry, and to further contributing to the regional pool of technology.
16. He stated that amidst all the developments and prospects of expansion are the problems that accompany or result from growth. Environmental and fish health problems have become more sharply felt in recent years. He said that one of the main thrusts of government policy is now on environment and fish health management.
17. The coastal environment is usually affected first and foremost by inappropriate management. In addition to the environmental problems are the public health issues. With the rapid move towards highly intensive production systems, the serious problem of fish diseases -- from which Thailand had suffered greatly in the past -- is once again posing a grave threat to the aquaculture industry.
18. He explained that the above mentioned problems are very much interlinked and therefore their solution would lie in one common and crucial factor -- the orderly development of the industry through effective and appropriate resources management.
19. In this connection, he noted with satisfaction that the seafarming project has given increasing attention to the above concerns, and cited the regional study and workshop on fish health management by NACA and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which the Seafarming Project has extensively assisted. He said this study has been a timely activity in the face of the growing concerns on environment, fish disease, and public health associated with aquaculture practices.
20. There is a need for more activities that can provide similarly useful guides for policy and programmes and appropriate technical guidelines to help governments develop solutions to the problems. He urged the Meeting to come up with project ideas and proposals along the environmental and seafarming resource management concerns, based on recommendations arising from the Regional Fish Disease and Fish Health Management Study and Workshop, and the seaweed and mollusc workshops.
21. Through the mechanism of the NACA umbrella and the seafarming project, and TCDC, the governments could implement such projects with the collaboration and assistance of UNDP, FAO as well as other governments and organizations, he concluded. The keynote address appears as Annex V.
22. Upon the nomination by Mr. Jia Jiansan, representative of China who was chairman of the 3rd NCM held in Qingdao in August 1989, Mr. Chanintorn Sritongsuk, national coordinator for Thailand and Director of the Coastal Aquaculture Division, was unanimously elected as Chairman of the 4th NCM.
23. The Provisional Agenda was adopted without amendments. The adopted agenda appears as Annex VI.
