57. The Meeting reviewed the progress of implementation of Project activities on the basis of the reports presented by the Project Coordinator and the national coordinators, and in accordance with the following subject areas:
58. The Meeting commended the training and demonstration courses which have been found to be very beneficial in terms of introduction of new species, transfer and improvement in the techniques of breeding and culture of farmed commodities, and increase in production. Valuable techniques were acquired for the conduct of applied and adaptive research on the introduced species.
59. The training and demonstration courses and workshops played a catalytic role in the expansion of several culture systems and the inclusion of seafarming activities in national aquaculture development programmes, as detailed in the national status and progress reports.
59. The new participating governments wished they could have participated in the courses and workshops that were relevant to their national needs. They requested that some of the courses be repeated. Some countries with nationals who participated in these courses were conducting adaptive research aimed at extending the adapted technologies. The national coordinators of these countries requested that experts of the host institutions which conducted the training courses be made available under TCDC arrangement to provide technical assistance. The Meeting recognized that this recommended activity needs additional funding and therefore recommended that the seafarming budget be revised to include the proposed TCDC activity.
60. The progress of work was satisfactory. It was agreed that the formulation of a regional project proposal for resources mapping be held in abeyance since the undertaking would be too costly. In view of this it was recommended that a national project proposal be formulated for the creation of an information base for the orderly development of seafarming. With its available facilities and expertise, the National Fisheries Research and Development Agency of the Republic of Korea was recommended as the centre to implement the task. Although the primary objective was to create an information base the methodological approach thus developed could serve as a model for adaptation by other countries.
61. The Meeting suggested that experts from India where similar work is being carried out using satellites, be drafted to assist in the work in Republic of Korea. In addition, scientists in other countries may be involved in the GIS exercise as a training for them.
62. The Project was requested to purchase the book, “Law of Aquaculture” by William Howarth (1990) and provide 2 copies each per government, one for the fisheries administration, the other for the nodal centre, as has been similarly done with other publications. Copies of “Codex Alimentarius JECFA” were also requested by some governments. To enable the purchase of copies of these publications, it was recommended that the budget line for equipment of the project document be activated.
63. The outputs from information activities were very much appreciated. All national coordinators including those of the six governments which joined the Project recently, found that the publications are highly relevant to their national specific needs. They found the training manuals as well as the other publications very useful. Copies of these will be made available to all participating countries.
64. The seaweed culture research and development proposal (Annex IX) was discussed at length. As prioritized, the programme comprises 6 research project proposals: (1) polyculture of seaweeds with other marine organisms, (2) prevention of “ice-ice” disease of Eucheuma, (3) design and construction of a small-scale pilot plant for agar-carrageenan production, (4) culture and processing of micro-algae, (5) taxonomy, ecology and agar-carrageenan-yielding capacity of some economically important red seaweeds, and (6) genetic studies on various seaweed species.
65. There was unanimous support for the six projects with all governments wanting to participate in the joint research programme (topic no. 1). The topics of interest of the countries are indicated in the following table:
| TOPIC | PARTICIPATING GOVERNMENTS | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Polyculture of seaweeds with other marine organisms | All Governments |
| 2. | Prevention of “ice-ice” disease of Eucheuma | BGD/CHN/INS/PHI |
| 3. | Design and construction of a small-scale pilot plant for agar/carrageenan production | BGD/CHN/DRK/IND/INS/MAL/MYA/PHI/THA/VIE |
| 4. | Culture and processing of micro-algae | BGD/CHN/DRK/MAL/HOK/PHI/THA/VIE |
| 5. | Taxonomy, ecology and agar/carrageenan-yielding capacity of some economically important red seaweeds | BGD/CHN/DRK/INS/MYA/PHI/THA/VIE |
| 6. | Genetic studies various species | BGD/CHN/DRK/INS/PHI/ROK/THA |
66. There was much discussion on the joint research component of the project. The Meeting recommended that a working group be set up to develop the details of the programme including location of the research studies, the required expertise, facilities, and other requirements.
67. The Meeting asked project management to develop with IFREMER Topics 3, 4 and 5 which it has considered for support, and to look for support for the other topics, based on the recommendations of the workshop.
68. It was explained that the rationale for Topic No. 3, Design and Construction of a Small-scale Pilot Plant, was based on the need to improve the income of small-scale farmers who are mainly contract farmers in some countries. The production of higher value processed products could generate more income for their labour. After much deliberation as to its location, it was recommended that project management make the decision in consultation with IFREMER.
69. The meeting decided to defer the review of activities under this project objective to the Tripartite Review (TPR) and the Second NACA Governing Council Meeting.
70. Due to the interest of the NCs on the practice of sea ranching as a measure to provide additional production and conserve natural stocks, the Meeting unanimously supported the addition of sea ranching activities. In view of the lack of knowledge on the impact of sea ranching on fisheries, a workshop on sea ranching of various mariculture species was recommended.
71. In addition to the scheduled on pearl culture training and subregional workshop on Undaria seaweed culture and processing, the following activities were recommended for implementation for which funding should be sought: (a) training and demonstration course on breeding and culture of sea cucumber and scallop, (b) spat production and culture of cockles, (c) hatchery technology of mollusc, especially oyster and abalone, (d) training and demonstration courses conducted in the past be organized for the new participating governments, and (e) TCDC support for experts of host institutions to assist other governments in organizing national training and demonstration courses of various seafarming systems.
72. The Meeting recommended that joint research programmes on seaweed production and utilization be organized and that in countries where seaweed farming was not yet prevalent, training must be organized on its culture and utilization including processing and product development, aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship.
73. Entrepreneurs must also be invited to training courses, but due to the difficulty of including private individuals, it was strongly recommended that the invitation letters to governments should indicate that entrepreneurs be included in the nominations. Guidelines for participation of entrepreneurs will be developed and included in the invitation letters.
74. Training of farmers and technicians on the culture of marine finfish, seaweed and mollusc culture was considered essential in countries which have taken up seafarming only recently.
75. In connection with the development of training materials, it was suggested that arrangements be made to produce video instructional aids for every course.
76. In view of the usefulness of the training manuals, the Meeting recommended their publication, with necessary updating and editorial improvement, in a consolidated volume for distribution to participating governments.
77. Activities in coastal resource management and environmental issues were strongly recommended by Thailand in view of the urgent need to arrest the deterioration of the coastal environment and the common concern highlighted by the workshops on mollusc sanitation and marketing, seaweed culture and utilization, and fish health management. This was supported by all governments.
78. The Meeting highlighted the importance of formulated feeds in aquaculture development, and recommended that a regional project be developed for support by UNDP and other agencies and implementation under the NACA umbrella.
79. The Meeting also strongly supported the fish health management programme of NACA, especially in view of the growing economic importance of fish diseases on the expansion of seafarming development.
80. The National Coordinators expressed their appreciation to the various organizations that have provided collaborative support to the activities of the Project, including IFREMER France, ADB, and ODA; to the host governments for the effective organization and implementation of the various training and demonstration courses, workshops and meetings; to other agencies and organizations for their interest in collaborating with the Project; and to the UNDP and FAO for the project support. They strongly appealed for the continued support of UNDP and FAO, and for the extension of the Project to the next programming cycle.
81. The Chairman of the Meeting reiterated, on behalf of the National Coordinators, his appreciation for support that the Project has enjoyed from various agencies and organizations. He thanked UNDP and FAO for their continued assistance. The Chairman expressed his appreciation for the full support and collaboration of the participating governments in the project activities. He appreciated the active role of all the participants in the workshop deliberations. He expressed the hope that the various recommendations of the Meeting will be vigorously pursued by the project management in consultation with UNDP, FAO and other agencies.
