by
A.G. Woodland
Programme Leader
South China Sea Fisheries
Development and Coordinating Programme
It is my great pleasure and privilege to welcome you to this Workshop on the Development of Rural Coastal Fisheries. Originally, this was intended to be held in Bangkok, and the Director of the Fisheries Department of the Government of Thailand had agreed to host it. For various administrative conveniences and financial stringency peculiar to this year, the SCSP has to regrettably change the venue of this Workshop. To the Director of Fisheries of the Government of Thailand, I would like to record our thanks for his generosity and cooperation, and to extend to him our appreciation and apologies for this change of venue.
Mr. Vanich Varikul, Deputy Director (Technical) of the Thai Fisheries Department, had kindly agreed to chair the Workshop. Due to the change of the dates of this Workshop, he now becomes unavailable. In his place we have asked Mr. Kachornsak Wetchagarun, Chief of the Fishery Economics Division of the Thai Fisheries Department, to undertake the task.
There is no actual need to reiterate the very real urgency, especially in our region, to act positively and creatively toward the betterment of the livelihood, and in many cases, the under-privileged state of the small fishermen forming small and large communities in the rural areas in our region. This has been a standing fishery development priority and more recently examined in some great depth in the “Symposium on the Development and Management of Small-Scale Fisheries” held in 1980 in conjunction with the 19th Session of the IPFC. This can also be seen from the priority emphasis in fishery development project investments adopted by various funding agencies.
There are agreements and disagreements on the various major issues pertaining to the biological, technological and socio-economical aspects in the decision-taking for the development of this fishery sector. To await a consensus of views on these issues may be unrealistic since in many instances the lack of applicable information clearly shows the need for an integrated and coordinated approach to ensure a complementary role in national research and development programmes.
There are unsettled practical issues. There are also unsettled academic issues. The belated introduction of fishery science to this region and the past policies to accelerate modernization and mechanization of the minority commercial (or industrial) fishing units in the absence of management are perhaps the two major factors responsible for the present state of affairs.
The need for development of the rural coastal fishery sector is now so urgent that something must be immediately done. In several countries, for example, trawling has to be banned. One of them even goes as far as reducing annual catch target by 30–40 percent while at the same time prohibiting fishing above the 40-meter depth contour. Still in another coastal capture fisheries are being considered to be replaced by another form of production activity. The programme has moved toward or evolved along certain lines embracing alternative employment opportunities, and detailed assessment of sociological needs.
Thus, your efforts to attain the set objectives of this Workshop will help to facilitate this development need. I am sure with your experience and responsibilities, you will come up through active participation in discussions, with answers to the many of the urgent problems presently confronting us in the development of our rural coastal fisheries.
This is your floor and you must feel absolutely free to participate in your discussions and decisions. We, the SCSP, colleagues from FAO Rome and ICLARM, and the representatives from a number of regional small-scale fisheries development projects, are here only to share your experiences and views with you. You will be the ones to advise us what you need and what your countries would need.
