Like in other parts of the world, marine capture fisheries in Asia and the Pacific are presently undergoing important changes that are part of global processes and go hand in hand with changes of the economic, social and nutritional role of the sector as well as of its interaction with the coastal environment.
These changes are related, among other things, to the implementation of international agreements on liberalization of trade and to the implementation of policies on de-regulation and structural adjustments of national economies with their direct and indirect implications and consequences for trade flows, supply of/demand for fishery products at the local, national, regional and global level as well as for food security and nutrition. The changes also effect fiscal policies and the role of economic incentives and subsidies as well as the economic and financial status of producers and consumers of fishery products. Globalization in fisheries is moreover reflected in the transfer and modernization of fish capture, fish processing and fish marketing technologies and through the introduction of more efficient methods of exploitation of fishery resources.
Important global developments which effect the fisheries sectors of countries in Asia and the Pacific and their sub-sectors in various ways are the implementation of international agreements like the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and agreements on the conservation and sustainable management of the coastal environment and fisheries resources at the national and regional level.
There are also examples of unforeseen global developments related to inflows and outflows of international capital and to structural problems of regional and national economies such as the recent and still on-going economic and financial crisis in Asia which had and have a direct impact on fishery industries.
While there are different views on the pros and cons of globalization and its effect on the fishery industries in Asia and elsewhere, there is little doubt that processes of globalization will continue and possibly expand and that there is a need to carefully study their impact on the fishery sector. This is all the more necessary in order to identify appropriate policies and measures that can help the fishery sector to successfully adjust to new global developments, derive the maximum benefit from them and minimize negative effects.
The workshop on the effects of globalization and deregulation on marine capture fisheries in Asia held at the Westin Chosun Beach Hotel, Pusan, Republic of Korea, 11 - 15 October 1999, the proceedings and findings of which are described in this report, brought together representatives of fishery administrations, financial institutions, inter-governmental organizations and fisheries scientists with the purpose to review and analyse recent developments in the fisheries sector of Asia and the Pacific that are related to globalization and deregulation. The workshop identified policies and measures which might help the fisheries sector to better adjust to these processes in order to strengthen its beneficial economic, social and nutritional role and its contribution to food security and to the conservation and sustainable management of coastal environment and fisheries resources.
The Korean Maritime Institute (KMI) kindly hosted the regional workshop which was jointly organized by KMI, the Asia and Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA). Support and hospitality was also provided by the Pusan Regional Office of the Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea.
