Bangkok 2000 Conference on
Aquaculture in the Third Millennium
The first major international Conference on Aquaculture organized by FAO was held
in Kyoto, Japan in 1976. The Conference adopted the Kyoto Declaration on Aquaculture. In
February 2000, about 540 participants from 69 countries and more than 200 government and
non-governmental organizations participated in the Conference on Aquaculture in the Third
Millennium in Bangkok, Thailand. This conference was organized by the Network of
Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) and FAO and hosted by the Government of
Thailand. Additional support was provided by the European Union, Australian Agency for
International Development (AUSAID), Canadian International Development Agency, the Danish
Centre for Environment and Development (DANCED), the Department of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries of Australia (AFFA), the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the World
Bank-Netherlands Partnership.
Throughout 1999, NACA and FAO facilitated the preparation of reviews on aquaculture
developments in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, countries of the
former USSR, the Near East, and Pacific Island nations and held expert meetings to
consider major trends in aquaculture development. Fourteen thematic reviews on selected
aspects of aquaculture were promoted and eight overviews on key issues were prepared for
presentation and discussion at the Conference. All participants to the Conference received
extended summaries of all material prepared. Twenty plenary presentations and discussions,
and twelve workshop sessions facilitated by expert panels enabled participants to discuss
and prioritize major issues and strategic actions for follow-up.
Major themes discussed included policy-making and planning for sustainable aquaculture
development (covering food security and poverty alleviation, rural development,
stakeholder involvement, incentives, legal and institutional frameworks), technological
and R&D priorities (including systems/species, genetics, health management,
nutrition/feeding, culture-based fisheries), human resource development, international
trade, product quality and safety and marketing, regional/inter-regional cooperation,
financing and institutional support.
Against this background, the Conference participants discussed priorities and strategies
for the development of aquaculture for the next two decades, in the light of the future
economic, social and environmental issues and advances in aquaculture technologies. Based
on these deliberations, the participants adopted the Bangkok Declaration and Strategy for
Aquaculture Development Beyond 2000. The Conference encouraged countries and interested
stakeholders to incorporate in their strategies for aquaculture development the key
strategy elements identified during this Conference. The key strategy elements recommended
are: |
· Investing in
people through education and training
· Investing in research and development
· Improving information flow and communication
· Improving food security
· Improving social sustainability
· Improving environmental sustainability
· Integrating aquaculture into rural development
· Investing in aquaculture development
· Applying innovations in aquaculture
· Managing aquatic animal health |
· Improving
nutrition in aquaculture
· Applying genetics to aquaculture
· Applying biotechnology
· Improving enhancements and culture-based fisheries
· Improving food quality and safety
· Promoting market development and trade
· Strengthening institutional support
· Supporting strong regional and inter-regional co-operation |
A major international trade exhibition
“Aquaculture and Seafood Fair 2000” was held in conjunction with the Conference,
as a showcase for aquaculture products and related technologies, and provided
opportunities for producers, manufacturers and service providers to exchange information
with other farmers, and with scientists, researchers, technologists and policy-makers
participating in the Conference. Full details of the Conference, including the full text
of the Bangkok Declaration and Strategy for Aquaculture Development Beyond 2000 will be
published in FAN 25. |