APPENDIX A
List of delegates and observers

MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION

Argentina

CORDINI, Juan Manuel
Asesor Sector Pesquero
Ente Binacional Yacyretá
E. Madero 940 (Area Medio Ambiente), piso 20
Buenos Aires

GARCIA PINTO, Nicolás
Consejero
Embajada de Argentina
Maximo Gómez, 10
Santo Domingo

NANI, Alberto
Dirección Nacional de Pesca Continental
Santa Fé 1548, 7° piso
Buenos Aires

Bolivia

COUTTS, Richard Robert
Asesor Pesquero
Departamento Nacional Pesquero
MACA, Misión Británica en Bolivia
Embajada Británica
Av. Arce, Casilla 694
La Paz

ZUNA ZEBALLOS, Fernando
Jefe Nacional del Departamento Desarrollo Pesquero
Calle Colón 6075, Cajón Postal 6075
La Paz

Chile

ADLERSTEIN GONZALEZ, Sara Ana
Biólogo
Departamento Recursos
Secretaría de Pesca
Teatinos 120, 10° piso
Santiago

Colombia

ALBIS GONZALEZ, Víctor Samuel
Rector Universidad de Sucre
Apartado Aéreo 406, Sincelejo
Sucre

BUILES, Jorge
Jefe, División Recursos Marinos
CORPOURABA
Apartado Aéreo 51928
Medellín

HERNANDEZ, Armando
Director Recursos Marinos
COLCIENCIAS
Transversal 31A N^o 147/35
Bogotá

Costa Rica

Cuba

Dominican Republic

ALMONTE, Narciso
Director
Departamento de Recursos Pesqueros
Secretaría de Estado de Agricultura
Centro de los Héroes
Santo Domingo D.N.

DIAZ CARELA, Cecilio D.
Enc. Estación Piscícola de Nigua
Secretaría de Estado de Agricultura
Centro de los Héroes
Santo Domingo D.N.

MERCEDES SANCHEZ, Mildred
Jefe, División Agropecuaria
Oficina Nacional de Planificación (ONAPLAN)
México esq. Leopoldo Navarro, piso 13
Edif. El Huacal
Santo Domingo

ROSARIO RAMIREZ, Félix Benjamín
Enc. Acuacultura
Secretaría de Estado de Agricultura
Centro de los Héroes
Santo Domingo D.N.

(Observers)

ARNEMANN RAMIREZ, Francisco Xavier
Enc. División Recursos Bioacuáticos
INDOTEC
Av. Núñez de Cáceres esq. José A. Soler
Santo Domingo

BONNELLY DE CALVENTI, Idelisa
Director
Centro de Investigación de Biología Marina
Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD)
Santo Domingo

GERALDES SIRAGUSA, Francisco Xavier
Enc. Estación E. Pesquerías y Acuacultura (EEPA)
Centro de Investigaciones de Biología Marina
Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD)
Santo Domingo

GOMEZ DE PEÑA, Josefina Concepción
Investigador INDOTEC
Av. Núñez de Cáceres esq. José A. Soler
Santo Domingo

GONZALEZ, Frank
Director
Departamento Estudios Económicos
Centro Dominicano de Promoción de Exportaciones
Plaza de la Independencia
Santo Domingo

GONZALEZ DE GUTIERREZ, Zoila R.
Director
Departamento de Biología
Facultad de Ciencias
Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD)
Santo Domingo

GROTH, Volker
Asesor Científico
Departamento de Recursos Pesqueros
Servicio Alemán de Cooperación Social Técnica
Apartado 761–2, Centro de los Héroes
Santo Domingo

GUTIERREZ VELAZQUEZ, Gerardo William
Investigador Científico INDOTEC
Av. Núñez de Cáceres esq. José A. Soler
Santo Domingo

HEREDIA L. DE VARGAS, Felícita
Enc. Sección Calidad de Aguas
Departamento Recursos Pesqueros
Secretaría de Estado de Agricultura
Centro de los Héroes
Santo Domingo D.N.

HERNANDEZ BATLLE, Teófilo
Asistente, Departamento Medio Ambiente
Secretariado Técnico de la Presidencia
Edif. El Huacal
Santo Domingo

LIU, Chi-Yuan
Asesor, Departamento Recursos Pesqueros
Secretaría de Estado de Agricultura
Centro de los Héroes
Santo Domingo D.N.

MUSA VELAZQUEZ, Pedro
Presidente de ADOMPA
Av. 27 de Febrero esq. San Martín
Santo Domingo

TEJEDA, Nina de
Asistente del Gerente Programa Pesquero
IDECOOP, Edif. El Huacal, piso 11
Santo Domingo

YUNES D'OLEO, Rafael Federico
Asesor
Proyectos Piscícolas de Azua y Barahona
Departamento de Recursos Pesqueros
Instituto Agrario Dominicano
Santo Domingo

Ecuador

El Salvador

GUEVARA MASIS, Francisco Enríque
Biólogo
Dirección General de Recursos Pesqueros
Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería
5^a Calle Poniente 9^a, Av. Sur, Edif. AMSA
San Salvador

Guatemala

Jamaica

Mexico

HERNANDEZ LUNA, Jorge Humberto
Delegado Federal de Pesca
Departamento de Pesca
Netzahualcoyotl 405
Cuernavaca, Morelos

ORIZABA MONROY, Salvador
Subdirector Area Sur
Dirección General Acuacultura
Departamento de Pesca
Av. Alvaro Obregón 269, 7° piso
México, D.F.

Peru

AZABACHE CORONADO, Luis Alberto
Jefe de Area de Limnología
Instituto del Mar
Napo 564
6 Iquitos

HI-CIELO, Ricardo Grover
Jefe de Area de Limnología
Lab. Huachipa - IMARPE
Esq. Gamarra y General Valle s/n
Callao

MONTREUIL FRIAS, Víctor Hugo
Jefe de Area de Evaluación Recursos Pesqueros
IMARPE
Callao 683
Iquitos

TREVIÑO BERNAL, Hugo Víctor
Jefe de Area de Evaluación Recursos Pesqueros
IMARPE
Maquegua No. 371
Puno

Suriname

Uruguay

VARELA GUTIERREZ, Zoel Mauricio
Jefe, Departamento de Acuicultura
Instituto Nacional de Pesca
Constituyente 1497
Montevideo

Venezuela

BORTONE ECHEGARAY, Francisco Domingo
Jefe, Programa Piscicultura MAC
Torre Norte
Piso No. 9, D.G.D.P. MAC

PULVENIS MAUREL, Jean François
Jefe, Departamento de Fronteras Marítimas
Dirección General Sectorial de Fronteras
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
Caracas

OBSERVER FROM A MEMBER STATE NOT MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION

Guyana

FORTE, Frederick
Superintendent Aquaculture
Guyana Sugar Corp.
Blairmont State W.B. 1316

OSWALD, Henry
Personal Assistant to the Chairman
Guyana Sugar Corp.
22 Church Street
Georgetown

REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED NATIONS

MONTECINOS, Edmundo
Coordinador de Proyectos
Centro de Comercio Internacional ITC/UNCTAD/GATT
A.A. 1424
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

OBSERVER FROM THE INTERAMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

GONZALEZ DEL VALLE, Manuel
Sub-Representante del BID
A.P. 1386
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

FAO

Regional Office for Latin America (RLAT)

TAPIAS, Constantino
Oficial Regional de Pesca
RLAT
Casilla 10095
Santiago, Chile

Headquarters

HENDERSON, Francis
Chief, Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service
Fishery Resources and Environment Division
Fisheries Department
FAO
Via delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy

LOAYZA, Eduardo
Chief, Fish Utilization and Marketing Service
Fishery Industries Division
Fisheries Department
FAO
Via delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy

WELCOMME, Robin
Senior Fishery Resources Officer
Fishery Resources and Environment Division
Fisheries Department
FAO
Via delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy

Consultant

VILA PINTO, Irma
Profesor, Universidad de Chile
Departamento de Biología
Casilla 653
Santiago, Chile

APPENDIX B
Address by Mr Napoleón Padilla
FAO Representative in the Dominican Republic

Honourable Secretary of State for Agriculture, Mr Hipólito Mejía, Authorities of the Dominican Government, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of FAO and its Director-General, Mr Edouard Saouma, I have the honour to extend a cordial welcome to the second session of COPESCAL.

At the end of the Second World War, the demand for proteins increased abruptly. With the establishment of FAO in 1945, this international agency began to see that a possible solution to the growing demand for proteins might be found in the sea. At that time world fishery production was about 20 million tons per year. By 1980 it had risen to 74 million tons, and all the signs are that demand will continue to increase, under the pressure of the growth in population.

FAO has given high priority to fishery. Two years ago, during the thirteenth session of the Committee on Fisheries in Rome, our Director-General, Mr Saouma, stated to more than 100 delegates that aquaculture provided an opportunity to benefit from the sharing of technology, skills and experience among member countries.

FAO has estimated that by the year 2000 demand will have reached 100 million tons. But we are faced with two serious problems: pollution of the sea and misuse of its living resources, particularly through over-fishing. This situation limits the amount of resources available. We therefore believe that only by giving a strong stimulus to aquaculture and inland fishery shall we be able to achieve the target proposed. Aquaculture is starting to play a very important role in many countries in supplying proteins. We decidedly support and encourage these programmes.

In the FAO report, “Agriculture: toward 2000”, the demand for fish for human consumption is estimated at 49 million tons in 1975 and 93 million in the year 2000. In Latin America per capita consumption is between 7 and 8 kg, while according to PRODESPE and INDOTEC data, consumption per inhabitant in the Dominican Republic is only 3.8 kg, inland fishery supplying 1.2 kg.

It is estimated that in the world as a whole, there are 30 to 40 million hectares of land and water suitable for aquaculture, only 10 percent of which is being utilized at present. We are therefore encouraging the development of demonstration fish-pools and pilot projects.

Experience has shown us that aquaculture is an excellent means of increasing food production, while one hectare of good pasture can serve to produce hundreds of pounds of red meat, the same area of water would provide several tons of fish and shellfish.

In the Dominican Republic aquaculture started in the 1950s with the introduction of exotic species, with FAO assistance. Our mission planned, built and operated the Fish Culture Station of the “María” Hacienda, now the Nigua Experimental Fish Farm. Later extensive aquaculture was practised in an empirical and rudimentary way owing to lack of qualified personnel. Nevertheless, we now note with satisfaction the significant advances achieved in aquaculture in this country, since in barely three years a group of young professionals has been trained and is now using the most sophisticated methods of fish and shrimp breeding. Large, modern fish farms have been built, such as the 72-hectare Azua farm which must be the second largest in Latin America. As part of the agrarian reform programme a 90-hectare farm is now being constructed in Barahona.

I should not like to end without referring to the plans for the establishment of a National Fishery Centre in Najayo, near Santo Domingo, to train Dominicans in marine fishery, which we hope it will be possible to open next year.

I am sure that this second session of COPESCAL will produce fruitful results for the benefit of inland fishery. Once more, a very warm welcome to Santo Domingo.

Thank you very much.

APPENDIX C
Address by Captain Narciso Almonte C.,
Director of the Fisheries Resources Department
Secretariat of State for Agriculture, Dominican Republic

Delegates:

The world today is experiencing a population explosion of such magnitude that there is great concern regarding the future of humanity in view of the present inadequate food production. We are therefore being forced to improve our methods of cultivation, stockraising and catching. Marine fishery was thought to be the solution, but today there are difficulties in increasing catches owing to the degradation of the sea through pollution and misuse of the marine resources.

But science does not cease to search for new and better things, and has thus rediscovered an art practised by the Chinese many centuries ago and for which the first publication was issued in 495 B.C.: aquaculture.

Aware of the role that aquaculture could play, FAO early decided to promote it; therefore selected the best Chinese technicians in order to spread knowledge of this art throughout the world, and it has succeeded. Latin America was the last region to be reached, but aquaculture is now widely known here. Particular emphasis is being put on its importance in the context of rural subsistence, but attention is also being given to semi-industrial and industrial forms, the tourist aspect, and the stocking of artificial reservoirs and lagoons.

Aquaculture is a promising activity within agricultural economy, for which reason in a country like ours the financial resources channelled to it should be increased in order to turn it into a source of mass food supplies and economic dynamism.

In the Dominican Republic the fish population of the inland waters has been maintained artificially since the 1950s, through extensive aquaculture programmes for stocking and re-stocking with exotic species of higher yield than the indigenous ones. This has made it possible to produce goods for widespread consumption, thus decreasing rural families' food bills and consequently reducing inflationary pressures in the overall economy and improving the standard of living of the people, particularly in rural areas.

Before 1978 the term “aquaculture” was almost unknown in the Dominican Republic. Only under the present government administration were serious plans started that have led to significant achievements. Before 1978 the fishery production of inland waters, which was very low, had not been assessed. In 1979 a yield of some 1 900 tons of fish was calculated (PRODESPE-INDOTEC) a quantity which, through the extension programmes we have carried out, has increased substantially and is estimated at more than 3 900 tons for 1981. With present production, that foreseen for the forthcoming years and the fish processing techniques being introduced into rural areas, we are changing the popular saying that Dominicans do not eat fish, since as time passes this food, rich in proteins, is becoming a necessary ingredient in our people's diet.

When taking office as Secretary of State for Agriculture, Mr Hipólito Mejía, faith-fully interpreting the agricultural policy of His Excellency Don Antonio Guzmán Fernández, Constitutional President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and the National Police Force, stated, “I want us to take maximum advantage of inland waters through fish production, so that there will be no unutilized waters in the country”. It was then that a first assessment was made of the Presa de Tavera and other localities, and this showed a low yield. Today these waters are producing well, because we have introduced more appropriate and up-to-date fishing methods. Large dams and lagoons account for a considerable proportion of inland fishery output; the Sabana Yegua and Tavera dams, for example, produce more than 600 tons, in Valdesia an organized group of 35 landless peasants who have become fishermen, and to whom we give technical assistance, are producing with simple equipment an average of 50 lbs. per person a day - a catch that will be improved with new equipment they will be purchasing shortly.

The Government is also promoting industrial aquaculture through the construction of fish and shrimp farms, in which we have incorporated the most modern methods of artificial breeding and intensive cultivation, while conducting feasibility studies for commercial breeding in coastal areas. By the first quarter of next year we shall start shrimp production for the external market and domestic consumption. But we must not neglect to mention that one of our achievements has been the incorporation of aquaculture in agrarian reform programmes. The Azua ISURA Project is an example of this; the first settlement in Presa de Tavera is now being studied by the IAD and the experimental stage with breeding in floating pens or cages is progressing. We understand it will be the first settlement of this kind.

In order to achieve the results attained so far we have had to put up with criticism, a normal thing when one works and does one's duty honestly. We have overcome the difficulties inevitable in anything that is just starting. But the work is being done with the interests of the country at heart and the satisfaction of duty fulfilled.

We are optimistic about the aquaculture programmes being conducted throughout the country, since fish rarely used to reach the rural areas and when it did it was through chains of middlemen, resulting in a preference for processed fish such as kippers, stock-fish, etc. Today it is arriving fresh from the rivers or is being bred by the people themselves.

Aquaculture and inland fishery are thus beginning to constitute an important item in Dominicans' diet and a source of employment for many compatriots and, above all, what is a continuing concern of the Government, to improve the standard of living of rural households.

APPENDIX D
Address by the Representative of the Officer-in-Charge of the Fisheries Department, FAO, Rome

Mr Chairman, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to transmit to you the warm greetings and best wishes of the Director-General of FAO, Mr Edouard Saouma, and of Dr A. Labon, Officer-in-charge of the FAO Fisheries Department, and to extend their best wishes for a successful and fruitful session.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the Government and the people of the Dominican Republic for hosting this second session of your Commission and for the excellent arrangements made to ensure its success.

This session of COPESCAL is being held at a crucial time when the world is faced with the ever-growing problem of providing adequate food resources for its peoples. There is no need for me to remind this meeting of the important role of fisheries.

In his statement to the twenty-first session of the FAO Conference on 9 November 1981 the Director-General of FAO reminded the leaders of world agriculture that “The oceans, too, are in crisis. World production of fish for human consumption - providing one sixth of our animal protein requirements - has failed for several years to expand in line with population growth. Some species have been over-fished, while the technology for the development of non-conventional species is not yet ready. At the same time, the establishment of exclusive economic zones is leading to a re-distribution of the present catch among countries. Only an international approach by all concerned countries, both regionally and globally, will enable the fisheries sector to meet the dual challenge of coping with structural change and an increase in production”. In many places, ocean resources are remote, and whatever fish arrive from the coasts of poor quality. For this reason the Director-General's programme provides a balance between marine and inland fisheries, and between capture and culture. Emphasis is given both to the production of food through fisheries, and to the important roles of small-scale fisheries and many kinds of aquaculture in providing jobs and in promoting rural development. The need to unify technical assistance efforts with those directed at helping the disadvantaged, to achieve more rewarding lives, as exemplified by FAO's strategy in rural development and reform, is particularly clear in relation to fishery development in inland areas. In this connection, I should like to note that the Director-General has given his full support to the recommendations of the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development. Particularly relevant to the work of this Committee is the agreement signed in Caracas on 11 September this year, to establish a Regional Centre for Integrated Rural Development. Such centres have already been established in Asia and in Africa.

In the Latin America region, large rivers are a prominent feature of the inland water resources, and are important for navigation, hydropower, and fisheries. Development of the hydropower resources is usually accompanied by the formation of lakes which provide new opportunities for fishery or extensive aquaculture. But such development may also interrupt migration routes of important species and adversely affect rich flood plain fisheries. Flood plains, themselves, provide excellent agricultural sites and, to this end, flood control is often taken as a major objective of basin development with adverse effects on fisheries. On the other hand, agricultural development may enrich waters downstream. Indeed proper management of the land may be considered the key to management of the fish resources of a river and its associated reservoirs or lakes, while regulations and similar measures only provide a kind of fine tuning.

As in the sea, natural management units of continental fisheries such as lakes and major river basins, may not fall entirely within the boundaries of one state. There is therefore need for dialogue and cooperation between states on management and development issues. But the more important needs for strengthening inter-country links in inland fisheries and aquaculture have to do with sharing of experience and knowledge, with economies in training and with cooperation in experimentation and research. In the Latin American region there is a special need to find additional resources for the support of regional publications, especially those of a scientific, and professional nature. The success of FAO's INFOPESCA project is testimony to the importance of regional exchange of information. SELA's excellent Revista Latino-Americana de Acuicultura is another.

I believe that it is fitting that this meeting is being held in the Dominican Republic. Although at the moment the fishing industry does not make a very great contribution to the Gross National Product, it does however make a very useful contribution to domestic food supplies. Whilst total employment in the industry at the moment represents only around 1 percent of total employment in agriculture, the industry is of localized socio-economic significance as a source of employment in coastal communities.

The inland fisheries represent both an important subsistence activity and a valuable supplement to income derived from other agricultural activities. The total fisheries potential of the Dominican waters (excluding aquaculture) is provisionally estimated at 25 000 tons per annum compared with the present annual catch level estimated at 9 600 tons. Production from inland waters could yield an additional 2 000 tons per annum. In addition, opportunities exist for aquaculture relating particularly to the culture of carp and Macrobrachium. Increased production from inland waters requires the development of management systems to optimise the exploitation of tilapia stocks and the upgrading of the species on the market.

On the other hand, during the last three years the increase in production has made it possible to decrease fishery imports by a little over 50 percent, thus making a significant contribution to foreign currency savings.

We have a full agenda ahead of us and I will not delay proceedings with a lengthy address. Allow me now to call your attention to the substantive items on your agenda.

Agenda item 3 refers to the report of the Working Party on Fishery Resources which met in March 1981 in Medellin, Colombia. The Working Party is proposing a programme of work for the short and medium term and mechanisms for its implementation as well as detailed discussions on the evaluation of fish stocks in rivers. The Commission is invited to comment upon the report and approve its conclusions and recommendations.

Agenda item 4 will deal with the report of the Working Party on Fisheries Technology which met in October 1981 in Trinidad, Bolivia, and discussed the current status and problems of inland fisheries in Latin America with regard to fishing vessels, gear and methods as well as handling, processing and marketing and formulated specific development proposals. Your Commission will be invited to review the report and to comment upon its conclusions and recommendations and to consider what follow-up actions should be taken for their implementation.

Agenda item 5 will deal with the report of the Symposium on the Development and Management of Artificial Lakes held here during the first two days of this week which considered the effects of dams on fisheries including the technology and planning aspects of reservoir fisheries development. The Commission will be invited to take note of the conclusions and recommendations of the Symposium and propose measures for their implementation.

Aquaculture in Latin America, the topic of item 6 on the agenda is reviewed in document COPESCAL/81/7. The purpose of the document is two-fold: to summarize the status of aquaculture in the region and to review the progress which has been achieved in the development of freshwater aquaculture in the region during the six years since the meeting of the Regional Workshop on Aquaculture Planning in Latin America held in Caracas, Venezuela. The Commission will have the opportunity to consider what cooperative action might be taken to promote better planning and more effective implementation of national aquaculture programmes.

In its first session, and in the work of the Working Parties, your Commission has already provided an important forum to discuss problems of regional importance. The time has come, therefore, to put all the collaborative principles in practice and speed up the development of the inland fisheries.

In the name of the Director-General of FAO, Mr Edouard Saouma, and the Officer-in-charge of the Fisheries Department, Dr A. Labon, I wish you all a successful meeting and fruitful discussions.

APPENDIX E
Address by Mr Hipólito Mejía
Secretary for Agriculture, Dominican Republic

Gentlemen,

The Dominican Republic and its Government, presided over by Don Antonio Guzmán Fernández, feel extremely pleased that our country should have been chosen as the venue for this important Symposium of the Commission for Inland Fisheries of Latin America, which brings together distinguished experts on aquaculture from the region.

Our country wanted to host this event, not only so that the technicians and officials of fellow nations and of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations could see the progress achieved in recent years thanks to a policy aimed at finding a way to relieve us from want, but also to show that the Dominican Republic is seriously engaged in seeking new paths to development.

We are not stinting the use of human and technical resources to win the fight against hunger. Wherever a resource can be used for the good of the people, particularly those most in need, we are there working.

We have understood that inland fishery and aquaculture offer viable alternatives for meeting the protein requirements of present and future generations, and are therefore working in this area. And our Government, following an economic and social policy aimed at meeting the requirements of the masses, has been encouraging these activities in order to reduce imports and increase comsumption of fish, particularly among our rural population.

We are aware of the risks and limitations of marine fishery owing to the scarcity of fish stocks that characterizes the seas in these latitudes and the misuse of marine resources, as well as the pollution caused mainly by oil spills.

To give an idea of the problem, 286 oil tankers pass through the Mona Passage alone. This and other sources of pollution are undermining the fish production capacity of our seas.

Inland, the Dominican Republic is well-watered. There are 108 river systems, five of them with reservoirs holding more than 2 000 m³, as well as lagoons and coastal areas where the ecological conditions are suitable for the farming of marine species and numerous dams and irrigation canals built by the Government.

These provide sufficient guarantee and stimulus for us to encourage fishing and aquaculture, so that we may take advantage of the resources with which God and human labour have endowed us. In order to do this as efficiently as possible, we have been working to provide the Fishery Resources Department with human and economic resources that will enable it to meet the country's expectations with regard to our water resources as a source of proteins.

The result of our endeavours is to be seen in the diet of our people, our balance of payments and the increase in national output.

Between 1978 and 1980 we managed to reduce imports of fish for food by approximately 17 million dollars, an excellent contribution by the fishery sub-sector to alleviating the serious currency problems confronting the country.

Imports of these products, which amounted to over 32 million dollars in 1978, fell to some 19 million in 1979 and last year to 15 million dollars.

These reductions in the importation of fish products run parallel to the increases recorded in the country's output, thanks to the policy followed in this sub-sector in recent years.

Thus, while Dominican fish output was just over 6 million kilos in 1978, in 1980 it had doubled, reaching 12 701 688 kilos.

For the forthcoming year we feel full of hope. Four large fish farms will come into operation. The private sector has also been stimulated by the work carried out by government institutions and already has installations ready to start mass production of shrimp in 1982.

For this purpose we have brought to the country higher-yielding species from Taiwan and Israel, which enables us to increase shrimp production.

Like many other areas and activities, aquaculture received little encouragement in the country until recently because no one had realized its potential. It may seem strange, but so it was: we were islanders who were unaware of the potential of our waters as a source of protein for raising the quality of life of our citizens. But in the last few years this Government has rediscovered the importance of our waters as a source of food and the contribution they can make to our economy, and a few fruits are already beginning to appear which indicate the great possibilities of fishery and aquaculture.

One last thought I should like to share with you, fellow technicians and officials, is that the way to the development of our countries lies here, in turning to account our resources and using technologies able, in a relatively short period of time, to be assimilated and used by our people.

The lesson to be learned from other parts of the world, among the poor nations, is that we must employ our intelligence and our initiative to discover our resources and take action so that we are not at the mercy of those who wish to assign us the role only of producing the items they need within the international system of division of labour that they have devised.

There is an ideology of development that we must combat if we want eventually to control our own resources and possibilities for expansion: that which induces us to try and repeat within our countries the systems that others have adopted and which they put forward as models.

This seminar is a demonstration of the fact that we are considering the potential of our resources and looking for new ways of using our simple but useful technologies on behalf of ourselves.

I extend a warm welcome to the delegates and observers to this meeting and hope that they will work intelligently and with useful results for our peoples.

Thank you very much.

APPENDIX F
Address by Dr Armando Hernández, Chairman of COPESCAL

Delegates,

We are meeting together five years after the establishment by FAO of the Commission for Inland Fisheries of Latin America. Its establishment corresponded to the need felt by the Latin American nations to develop inland fishery, since this activity is of recognized importance for its contribution to the supply of proteins and to local development, and as a source of employment and income for wide sectors of the rural population in our countries.

It is an honour for me, as the representative of Colombia and the Chairman of COPESCAL, to preside over the second session of this important regional body, charged with studying and proposing solutions to inland fishery problems in Latin America and assisting in the development of aquaculture.

The first session, held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in March 1979, confirmed the importance of this body in promoting regional integration and the better utilization of existing resources. The session also facilitated the exchange of information on experience and requirements with regard to production, assessment of potentials, social, economic and juridical aspects, and limiting factors such as pollution; and it was recommended that working groups on fishery resources and technology be set up.

The Commission's programme of work was approved and satisfactorily implemented, three working meetings being held during 1981; the first, on fishery resources, in Medellín, Colombia, in March; the second, on fishery technology, in Trinidad, Bolivia, in October; and the last, on the development and utilization of artificial lakes, has just ended, prior to this second session of the Commission. The items discussed at each of these meetings are given in the documents distributed by the Secretariat, which have to be reviewed and their conclusions and recommendations approved during this session.

The potential yield of Latin America's inland waters has been provisionally estimated at about two million tons, but present nominal catches are only 13.6 percent of this figure. In the best of cases the estimated catches represent 21 percent, which shows the extent to which the fish resources of the inland waters are underutilized.

But if the potential production calculated at the meeting held in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1975, on aquaculture planning in Latin America, is compared with the volume obtained, it is possible to detect an incipient overall development in aquaculture practices.

The main problems in utilizing the resources derive, in my opinion, from the lack of knowledge on ecosystems, populations and species and from the existence of bottlenecks with regard to catch, technology, conservation, transport, quality conditions and costs of the various production factors. This situation, combined with organizational difficulties, fluctuations in production, the irregular flow of information, the lack of adequate infrastructures, and fluctuations in prices and markets, has prevented greater development of inland fisheries, despite their importance and the relatively low cost of utilization operations - a cost made even lower by their non-industrial nature and consequent reduced need for energy inputs.

In addition to analysing the results obtained in the working group meetings held, the purpose of this second session of COPESCAL is unquestionably to study various possible ways of overcoming the limitations that have prevented inland fisheries making a greater contribution to the economy of the Latin American countries.

Each country must make ever greater efforts to assess and acquire more knowledge of its resources, and to transfer technologies as part of multidisciplinary approaches, in order to increase the exchange of information and experience and thus make the maximum possible use of potentials.

The strengthening of training, infrastructure, financing and basic and applied research programmes are items which should occupy much of our time during the meeting.

But attention must be drawn to the overriding necessity of analysing the progress made to date and studying the policies, planning systems, development strategies and other factors which condition the development of inland fisheries and aquaculture, so that the result of this meeting may be of benefit to each of our countries.

The ever-growing importance and necessity of medium and long-term planning for the development of the production-market-consumption system and its economic and social implications must be the subject of careful analysis, in view of the characteristics of the resource and the imbalance between the supply and demand of products which make it possible to satisfy the people's nutritional requirements.

I think it is of interest to recognize the work done by FAO in making our Commission active, as well as the participation of regional bodies such as the Latin American Economic System (SELA) and the Latin American Aquaculture Association (ALA), since this has made it possible to encourage and in the future will make it possible to achieve regional and sub-regional machinery to facilitate the development of this important sector of the economy.

Finally, it remains for me to express, on behalf of all the delegations, their and my own thanks to the Government and People of the Dominican Republic for having provided the venue for COPESCAL's second session, and for the warm and generous welcome they have extended to us.

Thank you very much.

APPENDIX G
Agenda

1. Opening of the session

2. Adoption of the agenda and arrangements for the session

3. Consideration of the report of the COPESCAL Working Party on Fishery Resources

4. Consideration of the report of the COPESCAL Working Party on Fisheries Technology

5. Consideration of the report of the Technical Symposium on the Development and Management of Artificial Lakes

6. Aquaculture

7. Any other matters

8. Election of officers

9. Date and place of the third session

10. Adoption of the report

APPENDIX H

List of documents

APPENDIX I
Symposium on the Development and Management of Artificial Lakes
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 30 November – 1 December 1981

The need for water for purposes of producing hydroelectricity, irrigation and drinking water has led to the rapid creation of a sophisticated technology in the construction of dams, and to the impoundment of many rivers. It is a fact that this technological development has not been matched by similar advances in the knowledge and management of the aquatic resources so fundamentally important to man. On the other hand, the development of fisheries in small impoundments is of great importance for many Latin American countries. The Man in the Biosphere Programme (Unesco) has been working on human impacts on ecosystems, and on the repercussions of these on man. OEA is managing the educational aspects of aquatic ecosystem science. Similarly, FAO is looking to new resources for the alleviation of the problems of human nutrition. At the suggestion of the Dominican Fisheries Department, FAO organized this Symposium for the purpose of assisting the members of COPESCAL to find means for the development and full use of the fisheries of their artificial lakes. With this purpose in mind, four themes were proposed, around which dicussions of the meeting were organized:

1. The ecology of fish population in artificial lakes

2. The influence of damming on the migrations of fish populations

3. The planning and development of fisheries in artificial lakes

4. Utilization of small impoundments.

Thirty-five participants representing nine countries, attended the Symposium.

Based on the wide range of discussions which emerged, and the many problems described by the participants, the Symposium concluded that:

1. There exists a great diversity of artificial ecosystems which vary widely from small water bodies of a few square meters in size to the great hydroelectric dams of Parana system up to 170 000 km² in size; and from high mountain dams of low productivity to coastal lagoons of very high productivity. The ecological characteristics are little known making fisheries management difficult. Nevertheless, many already have well developed fisheries.

2. The biological knowledge of aquatic resources of inland waters, including their fish fauna, is sparse and only recently attained. A great number of species are being affected by damming of the rivers shared by Brasil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. The state of knowledge of these species and of their migratory behaviour is not sufficient to permit the design of structures to allow fish to continue their migrations after the construction of dams. Fish ladders and lifts only work well for those species for which they were designed. It is critical to the survival of certain species to identify the spawning and nursery grounds. In addition, given the high density of their spawning runs, it is necessary to know the movements and the adaptations of these species in response to changes in the environment such as in currents, water level, and increased turbidity caused by erosion. Furthermore, a great number of exotic species of Salmonidae, Cyprinidae and Cichlidae had been introduced, the life cycles of which are well known in the countries of origin. But owing to the probable changes and adaptations which they have undergone in the new environments, their life cycles in the new situations need to be re-studied.

3. It is necessary to obtain sufficient information to permit selection of fish species of rapid growth, to select appropriate feeds, and to decide an appropriate stocking densities in small dams for the development of fisheries at artisanal and subsistence levels. These are of special importance to such countries as Bolivia, Mexico, Peru and the Dominican Republic. The transfer of suitable technology for capture, processing, and the distribution of fisheries products at the rural level is also of primary importance for all types of dams. Knowledge of the techniques of evaluating and stimulating fish populations is required. Scientific knowledge and technology is not the same in all of Latin America, and the communication of this knowledge is neither adequate nor sufficiently rapid. Further, there is insufficient communication between the different sectors concerned with administration, planning, research and production.

After considering the array of questions raised, and tying to find effective solutions to them, while at the same time keeping in mind the fundamental principle that the trigger for development lies in individual, group, and national initiative, the Symposium recommends that:

1. The FAO Secretariat should propose an outline of a methodology for evaluating the potential of reservoirs for fisheries and for identifying and selecting among alternative strategies for the organization and development of such fisheries. Using this outline as a basis, a small group of experts from the region should be assembled to discuss and develop this outline as the basis of a handbook or manual on the development of reservoir fisheries in Latin America.

2. The FAO Secretariat should try to identify one or more individuals from the Latin American region who would be willing to adapt, and translate into Spanish, appropriate existing documents on pre- and post-impoundment planning for fisheries development in reservoirs. The Secretariat should also seek means with which to hold at least one workshop in the region on planning fishery development in reservoirs.

3. Member Governments should prepare inventories of their reservoirs and impoundments, their major characteristics, and the nature of fishery activities on them, to be compiled by FAO into a regional publication. Member Governments should similarly prepare lists of priority species of fish which are important in managing reservoirs which could then be distributed, through the Secretariat, to member countries.

4. COPESCAL should establish a Working Party on Aquaculture (a) to keep under review the various problems of developing fresh-water aquaculture in Latin America, (b) to promote exchange of experiences among countries of the region with particular reference to the development and use of appropriate forms of aquaculture in rural development, and (c) to recommend to COPESCAL specific programmes of regional action. It was further suggested that, in connection with the next session of COPESCAL, a two-day workshop be held on the planning of integrated and well-balanced programmes for rural aquaculture developments including consideration of economic and social issues.

5. COPESCAL, through the FAO Secretariat, should seek to cooperate closely with the activities of the regional Man in the Biosphere (MAB) Programme coordinated by Unesco.

6. The Secretariat, with the cooperation of Member Governments, should try to identify someone in the region willing to compile the specialized terms of the Spanish language used in inland fisheries, and suggest a standardized use of those terms which are most frequently confused.

7. COPESCAL should make every effort to help its Member Governments appreciate more fully the opportunities for increasing local supplies of protein and providing employment, especially in more remote areas, through the development of reservoir fisheries.

8. COPESCAL should encourage any members in a position to do so to prepare synopses of life history and management data on the important commercial species of Latin America, with special emphasis on native species useful for reservoir fisheries, or for more intensive aquaculture. Of particular and immediate interest are the pejerrey and related atherinids, and the various species of Colosoma, Prochilodus Brycon, Petenia etc.

APPENDIX J
Summary of recommendations/decisions for action

Agenda item 3: CONSIDERATION OF THE REPORT OF THE COPESCAL WORKING PARTY ON FISHERY RESOURCES

For attention of FAO

1. Organize a Workshop on the Development of Techniques for the Evaluation of Fish Stocks (paragraph 14)

2. Collect information on the state of pollution in various countries of Latin America and propose methodologies for the assessment and control of water pollution insofar as it affects fisheries (paragraph 15)

3. Establish a working group to elaborate a common system for toxicity testing (paragraph 15)

4. Organize a workshop on river basin planning for fisheries (paragraph 17)

5. In collaboration with other agencies having similar activities in the region establish a documentation centre for aquatic sciences (paragraph 18)

6. Prepare documentation on the economic and social aspects of the ornamental fish trade in Latin America (paragraph 23)

7. Next session of the Working Party on Fishery Resources should be devoted to consideration and definition of the problems of international river basins (paragraph 26)

For attention of Governments

1. Riverain countries within the various basins collaborate technically on topics of common interest both within their own basin area and with other basins (paragraph 10)

2. Collaborate in establishing a common system for toxicity testing (paragraph 15)

3. Cooperate in investigating and documenting the development of fisheries in blackwater rivers as compared to savanna rivers (paragraph 25)

Agenda item 4: CONSIDERATION OF THE REPORT OF THE COPESCAL WORKING PARTY ON FISHERIES TECHNOLOGY

For attention of FAO

1. Consolidate available information into a document describing the infrastructure of the inland fisheries of Latin America (paragraph 32)

2. Develop technologies related to the design and specification of fishing gear to be compatible with ecological equilibrium (paragraph 33)

3. Assist members in standardizing the terminology and technical specifications used for fishing gear and methods (paragraph 33)

4. Assist members in undertaking studies to evaluate and improve the efficiency of fishing boats (paragraph 33)

5. Provide assistance with regard to research on handling, preservation, processing and marketing of fishery products through the Regional Cooperative Research Programme in Fish Technology (paragraph 34)

6. Undertake a study on possible utilization of fish residues (paragraph 35)

7. Assist members in undertaking socio-economic studies to develop concepts for cooperative and/or self-help organizations (paragraph 37)

8. Assist members on a possible streamlining of fisheries management and development activities and placing responsibility under one fishery agency.

For attention of governments

1. Make greater efforts in preventing and eradicating dangerous, wasteful and inappropriate fishing methods (paragraph 20)

2. Plan and implement integrated inland fishery development programmes (paragraph 30)

3. Collaborate in standardizing the terminology and technical specifications used for fishing gear and methods (paragraph 33)

4. Develop technologies on fishing gear design and specifications more compatible with conservation of resources and with ecological equilibrium (paragraph 33)

5. Undertake studies aimed at improving the efficiency of fishing boats with due regard to working conditions, gear to be used and species to be exploited (paragraph 33)

6. Investigate possibilities of improving handling, preservation and processing of traditional fishery products (paragraph 34)

7. Carry out marketing studies (infrastructure, transport, intermediaries) with the aim of providing solutions to quality and price problems (paragraph 34)

8. Initiate socio-economic studies in order to develop concepts for cooperative and/or self-help organizations (paragraph 37)

9. Study the possibility of collaborating more in effective technical cooperation and in implementing multinational fishery projects (paragraph 37)

Agenda item 5: CONSIDERATION OF THE REPORT OF THE TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF ARTIFICIAL LAKES

For attention of FAO

1. Propose and outline methodology for evaluating the potential of reservoirs and defining appropriate strategies for their development (paragraph 41)

2. Adapt and translate into Spanish appropriate documentation on pre- and post-impoundment planning for fisheries development in reservoirs (paragraph 41)

3. Organize one seminar on planning and development of fisheries in dams and reservoirs (paragraph 41)

4. Assist members in preparing inventories of their dams and reservoirs and publish them in the COPESCAL series (paragraph 41)

5. Collaborate closely with other international organizations having similar activities (paragraph 41)

6. Prepare a thesaurus of specialized terms of the Spanish language used in inland fisheries and aquaculture (paragraph 41)

7. Assist members in preparing synopses of commercially important species (paragraph 41)

For attention of governments

1. Prepare inventories of dams and reservoirs (paragraph 41)

2. Encourage scientists to prepare synopses of commercially-important species (paragraph 41)

Agenda item 6: AQUACULTURE

For attention of FAO

1. Establish a Working Party on Aquaculture (paragraphs 42, 47)

2. Priorities for holding sessions of working parties should be

   1. aquaculture

   2. fishery resources

   3. fisheries technology (paragraph 49)

Agenda item 7: ANY OTHER MATTERS

(a) Training

For attention of FAO

1. Assist in the preparation of fishery courses at the University of Sucre, Colombia (paragraph 53)

For attention of goverments

1. Support the Colombian proposal to provide an international training centre for inland fisheries at the University of Sucre (paragraph 53)

2. Submit details of prospectuses of any fishery courses in their own national institutes to the University of Sucre (paragraph 53)