The following recommendations were discussed and agreed during the final session of the Expert Consultation.
1. Review of policies, regulatory frameworks and institutional arrangements on water use for aquaculture and culture-based fisheries in medium and large water bodies was considered to be of high priority and timely for the efforts in assisting the intensification process. Therefore, the Expert Consultation recommended that appropriate country case studies/reviews be soon conducted by FAO in collaboration with NACA, and a South-Asia Sub-regional Workshop be subsequently conducted. It is also recommended that relevant divisions of the FAO Agriculture Department (AGLW - Agriculture, Land and Water Division) be consulted during the process. The participant from Nepal offered to host such a workshop.
2. Screening and mapping of locally available non-conventional feed sources, with emphasis on replacement of fish meal in aquatic feed was also recommended. Providing adequately nutritious feed at affordable cost is of primary importance to intensification of aquaculture and sectoral sustainability. Recognising this importance, the Expert Consultation requested FAO and NACA to initiate an activity (e.g. a baseline survey) towards evaluation and conducting an inventory of non-conventional feed resources in South Asia.
3. Under the broad umbrella of aquatic animal health management, the Expert Consultation felt that there is a strong need for introducing novel concepts of disease control, particularly for diseases of trans-boundary importance, to the relevant policy makers and regulators of the sub-region. Recognising this need, the Consultation recommended that FAO and NACA organise a sub-regional training programme on import risk analysis (IRA), early warning systems, and contingency planning on aquatic animal health management. The Consultation expressed the need for increased awareness amongst policy makers relating to the issues of international trade, particularly required under WTO-SPS agreement, and recommended that a sub-regional training programme be formulated and conducted.
The Expert Consultation formulated more detailed recommendations that would support sustainable intensification of fish production in South Asia in specific areas as enumerated below.
Reservoirs, Large Water Bodies and Irrigation Tanks
Small Scale Aquaculture and Resource Poor Farmers1. Identify practical examples of comanagement of water bodies with culture-based fisheries, recorded case studies of community management/comanagement mechanisms.
2. Based on recorded case studies, prepare guidelines for the development and application of comanagement and culture-based fishery technologies in common resource water bodies.
3. Reservoirs/water resource development should include appropriate fisheries within environmental impact assessment (EIA); implementation of the recommendations resulting from the assessment should be implemented.
4. Case studies of cage culture (involving several countries) should be gathered to provide examples and strategies that create positive social and economic impacts, with suitable environmental mitigation measures. Demonstrate and promotion of environmentally acceptable cage culture practices should be undertaken.
5. The participants suggested development of local design demand feeders for cage culture/pond culture.
1. Guidelines for aquaculture development should be developed that specifically focus on resource poor farmers.
2. Localized feed production for aquaculture should be promoted.
Support to Health Management
1. Establishment of local primary health centres/aqua-clinics to support small-scale aquaculture.
2. Promotion of one-stop aquaculture-clinics/aquaculture-shops.
Policy Related Issues
1. A policy study on the effects of differential tariffs for agricultural and aquacultural feedstuffs should be undertaken.
2. Comparative evaluation and water budgeting for aquaculture systems and in comparison to agricultural usage should be undertaken.
