Representatives from government, academia, an IGO and the private sector talk about the importance of joining forces to achieve sustainability

17/07/2024

17 July, Rome – Regional cooperation is key to advancing aquaculture development in line with the new Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA), participants heard at a side event during the 36th session of the Committee on Fisheries of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Held on 9 July, the event was organized by China in collaboration with the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), Thailand and Viet Nam.

It was moderated by Manuel Barange, FAO Assistant Director-General and Director of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, who in his opening remarks thanked China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) for "the great support they have given us on the Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture."

Cooperation to share knowledge, technology, innovation

Xinzhong Liu, Director General of the Bureau of Fisheries at MARA, pointed out that: "extreme weather is recurring worldwide right now, economic recovery is sluggish, and the number of hungry people has risen sharply."

"We must deepen technological and scientific cooperation to modernize aquaculture" in the face of these global challenges, he told participants, adding that "China will vigorously promote environmentally friendly aquaculture."

Belemane Semoli, Chief Director of Aquaculture within the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment of the Republic of South Africa and Chair of the Aquaculture Network of Africa (ANAF), said that his country's aquaculture programmes "are aligned to the principles of the GSA".

He added that aquaculture "is a skills- and technology-based sector" and that partnerships for "research and development (R&D) are important for its continued sustainability", including through platforms such as the Global Sustainable Aquaculture Advancement Partnership (GSAAP).

The GSA, a tool for sustainability

Raphaël Goulet, Deputy Director for International Ocean Governance and Sustainable Fisheries at the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG-MARE) of the European Commission, said that "the GSA gather the knowledge and experience gained by FAO and its Members over the years and are the result of a consensus on the way aquaculture should be developed."

"The potential is there: now we need trust, and decisive and coherent action to ensure a sustainable path," he added.

He was echoed by Rocío Parra Cortés, Undersecretary of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Management and Policy Unit in Chile.

"We are proud to have participated in the global consultative process" of developing the GSA, she said. "They will provide us with a valuable navigation chart with their guiding principles."

"Aquaculture will be sustainable...with the support of the GSA only if all countries move forward together under the principles of cooperation and equity," she added.

Sustainable aquaculture, key to food security

Neetu Kumari Prasad, Joint Secretary in the Department of Fisheries at India's Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, said that "aquaculture is instrumental to food security and nutrition" and that "by working together, regions can share resources, knowledge and capacity to address common challenges."

Also among the panelists was NACA Director General Eduardo Leaño, who said "our mission is to promote rural development through sustainable aquaculture...reduce poverty and increase food security" through regional and international collaboration, in line with the GSA.

He was followed by Rong Wan, President of Shanghai Ocean University (SHOU), a founding member of GSAAP that is home to the Center for Ecological Aquaculture, unveiled in 2022.

Aquaculture has "great potential to contribute to healthier and more sustainable global food production", said Rong, who described his university's "long-standing commitment to sustainable development" and willingness to promote the GSA.

Speaking from the private sector perspective was Lu Zhang, Vice President of Tongwei Co., Ltd, which produces aquafeed and photovoltaic technology for aquaculture farms. "We are willing to cooperate with all parties" to promote sustainable aquaculture, he said.

In closing, Barange pointed out that based on UN world population growth estimates "between today and 2050 we will have 170 000 new mouths to feed every day - 110 000 of them in Africa, a continent which is already a net importer of aquatic foods today."

"The Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture are just the beginning. They are a tool, and it is up to us to use this tool properly and develop aquaculture sustainably for a world without hunger," said Barange.

About the Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture

The GSA were drafted by FAO and its Members based on their collective vision of an aquaculture sector that contributes significantly to a world free from hunger and the equitable improvement of the living standards of all actors in its value chains.

They rest on the principles of sustainability, environmental stewardship, non-discrimination, the rule of law, equity and equality, participation, transparency and accountability, and the Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture (EAA).