‘It is apparent that, even with the most strenuous efforts, it will not be possible to increase rice production to meet demand. If you gentlemen can advise means by which the riches of the seas and the inland waters of this area can be made to supplement to a great degree this meagre and inadequate rice diet; you will have contributed greatly to stabilising the standard of living of these unfortunate peoples.....
I am impressed by the international character of problems which this Council will discuss and the need there is to approach them from a view point which, shall we say, is a national. Firstly, several nations own the shores of each of the many seas of this area, and the high seas belong to everyone. Secondly, whatever national boundaries there are in the laws of men, in the laws of nature there are none. Thirdly, the problems of the organisms and the elements of the waters themselves defy any human attempt to set boundaries; Malaya and Siam for instance must confront and solve problems which are often the same or very similar. All this means that these countries will inevitably use similar equipment and similar methods comparable they must standardize their equipment and methods. This is the first way in which they can help one another - by exchanging views and information on the attack upon problems and tools to be used. Then when this programme begins to furnish results, these, too, should be speedily exchanged and made available to one another; for in some cases the results will suggest lines of thought and experiment which may in turn yield profitable results.....
Of all the many fronts in this total war against starvation and want, the battle to wrest the secrets and resources from the sea appears to be the one which gives best promise of an early victory..... I wish you all well in this tremendous task and pledge the full co-operation of the Food and Agriculture Organization.’
The year was 1949 and the Speaker of the above address was the Hon. Norris E. Dodd, the Director-General of FAO, at the Inauguration of the First Session of APFIC (then Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council, IPFC) on 24 March in Singapore.
Forty-nine years had passed. The fishery situation had changed drastically since its inception. Asia and the Pacific succeeded in adopting modern fishing and aquaculture technologies which resulted in spectacular increases in fishery production from 6.8 million tons in 1948 to 66.5 million tons in 1996. However, depletion of coastal fishery resources is spreading region-wide due to overexploitation. Overcapacity of fishing fleets in the region is also recognized and the urgent needs for responsible fisheries and sustainable aquaculture were emphasized in all fishery fora.
As APFIC shall celebrate its 50th Anniversary on 9 November 1998, it is an opportune time to look back on its achievements and failures in carrying its mandate in promoting the full and proper utilization of living aquatic resources in the Asia-Pacific region, as recommended by the Third FAO Conference in 1947 and concurred by all Member States who adhered to the Agreement. In this connection, Dr. Deb Menasveta, the former Assistant to the Assistant Director-General (Fisheries) of FAO, was commissioned by the APFIC Secretariat to undertake an intensive review of APFIC’s activities in order to determine its future direction. It should be noted that Dr. Menasveta has been closely associated with the activities of APFIC since 1960. He also conducted a similar review on the first twenty-five years of IPFC in 1974. He, therefore, is one of the few who have intimate knowledge of the Commission.
It is our pleasure to present the review on APFIC’s activities in the past fifty years in this volume. Being the first and the oldest regional fishery body, APFIC has gone through the good and bad years as in life. Nonetheless, it could and would do more, if required by Member States, for its contribution to promote good fishery governance, the sustainable management and the responsible utilization of fishery resources in the Asia-Pacific region.
Veravat Hongskul
APFIC Secretary
