Future role of APFIC
Support for programmes of action
The strategic vision of APFIC, when it marches into the next century, should be to ensure the sustainable contributions of fisheries to food security and the economies of its member countries. This vision is guided by the decisions and recommendations of the World Food Summit and the FAO Governing Bodies, as well as the collective wisdom of the Member Nations.
With the above vision, the mission of the Commission is to accelerate the achievement of self-reliance of its Members in the conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources in the region. The Commission’s mission is translated into programmes of action which are described in the ensuing paragraphs.
The APFIC Executive Committee, at its Sixty-sixth Session in 1996, considered the future of the Commission and noted the latter’s useful contribution to its member countries in the conservation of fishery resources and in the rational management of their fisheries. It agreed to recommend to the Commission that the best course of action would be to expand the Commission’s role and strengthen its activities in response to recent international developments20.
The future role of APFIC was considered by the Twenty-fifth Session of the Commission in 1996. All Members, whilst expressing their continuing support for the Commission, recognized that it would be necessary to reinforce and update the Commission’s terms of reference in order to take full account of the fundamental changes which have taken place in recent years. It was agreed that the role of the Commission needed to be broadened, whilst at the same time, avoiding duplication of effort of other regional bodies. The Commission accorded high priority to the following programmes of action21:
Subsequent to the above session of APFIC, the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific at its Twenty-fourth Session (Yangon, Myanmar, 20-24 April 1998) considered a substantive agenda item on the contribution of fisheries to food security and socio-economic development in the Asia-Pacific region, with special reference to the achievements of the regional fishery bodies. The Conference recommended that governments in the region give increased attention to fisheries management and endeavour to strengthen decision-making and management capacity.
The Regional Conference recalled the recommendations of various international conferences and meetings that international cooperation and coordination be strengthened in fisheries conservation and management, especially in the reduction of by-catches; protection of the environment; and the development of sustainable aquaculture. It agreed that APFIC offered one of the best mechanisms for such cooperation and coordination22. The Conference recommended that:
Taking into account the above recommendations of the FAO Regional Conference and the implications arising out of Resolution 13/97 of the Twenty-ninth Session of the FAO Conference (1997) mentioned in the previous section, there is an urgent need to decide on appropriate ways and means of supporting its enhanced responsibilities, if it plans to continue as an effective fishery organization for the region in the twenty-first century.
At its Sixty-sixth Session, the APFIC Executive Committee noted that if the Commission were to have adequate financial and technical support, the Commission could perform effectively its responsibilities, in implementing a number of programmes of action which would help achieve accelerated sustainable development and rational management of fisheries in the region could be initiated. These programmes of action are wide-ranging, including inter alia:
(i) Marine capture fisheriesThe Executive Committee recognized that the expanded role of the Commission necessitated the strengthening of the Secretariat to enable it to at least initiate and implement a few programmes of action, recommended by the above-mentioned instruments and initiatives. It listed a number of priority activities which should be undertaken by the Commission in the medium term23. It was noted that the Commission’s tasks heretofore were subject-oriented, not geographically oriented.
- study on the biology and bionomics of shared, migratory and transboundary fish stocks, particularly those in the South China Sea and its adjacent waters, in collaboration with ASEAN and SEAFDEC.
- development of model bilateral, tri-lateral or multilateral agreements for the management of shared, migratory and transboundary stocks in the South China Sea region, taking into account the technical guidelines under the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries;
- prepare fisheries management profiles of the countries in the region with a view to assisting the countries concerned in the improvement of their fishery management systems especially for use in their individual EEZs;
- improvement of fisheries information and statistical databases (including catch and effort and socio-economic data) for use especially in fisheries management; and timely dissemination thereof;
- development of fish stock assessment methodologies, applicable to tropical, multi-species, multi-gear fisheries;
- collaboration with ASEAN and SEAFDEC in carrying out fishery resource and oceanographic surveys in the South China Sea, particularly on the central Sunda Shelf and the South China Sea basin;
- development of a coherent plan for integrating fisheries in coastal area management with special attention to the active participation of small-scale fishing communities in the management of in-shore and coastal fisheries resources;
- development of guidelines which can be used by the private sector to defend their position in an integrated coastal area management projects; and
- formulation of strategies for the development of deep sea fisheries employing precautionary approach in the absence of good scientific advice.
(ii) Inland capture fisheries
- study on problems associated with the rational management and sustainable development of inland fisheries in the region with special attention to riverine and reservoir fisheries;
- development of effective information and statistical databases for inland fisheries;
- organization of regional consultations on management strategies for riverine and reservoir fisheries in the region, in collaboration with NACA and Mekong River Commission (MRC); and
- sustainable development of culture-based fisheries.
(iii) Aquaculture development
- development of methodologies for domesticating selected cultivable species of economic value including prawn (Penaeus spp.) and fish species;
- cooperation with NACA, SEAFDEC/AQD and other regional organizations in the formulation on reorientation of national aquaculture policies, with particular reference to environmental management and resource protection issues;
- carry out detailed case studies or local area planning exercises to help the Members to develop and implement integrated management of aquaculture systems, covering economic, legal and environmental aspects. These initiatives should cover training in the design and implementation of the studies; and
- development of rural aquaculture.
(iv) Post-harvest technology development
- support the network of regional research programmes on quality inspection and control, the reduction of post-harvest losses and the use of discards and by-catches for direct human consumption.
(v) Marketing and trade
- assistance to the Members in harmonizing fish trade policies and the standards of fisheries products for export through quality control and assurance, in collaboration with INFOFISH.
(vi) Fisheries research
- initiation and/or active participation in cooperative research programmes relevant to fisheries management and sustainable development in collaboration with other regional organizations in the region.
(vii) Technology transfer, human resource development and capacity building
- strengthening the Commission’s programmes of relevance to the above issues, e.g. organization of training courses, symposia, seminars, etc. Particular attention should be paid to the improvement of extension capability of the countries in all aspects of fisheries management and sustainable development and the promotion of effective communication between fisheries administrators, policy makers, the scientific community and the fishing industry.
(viii) International cooperation
- setting up an inter-secretariat working party to identify suitable areas of cooperation and to monitor the implementation of the agreed projects and programmes. The working party should endeavour to develop an effective regional mechanism to ensure the sustainable use of fishery resources, e.g. the management of migratory and transboundary stocks.
To ensure adequate funding for the enhanced role of APFIC, the Commission at its Twenty-fifth Session in 1996 discussed possible options for contributions by Members, viz., (i) mandatory annual contribution from the Members based on an agreed scale; (ii) voluntary contributions by participating countries to a trust fund for implementing specific projects of the Commission; and (iii) provision of travel expenses by the Members for their representatives at sessions of APFIC Committees and Working Parties. The Commission requested the Members to discuss the aforementioned options with their competent authorities in order that this matter could be discussed further at the Twenty-second Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in 1997. At the same time, the Commission directed the Secretariat to prepared programmes of action that required funding by its Members, together with detailed workplans, for consideration at the Twenty-sixth Session of the Commission.
It should be noted, in this connection, that the budgetary requirements for the APFIC expanded programmes were submitted for consideration by the Executive Committee24. The proposed budget amounted to approximately US$ 3.8 million for five years, or US$ 760 000 per year. This estimated amount is far less than the annual budgets of some of the regional and sub-regional bodies. The scale of annual contribution can be subsequently ascertained, based on those assessed by other regional or sub-regional bodies in the region25.
If the Members do not agree to a mandatory annual contribution scheme to finance the proposed activities of APFIC, the Commission will have to resort to cutting its programmes of activity substantially and direct its attention to a few high priority areas. In discussing this issue at its Sixty-seventh Session (Bangkok, Thailand; 10-12 June 1998), the Executive Committee recommended that the programmes of activity in the following areas be accorded high priority:
1. Collection, dissemination and exchange of fishery information and statistics;For fishery information, it may be recalled that the Commission, at its Twenty-fifth Session in 1996, gave its support to the proposed action plan for the setting up of an APFIC information network and requested the Secretariat to take the necessary steps to establish it. As the Commission has to find ways and means of supporting such a network, it is proposed that the network be hosted by one of its Members and coordinated by the Secretariat of APFIC. An ad hoc working party should be established to formulate a detailed plan of operation of the network. Interested Members of the Commission should be invited to consider providing financial support to the working party as indicated earlier. The Commission could request an expert(s) from FAO to assist in the initial activities of the working party.2. Development of national fishery policies towards attaining the sustainability of fisheries and fishery resources;
3. Marine fisheries management and related research;
4. Development of responsible aquaculture, with increased emphasis on rural aquaculture development and the development of culture-based fisheries; and
5. Acceleration of the transfer of appropriate technology and capacity building in the fisheries sector.
For marine fisheries management and related research, the work could be carried out in selected geographical areas, for example, the Yellow Sea and its contiguous waters; the South China Sea and its contiguous waters; and the Bay of Bengal. The initial work required would be to set up an ad hoc working party for each of the sub-regions to detail the work plan. Interested member countries in each sub-region would be invited to contribute financial support for the work of its working party and to finance the participation of their experts. The Commission, through the Secretariat, would coordinate the activities of these working parties and arrange for expertise from FAO and other interested member countries to assist the working parties.
The framework for regional cooperation as outlined is feasible if the Members have the political will and commitment to the work of the Commission. It is hoped that the proposed programmes of action at the sub-regional level will be of interest to the concerned Members and will economize the costs of operation, thus enabling the Commission to initiate activities leading towards the sustainable use of fishery resources in the Asia-Pacific region in the next century.
