Welcome address
By Rolando R. Platon, SEAFDEC/AQD Chief
Good Morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to this Regional Donor Consultation on the Role of aquaculture and living resources: priorities for support and networking.
Recognizing the important role, potential and needs of aquaculture and aquatic resources management in the Asia-Pacific region, the relevant regional and international organizations, namely, FAO, NACA, WorldFish Center, MRC and SEAFDEC/AQD agreed to hold this consultation.
This consultation is convened to discuss with donors the role that aquaculture and aquatic resources management play in rural and coastal livelihoods and the regional development requirements for this sub-sector.
We very much appreciate the presence of representatives from various donor organizations. We thank you very much for accepting our invitation and for your precious time to be with us.
As you can see from our Provisional Agenda and Time Table, we will have a relatively hectic schedule in the next three days; one and a half day of discussion here at the hotel, one-half day allotted to travel to Iloilo and a full day of field trip in Iloilo; although I understand that not all will be joining the trip to Iloilo.
On behalf of the collaborating institutions, I extend to you our warmest welcome and we hope to have a fruitful consultation.
Thank you
Message
Leonardo Q. Montemayor, Secretary, Philippines Department of Agriculture (delivered by Rolando R. Platon, SEAFDEC/AQD Chief)
Good Morning. It is an honor to be part of this consultation/meeting. I would like to extend a warm welcome to our foreign guests from prestigious international organizations. On behalf of the department of agriculture (DA), I hope your stay in the Philippines will be enjoyable and memorable.
It has been said that aquaculture had its beginnings in Asia. When Ferdinand Magellan landed on our shores five centuries ago, milkfish was reportedly being grown in brackish water fish ponds. With such a head start, you would think that we should now be one of the leaders in marine fish production. Yet today, we see that Europe is the leading fish producer in marine waters.
Thirty years ago, the Philippines were already producing more than 200 000 tons of milkfish while Norway's salmon production was only 8 000 tons. Now, Norway produces nearly half a million tons of Atlantic salmon annually while total Philippine milkfish production is less than half of Norway's salmon production from sea cages. Obviously, we have a lot of catching up to do to improve our aquaculture production. And we can do it if we can fully exploit the potentials of our aquaculture industry.
With our fast dwindling marine resources, aquaculture is now our last resort and hope for increasing our fish production and helping it catch-up with our growing population and food demand. Indeed, aquaculture is the wave of the future. Last year, Philippine aquaculture contributed 38 percent of the total fisheries production and a 10.9 percent increase from the 2001 output. Of this figure, seaweeds made up 64 percent and fishes only 18 percent. In the first nine months of 2002, aquaculture grew by 6.2 percent but its gross value declined by 5.18 percent.
In the long run, the need to boost aquaculture production will greatly rely on environmentally sound practices. Improving production requires recognition of the carrying capacity of an ecosystem and a thorough understanding of the environmental consequences of aquaculture operations. It is therefore reassuring that groups such as the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) continue to initiate projects and programmes that push the frontiers of local aquaculture's development.
SEAFDEC has already identified and can now replicate the sequence of milkfish DNA responsible for growth hormone production. I have been told that the application of such hormone will hasten the growth of milkfish. This has also been done for the rabbitfish or "siganid" and other species such as the grouper. Needless to say, such development will mean improved profitability, more investments in fish culture and increased revenues especially in the country's fishing municipalities.
By next year, thanks to the Government of Japan, the advanced aquaculture laboratory within the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department premises in Tigbauan, Iloilo will be fully operational. This will greatly impact on local aquaculture research and development especially in biotechnology. Among other research activities lined up are the formulation of cost-effective and environment-friendly feeds, development of disease-resistant fish and shrimp stocks and development of fish vaccines.
SEAFDEC has already initiated the mass propagation of high-value but fast disappearing marine organisms- such as the seahorse, abalone, windowpane oyster and top shells to rejuvenate depleted natural stock. This activity hopes to provide livelihood alternatives for local fishers. On our part, we at the Department of Agriculture through the BFAR, continue to promote aquaculture as a means of diversifying fishery production, boosting our fisherfolk's incomes and allowing our depleted fishery areas enough time to recuperate.
Toward this end, we hold nation-wide technology caravans to promote aquaculture in lowland and upland communities. We have established seaweeds village ecozones in Davao and Zamboanga del Norte. Through these seaweed projects, we hope to generate some 2 000 jobs. We put up mariculture parks. We have seen the benefits of these parks in Samai Island in Davao. Right now, five other mariculture projects are at various stages of implementation. By this years end, an estimated 2 600 jobs will be generated from these projects.
We promote urban aquaculture. We hope to promote fish tanks and fish condominiums in her urban communities such as in Bgy Del Pilar in Las Pinas. We have enacted appropriate Fisheries Administrative Orders to insure sustainable aquaculture practices. Likewise, we have also formulated measures to mitigate fish kills and lessen of the impact of El Nino.
To ensure the proper management of fish health, BFAR has established the Regional Fish Health Laboratories and White Spot Syndrome Virus Monitoring Centers. We have also initiated the accreditation of quality seeds produced in shrimp hatcheries. We continue to strengthen BFAR's research and development capability. Water quality is being monitored as well as the environmental assessment of farming areas. There is also the ongoing practice of selective breeding of carps and tilapia through genetics and hybridization. The R&D thrust is not confined to enhancing production but in ensuring environmental sustainability as well.
BFAR is also taking the lead in implementing foreign funded projects such as the Network of Aquaculture Centres of Asia-Pacific (NACA) coastal management [project] implemented in the province of Antigue and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Management (ICCAM) stock assessments which is a joint project of BFAR and UP Los Banos. Two other major aquaculture projects are the United Nations Development Funds Milkfish Breeding Project implemented in Dagupan City and the CIRAD-PCAMRD Genetic Breeding of saline tolerant tilapia implemented by the BFAR-NIFTDC in Dagupan. BFAR and SEAFDEC are implementing the Joint Missions for Accelerated Nation-wide Technology Transfer Project as a means of minimizing organic pollution through the use of reservoir, sedimentation ponds and finfishes as biomanipulators.
In closing, let me reiterate that aquaculture will play a major role in our pursuit of food security. The programmes and projects spearheaded by SEAFDEC and DA-BFAR are all geared to hasten Philippine aquaculture's development and enable it to reach newer heights. Through collaborations among our own institutions and the international organizations that our foreign guests represent, we hope to realize our vision of a vigorous aquaculture industry geared towards food security, employment generation and poverty alleviation.
Thank you very much. Mabuhay kayong lahat!
Rationale of Consultation and Introduction of Guest Speakers
By Simon Funge-Smith, Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries, FAO/RAP
On behalf of FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, I would like to welcome everyone here today to this Donor Consultation and take the opportunity to briefly explain the scope of the Consultation.
During the next couple of days we aim to discuss and raise awareness of the role that inland fisheries, aquatic resource management and aquaculture play in the livelihoods of the people of this region as well as describe the role of collaborating regional institutions. We would like this Consultation to be an opportunity for the regional institutions and donors to get feedback from each other.
We will try to explain some of the opportunities that exist for assisting the livelihoods of people that rely on aquatic resources and their management as well as indicating some of the issues and highlight some of the areas where we think there are needs for intervention and assistance [that currently threaten this important resource]. We will also address the important regional policy and development issues that relate to aquatic resources and their management.
Again, I would like to reiterate my welcome to all of you and hope we have an active and frank discussion over the next couple of days.
Thank you
Opening statement
By Sang Mu Lee, FAO Representative in the Philippines
Distinguished Delegates and Observers, Excellencies, Representatives of Regional Fisheries Institutions, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is with immense pleasure that I welcome you, on behalf of FAO to Manila and to this Regional Donor Consultation on the Role of aquaculture and living aquatic resources: priorities for support and networking.
FAO is grateful to the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre, Aquaculture Department, for hosting this consultation and to the collaborating partner institutions: the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific, the Mekong River Commission and the International Centre for Living Aquatic Resources Management [WorldFish Center] for their participation.
I am pleased to welcome the representatives of international and national donor agencies, who have taken the time to participate in this consultation. I am convinced that we can expect a fruitful dialogue over the next couple of days with the participation of a diverse group of fisheries institutions representing regional networks, with areas of competence covering freshwater fisheries, aquatic resource management and research and aquaculture development.
During the course of this consultation, we will address important regional policies and development issues relating to aquatic resources and their management. This consultation will hopefully serve to increase awareness of the crucial role that inland fisheries, aquatic resource management and aquaculture play in the livelihoods of the people of this region and will present an opportunity for the regional institutions involved to get feedback from the donor community.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen. Aquaculture and inland fisheries are vital components of rural livelihoods globally, but in particular in many Asian countries. Asia's consumption of fish comprised two-thirds of the world's total of 94 million tons. Close to 50 percent of protein is derived from fish consumption in Bangladesh, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Cambodia and the Republic of Korea. In addition to providing quality protein, essential dietary micronutrients such as calcium, vitamin A, omega-3 fatty acids, lysine and iodine together with vital opportunities for employment, cash income and foreign exchange are also derived.
Unfortunately, the livelihood and national economic benefits of these sectors are often hidden from view, overlooked by agricultural economists and marginalized by export-focused policies. Yet the reality is that the contribution to national economies is undeniable, particularly for the poorest members of society who are reliant on the open access resources of inland fisheries and small-scale aquaculture for household income generation.
Export-oriented, industrial and commercial aquaculture brings foreign exchange, revenue and employment. More extensive forms of aquaculture benefit the livelihoods of the poor, through improved food supply, reduced vulnerability to uncontrollable natural crashes in aquatic production, employment and increased income.
As you are aware, management of living aquatic resources has many forms ranging from collection of fish in rice fields, to huge trap fisheries on inland water bodies, to fishery enhancements using hatcheries-produced fry and fingerling for stocking into natural waters, or habitat improvements such as enclosing coastal bays and lagoons and adding of brush or other substrates. Stocking of ponds for aquaculture is a small part of this overall diversity of activities that is encompassed by aquaculture and inland fisheries, which provide important livelihood opportunities and benefits for resource-poor people from the enhanced use of aquatic resources.
Historically, most aquaculture practices around the world have been pursued with significant social, economic and nutritional benefits and with minimal environmental costs. The culture of many herbivorous and filter-feeding aquatic species has been an effective means of producing high quality protein. However, the sector has also been the focus of recent public debate related to negative environmental and social impacts.
There is some basis for these allegations. In certain parts of the world and in certain aquaculture sectors, there have been some inadequately planned and inappropriately managed forms of aquaculture that have created significant social and environmental problems. Typically, these impacts often arise from weak regulatory frameworks and the too rapid development associated with the great commercial potential of some high value species. It is our responsibility to take collective measures to improve our understanding of the real impacts and causes in order to make the aquaculture sector more environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable.
The Bangkok Declaration and Strategy adopted during the 2000 FAO/NACA Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium emphasized that aquaculture should be pursued as an integral component of community development and recognized that there is a need to create enabling environments for optimizing the potential benefits and contribution that aquaculture and culture-based fisheries can make to rural development, food security and poverty alleviation. Aquaculture policies and regulations should promote practical and economically viable farming and management practices that are environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable and equitable. Furthermore, in an era of globalization and trade liberalization, the envisaged changes should not only focus on increasing production. They should also focus on producing a product that is nutritious, affordable, acceptable, safe to eat and accessible to all sectors of society. The third Five-Year Work Programme of NACA, which aims to set the stage for aquaculture in the region for the next 20 years and beyond, incorporates these precepts.
Over the past decade, aquaculture's increasing contribution to human development has been duly recognized and one of the most significant endorsements of this recognition is the establishment of the FAO Sub-Committee on Aquaculture of the Committee on Fisheries in Beijing this year. More recently, recognition of the role of fisheries in the region was embodied in ASEAN Resolution on Fisheries and Food Security and the Plan of Action on Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security adopted by the Ministers of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC member countries responsible for fisheries. The just concluded "Fish for All Summit" coordinated by ICLARM about which you will shortly be hearing more of, is another step in the process of advocating fisheries issues.
While fisheries management has featured as a critical theme in major national and international policy declarations, the role of inland fisheries, small-scale aquatic resource management and aquaculture have tended to be ignored. There are few opportunities for dialogue and mutual learning and sometimes poorly coordinated efforts to inform policy-makers of the important role of aquaculture and aquatic resource management. As a result, awareness among policy-makers is low and this has been reflected in the lack of donor intervention in the sub-sector.
The concerns of sustainable fisheries and coastal development prominently figure in Agenda 21 of the Earth Summit in 1992 and this was reiterated at the recent Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development. This Summit recommends assistance to developing countries in coordinating policies and programmes at the regional and sub-regional levels, aimed at the conservation and sustainable management of fishery resources and implementation of integrated coastal area management plans, including the promotion of sustainable coastal and small-scale fishing activities. Although the interpretation of this would include inland fisheries and living aquatic resources, the focus of the Summit's recommendations was more concentrated on marine systems, possibly underlining the lack of awareness globally of the importance of these inland resources.
The Johannesburg Summit did also recognize the need for the sustainable development of aquaculture, including small-scale aquaculture, given its growing importance for food security and economic development. Reference was also made to the promotion of the conservation and sustainable use and management of traditional and indigenous agricultural systems and to the strengthening of indigenous models of agricultural production. The Johannesburg Summit also encouraged efforts to support effective coordination among the various international and intergovernmental bodies and processes working on water-related issues. In this region of Asia so dependent upon rice-based ecosystems, we cannot talk about agriculture without involving the living aquatic resources, which are so intimately connected to these ecosystems.
Information and statistics on inland fisheries and aquaculture have often been inadequate and unrealistic, even though this underpins policy formulation and planning. The purpose of this Regional Consultation is to orient institutions and donors on the role, needs and potentials of the sub-sector on aquaculture development and living aquatic resources management for the Asia-Pacific region. The year 2003 has been designated the International Year of Freshwater, so it is therefore timely for this consultation to take into account this largely unsung sector which is the lifeblood for so many of the people of this region.
Excellencies, Representatives, Ladies and Gentlemen. I hope that over the next few days, you have the opportunity to gain insights into the rich diversity of issues that relate to fisheries and aquaculture. With this, it is my pleasure to declare this consultation open and to wish you success in your discussions and deliberations.
Thank you and good morning.
