The Millennium Aquaculture Conference has expressed itself. The daunting task of collaboration and cooperation among stake-holders in reaching consensus towards developing a strategy for sustainable aquaculture development over the next 20 years has been achieved, a congratulatory thanks to all the contributions and all those who have been a part of this endeavour. The Bangkok Declaration and Strategy on Aquaculture Development in the Third Millennium has been published and is being discussed and appraised at various fora. As a tribute to this mammoth task, which we together achieved successfully, we decided to dedicate this issue of FAN to the Millennium Conference. You will find a comprehensive report of the Conference and the full text of Bangkok Declaration and Strategy in this issue.

From left: Mr H. Kongkeo, NACA Coordinator, Thailand, Mr M. Rajapaksa, Minister of Fisheries, Sri Lanka and his wife, Mr P. Adireksan, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand, Mr N. Thang, Vice Minister of Fisheries, Viet Nam, Mr D. Prakobboon, Director-General of the Department of Fisheries, Thailand.

The greatest challenge we now face is how to translate the recommendations of the Conference and the provisions of the Bangkok Declaration into action. This will require prudent and tactical planning, multidisciplinary and collaborative approaches, strong commitment towards effective implementation, and working together for a common cause. The bottom-line is how to create an enabling environment for farmers to produce quality products acceptable to consumers, in an environmentally friendly manner while maintaining social equity. The implementation of the Bangkok Declaration and Strategy must improve farmers’ livelihoods, while enhancing the social and economic development of the producing countries.

Rohana Subasinghe

Chief Editor