This Workshop report is a contribution to the new role of the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) as a regional consultative forum. This forum provides its Members a neutral platform to examine issues affecting the sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture across Member Nations. One of the major changes in modus operandi was to involve its partners and non-governmental organizations much more in the consultation and discussion processes on issues facing fisheries in the region. The Workshop was attended by 60 participants, brought together from both APFIC member countries, regional organizations and projects as well as selected non-governmental organizations that have been involved in fisheries co-management, namely the Asian Institute of Technology Aqua-Outreach Programme (AIT Outreach), the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-governmental Organization (BOBP-IGO), the Coastal Habitats and Resources Management project (CHARM-EU), the Coastal Development Center (CDC), the Community-based Natural Resources Management Resource Center, the Fisheries Coalition Action Team (FACT), the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), the IUCN Wetlands Programme, the Mekong River Commission (MRC), the Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific (RECOFTC), the DANIDA Support for Brackish Water and Marine Aquaculture (DANIDA-SUMA), the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), the UNDP/FAO project on Empowerment of Coastal Fishing Communities for Livelihood Security (ECFC), the WorldFish Center (WFC), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The workshop's overall goal was to look into how fisheries co-management can be mainstreamed into the national system of fisheries management in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, building on existing fisheries co-management and community-based practices that exists in many of these countries.
This workshop is a clear example of how regional organizations and FAO member countries can join their resources to deal with issues of common interest. The elaboration of the action plan from this meeting is also a strong indication of the will to move forward on tackling some of the issues facing fisheries in the region. This report is the record of the Workshop and is further supported by presentations from the participants which cover in detail national and regional issues and experiences relating to fisheries co-management in the Asia-Pacific region.
He
Changchui
Assistant Director-General and
Regional Representative for Asia
and the Pacific
