Practical implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries and aquaculture

APFIC/FAO regional consultative workshop

Practical implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries and aquaculture

18–22 May 2009, Colombo, Sri Lanka

RAP PUBLICATION 2009/10

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

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ISBN 978-92-5-106319-4

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© FAO 2009

For copies, please contact:
The Senior Fishery Officer
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Maliwan Mansion, 39 Phra Athit Road
Bangkok 10200
THAILAND
Tel: (+66) 2 697 4000
Fax: (+66) 2 697 4445
E-mail: [email protected]

For bibliographic purposes, please reference this publication as:

APFIC. 2009. APFIC/FAO Regional consultative workshop “Practical implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries and aquaculture”, 18–22 May 2009, Colombo, Sri Lanka. FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand. RAP Publication 2009/10, 96 pp.

Abstract

The need to apply an ecosystem approach to fisheries management is now globally accepted and has been endorsed in a range of international decision-making fora. This approach represents a move away from fisheries management systems that focus only on the sustainable harvest of target species towards systems and decision-making processes that balance environmental well-being with human and social well-being within improved governance frameworks. The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries provides a global framework for responsible fisheries, but member countries, fisheries organizations and fisheries stakeholders require a practical framework to implement the recommendations. The ecosystem approach to management of fisheries and aquaculture presents such a practical framework for implementation at national and local levels. This report is the proceedings of a regional consultative workshop on practical implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries and aquaculture. The workshop enabled participants to familiarize themselves with ecosystem approaches to management and explore how these planning and management frameworks can be applied to the complex issues facing fisheries and aquaculture systems that are typical of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia. The report also contains the recommendations of the workshop.