1. THE IMPORTANCE OF INLAND FISHERIES IN THE SELECTED COUNTRIES

The latest available official figures for fish production in the eight countries included in the present study are shown in Tables 1–6.

Table 1. Fishery production in China (thousand metric tonnes).

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing.

The numbers for China refer to the whole country. Of this total, landlocked Yunnan Province yielded a total of about 57,000 tonnes in 1994, of which 37,645 tonnes came from pond aquaculture, 11,547 tonnes from capture fisheries in lakes and reservoirs, about 2,000 tonnes from cage culture and 1,604 tonnes from rivers. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region produced 761,000 tonnes, mostly from marine sources. The total fresh water yield of 289,000 tonnes was made up of 173,000 tonnes from pond fisheries, 55,000 tonnes from reservoirs and lakes, 37,000 tonnes from rivers, 12,000 tonnes from cages in reservoirs and rivers, and 10,000 tonnes from rice fields.

Table 2. Fish production in Bangladesh, July 1992 – June 1993.

Source: Fish Catch Statistics of Bangladesh. Department of Fisheries.

Table 3. Fisheries production in Indonesia, 1992.

Source: Department of Fisheries.

Table 4. Fish production in Myanmar (tonnes).

Source: Department of Fisheries (1995).

Table 5. Inland fish production in Thailand by water body type, including aquaculture, 1992.¹

N.B. Total marine fish landings the same year were 3,240,160 tonnes.

Sources: 1. Fishery Economics Division, Department of Fisheries.
2. Costa-Pierce, 1992.

Table 6. Approximate fisheries production in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, 1993 (Tonnes).

Sources: Department of Fisheries, Cambodia; Dept. of Agriculture and Veterinary Services, Laos; Ministry of Fisheries, Vietnam.

For most countries possessing an extensive coastline, marine fisheries contribute a greater tonnage to total fish landings than inland waters. The exceptions are Bangladesh, where the vast seasonal floodplain boosts freshwater yields, and Cambodia, where the Tonle Sap (Great Lake) supports the most important national fishery. Obviously those countries or provinces which do not have access to the sea, i.e. Yunnan Province, China, and Laos, rely especially heavily on freshwater resources.

Everywhere there is a clear trend towards the increasing importance of aquaculture, both in fresh waters (mainly finfishes, especially cyprinids) and to a lesser extent in coastal, brackish areas (especially for shrimp). On the other hand, output from inland capture fisheries is generally static or increasing only slowly. Thus during the present decade the production from freshwater aquaculture has overtaken yield from inland capture fisheries in Vietnam, Thailand and China.

The performance of freshwater fish farms in China is particularly impressive. Output has doubled in a period of about five years, and half the world's total production now comes from this one nation. As in other countries, the increases in yield have been achieved mainly by intensification of management, using more inputs of feeds, fertilizers etc., rather than by construction of large areas of new ponds. Changes in ownership patterns and economic systems are also thought to have given incentives to farmers to increase outputs.

In most of the nations under consideration, the primary technology for aquaculture is use of earth ponds. The exception to this is Cambodia, where cage culture is more important.

Marine fisheries in most countries are dominated by large commercial companies, sometimes traditionally run by the state (e.g. China and Vietnam). An exception is Indonesia, where very large numbers of small, independent fishermen land the bulk of the catch. Foreign vessels fish extensively, both officially and unofficially, in the territorial waters of some nations, especially Myanmar, Cambodia and Indonesia. Exports of marine fish products are important to the economies of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, China and Vietnam. Thailand is now the world's largest exporter of fish products. All these countries have shrimp farming industries largely geared to export markets.

By contrast, inland fishing is done mainly by small-scale commercial fishermen, frequently working only part-time, and by artisanal and subsistence fishermen. Sometimes the numbers of people engaged in inland fishing are very large. For example, in Bangladesh it is believed that several million individuals participate in the annual floodplain fishery. In all countries freshwater fish, both from capture and culture sources, are generally all consumed domestically. Indeed, in Myanmar export of freshwater fish is actually banned by law. Inland fisheries therefore make vital contributions to both the incomes and nutritional status of the poorer sections of rural communities in all the countries under consideration. Their importance is recognized by governments, all of which have policies aimed at increasing freshwater fish production by sustainable management strategies consistent with the conservation of stocks.

The major management approaches followed in inland open waters are considered in the following sections of this paper. However, intensive aquaculture in artificial ponds and rice fields is not covered here.