APFIC Regional Consultative Forum Meeting "“Reforming fisheries and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific”, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 16-19 August 2006   The overall goal of the biennial Regional Consultative Forum Meeting (RCFM) was to provide a forum to synthesize, analyse and agree on actions needed to reshape fisheries and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region for future generations.  The more specific objectives were to:

(i) provide a background on the status, trends and potential of Asia-Pacific fisheries and aquaculture;

(ii) develop policy and action plans to address two major issues that constrain reaching that potential, namely the emergence of trash fish fisheries in the region and the need to mainstream fisheries co-management in national fisheries management activities; and

(iii) discuss fish trade and standards and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing (IUU) as emerging issues for the region.

The RCFM also addressed some of the broader policy challenges facing all members, such as:  policy direction and drivers in Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) countries;  the incorporation of fisheries and aquaculture into national poverty reduction strategies; and  the integration of fisheries management into broader large marine ecosystem management.   Recommendations arising from the forum were to be forwarded to the APFIC session for consideration and possible endorsement by member countries. The workshop was convened at the Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 16 to 19 August 2006 and was attended by 88 participants from 16 APFIC member countries and 15 international, inter-governmental, and non-governmental organizations active in the fishery sector. The full list of participants and their affiliations is given in Annex IV. The RCFM sought the active involvement of partner organizations and invitees to ensure that a wide range of views was represented in considering issues facing Asia-Pacific fisheries and aquaculture. The public was also invited to attend and funding support was generously made available to support the participation of many attendees. The programme for the RCFM appears in Annex I.   Four main themes were covered in the RCFM. The four themes were very much related to the issues that are under discussion in global fora and therefore relevant both regionally and globally. Theme 1: Future of fisheries and aquaculture in Asia and the Pacific region and the low value/trash fish problem;  Theme 2: Co-management, governance and institutions; Theme 3: Policy challenges; Theme 4: Emerging issues – illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; In the final session, a summary and recommendations for reporting to APFIC were presented. In addition, posters prepared by countries and other participants on national experiences of policy development, co-management and other issues enriched the information exchange.