Jeju - The Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) has stressed the need for fisheries and aquaculture to be fully incorporated into national climate change strategies due to the likelihood of climate change impacts on these sectors in the Asia Pacific region being greater than elsewhere in the world. In addition, the Commission encouraged members to develop alternative aquaculture feeds that contain or utilize less wild fish while also stressing the need for study to establish the origin and major causes of rejection of food products exported from the region.

APFIC members recognised that the impact of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture in the region would be disproportionately high due to the large numbers involved in the sectors, their relative vulnerability and low capacity to respond. As a result, it was vital that fisheries and aquaculture needs form an integral part of national climate change adaptation and mitigation plans (NAPAs).

Simon Funge-Smith, Secretary of APFIC said, “It appears that there is currently limited integration of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors into national planning processes for climate change. It is essential that fisheries agencies fully engage with the development of climate change mitigation and adaption plans. In addition, there remains a strong need for communication of climate change effects and their implications for fisheries and aquaculture in a form that is understandable to policy makers.”

The Asia Pacific region is the world’s largest producer of aquatic products. The region accounts for some 51 percent of global capture fisheries production and close to 90 percent of global aquaculture. Impacts of climate change are likely to include changing distribution of stocks, declining catch values and profits as well as higher operating cost for aquaculture. Climate change may also compound the pressure on resources which are already under stress from over exploitation, habitat degradation and pollution.

In addition, the Commission was informed there remain significant rejections of products exported from the region that do not meet importing-country standards. The Commission requested the Secretariat to undertake a study to establish the origin and major causes of rejection (e.g. antibiotic use, process/hygiene issues etc.), and to report the results of the study at the next Commission session. The need for concerted efforts to avoid increased fishing pressure on wild fish stocks caused by using low value (trash) fish and fishmeal as feeds for aquaculture was also stressed.

A review of the state of resources in the region indicated the need for action to address overfishing and overcapacity in many fisheries. The need exists to improve fisheries data collection systems and biological data on important species as well as stock/fisheries assessments to inform both management and conservation decision making in the region.

The importance of the ecosystem approach to fisheries was recognized in order to balance diverse environmental, ecological and social needs. Meanwhile, the promotion of better stakeholder participation and the inclusion of women in fisheries management committees and frameworks were also highlighted.

APFIC held its thirty-first session from 6 to 8 September 2010, in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea. The session brought together representatives from governments, international organizations and civil society to exchange views on important issues such as the ecosystem approach to fisheries and aquaculture, improving fisheries livelihoods, potential impacts of climate change and combating illegal, undeclared and unreported (IUU) fishing.

The 32nd session of APFIC will take place in Vietnam in September 2012.

More information at:
http://www.apfic.org