Myanmar Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries
There are repeated references to the crucial importance of fish and fish products in the nutrition and livelihoods of the Myanmar people. Whilst it is certainly recognized that fish is second only to rice in the Myanmar diet, there is little information available on the patterns of consumption, inter-regional differences, availability and types of fish consumed. In this respect Myanmar is similar to many Southeast Asian countries where emphasis is paid to rice production as a crucial element of food security, with little or no recognition of the fish component, which gives the rice-based diet much of its nutritional value outside of calories and crude protein.
At the 13th Governing Council Meeting of the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) in Langkawi, Malaysia in 2002, the representative of Myanmar made a request to NACA for support to the aquaculture and inland fisheries sectors. In response, NACA, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP), fielded an aquaculture and inland fisheries mission to Myanmar on 2 to 12 December 2002.
The purpose of the mission was:
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To review the status of aquaculture and small-scale inland fisheries.
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To identify areas for technical assistance to Myanmar to address some priority concerns related to sustainable development of coastal and inland aquaculture and management of aquatic resources.
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To identify immediate assistance opportunities through NACA, FAO and other donor-mediated mechanisms.
After an initial period in Yangon for consultations with the Department of Fisheries, United Nations agencies and NGO's, the mission split into two teams: one team visited coastal areas; and one team visited inland areas. This executive summary provides the combined conclusions and recommendations from the inland and coastal teams.