As part of the implementation of FAO’s "Supporting the Application of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries management considering climate and pollution impacts" Programme ("EAF-Nansen Programme"), the most advanced research vessel in the world, the Dr Fridtjof Nansen has arrived in Myanmar to conduct a survey on fisheries resources and the marine ecosystem. The survey, starting in Myanmar on 24 August 2018 will cover the continental shelf and upper slope of Myanmar until 29 September 2018. The last visit of the research vessel to Myanmar was in 2015.

The EAF-Nansen Programme is implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with the financial support of the Norwegian Government. The research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen is owned by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and is jointly operated by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR), and FAO. To implement the programme in Myanmar, FAO signed an agreement with the Department of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Myanmar, on 21 February 2018.

The research vessel that will be conducting the survey in Myanmar is the third state-of-the-art marine research vessel that has set sail under the Nansen Programme, which has been implemented since 1975. As the only research ship flying the UN flag, the new Dr Fridtjof Nansen research vessel investigates marine resources and ecosystems, using cutting-edge technology and sophisticated equipment to help countries assemble scientific data critical to sustainable fisheries management and study how a changing climate is affecting our oceans.

During the research vessel’s survey in Myanmar, national scientists from respective universities in Myanmar, marine experts from the Department of Fisheries, and researchers from the Myanmar Navy will be attending the survey, which will be carried out in coastal areas of Rakhine State, Ayeyawady Region and Taninthayi Region. Since May 2017 when the Programme started, about 350 researchers from participating countries have taken part in the ecosystem studies on-board the Nansen research vessel. This has provided local scientists and technicians with valuable experience in data collection and sampling methods. In many countries, the Nansen surveys offer the only credible source of fishery-independent data for stock assessment.

The survey findings are expected to be used to provide fisheries management advice to decision-makers, taking into account climate impact and pollution. It seeks to address the multiple impacts of human activities, including overfishing, climate change and pollution on fish stocks in particular and the marine environment in general in order to preserve the productivity of the oceans also for the benefit of future generations.

In order to mark the survey activities in the Bay of Bengal, and to welcome the new R/V Dr Fridtjof Nansen vessel in Myanmar, FAO and the Royal Norwegian Embassy, in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, organized a port call event. The event was held on board of the vessel at Myanmar Industrial Port, Yangon on 12 September 2018.

During the event, Union Minister Dr Aung Thu of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation stated, “In our country, fisheries sector is vital for national food security, income generation of the people and export earnings of the nation. One of the important Missions in fishery sector is implementation of research and development, extension and awareness services, and human resources development oriented towards sustainable use of fisheries resources. I would like to request Excellency Madam Tone Tinnes (The Government of Norway) and Madam Xiaojie Fan (FAO) to consider the fishery sector in priority by immediate, short term and long term cooperation for strengthening fishery management and rebuilding of marine fish stocks in Myanmar.”

The new Dr Fridtjof Nansen vessel began its voyage from Durban, South Africa early this year and has since covered areas of the Indian Ocean before starting its work in the Bay of Bengal. Sailing from Sri Lanka, then Bangladesh, and after completion of the survey in Myanmar, the Dr Fridtjof Nansen vessel, will move to Thailand before completing its research work and survey activities in mid-October, 2018.