FAO supporting sustainable small-scale fisheries and aquaculture livelihoods in Myanmar

The fishing and aquaculture sectors in Myanmar have faced a number of challenges in the past, including the uncontrolled expansion of fishing effort, illegal fishing and conflicts over land use. Uncontrolled or illegal fishing and land use conflict can leave fishers vulnerable and less able to negotiate the price paid for their catch, affecting their livelihoods and their ability to support their families. However, an FAO project, funded by the Government of Italy, is helping to build sustainable small-scale fisheries and aquaculture livelihoods in coastal mangrove ecosystems in the Ayeyarwady Delta.

Since 2010, FAO has worked with 20 communities in villages along the Bogale River, supporting local institutions to jointly implement and co-manage sustainable small-scale fisheries and aquaculture ventures. The project has focused on the Ayeyarwady Delta partly because of the heavy exploitation of fishery resources in that area and also to support populations still rebuilding their livelihoods after Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

In Myanmar, the fishing sector supports the livelihoods of more than 2.6 million fishers and more than 210,000 aquaculture farmers. Significantly more livelihoods are supported by the related trading, transportation and processing industries.

FAO chief technical advisor in Myanmar, Giuseppe Romalli, said the benefits of FAO's project in the Ayeyarwady region included more income for fishers, stronger fishing rights, reduced pressure on natural resources and more equal fishing opportunities for local communities.

"FAO works with local communities to build resilient fishing livelihoods that provide food, nutrition and money for families and ensure communities are better able to withstand natural disasters and other shocks," he said.

"A key to the success of this project is that it brings fishers, governments and other partners together to jointly manage fisheries resources using local or traditional practices."

In November 2015, as part of the project, FAO released more than 51,000 fish fingerlings into Set Su Creek, Bogale River. The striped catfish fingerlings are expected to grow to around 1kg within about six months. They can then be caught and used for home consumption and sold to local traders as fresh or processed (salted) fish.

An Ayeyarwady fisherman, U Win Swe, said the project had supported the establishment of a fish collection center and a riverside pier to facilitate access to his village. "Since 2011, the Village Fisheries Society has managed these concessions with the result that incomes have raised and our living conditions have significantly improved," he said. "We can cover the cost of education or medicine or invest in our fisheries and other activities that generate benefits, for example breeding animals." Under the project, FAO has also:

Established and trained 20 Village Fisheries Societies with their Management Committees and transferred to them the right to fish in specific fishing grounds (tender lots) along the Bogale River. Before the project, small-scale fishermen had to buy access to these fishing grounds from brokers at very high prices and give the catch to the brokers to cover the debt. Now the Village Fisheries Societies can manage their own resources, leading to a substantial increase in income for fishermen and more sustainable fisheries management.
Delivered more than 130 training events to 4,000 participants, including post-harvest fisheries training for women's groups.
Built or repaired fish ponds, stocked with fish.
Distributed multi-purpose wooden boats; improved fishing gear; post-harvest tools and equipment; Styrofoam boxes to keep the fish chilled from capture to landing; efficient fuel stoves to reduce use of firewood; and small livestock.
Established model farms to demonstrate supplementary livelihoods in fish culture, horticulture and livestock.
Built six landing jetties and three fully-equipped fish collection centers; and
Planted 96,200 mangrove saplings and 40,000 terrestrial plants and conducted awareness-building and training programmes on mangrove restoration and protection.