APFIC: ITS CHANGING ROLE

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2 RAP Publication: 2000/05 ASIA-PACIFIC FISHERY COMMISSION (APFIC) APFIC: ITS CHANGING ROLE by DEB MENASVETA The APFIC Secretariat Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Bangkok, March 2000

3 The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author alone and do not imply any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO and APFIC. NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT The copyright in this publication is vested in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, by any method or process, without written permission from the copyright holder. Applications for such permission with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction desired should be made through and addressed to the APFIC Secretary, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Maliwan Mansion, Phra Athit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. FAO 2000 ii

4 PREPARATION OF THIS REPORT The review of regional fishery bodies and arrangements in Asia and the Pacific region and their implications on future activities of APFIC was recommended by the Ad hoc Legal and Financial Working Group of APFIC in July The review was undertaken by Dr. Deb Menasveta, FAO consultant, in November-December 1999, with legal advice from Mr. Richard M. Stein, former Chief of the General Legal Affairs Service (LEGA) of FAO. Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission Menasveta, D. APFIC: Its Changing Role FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand RAP Publication: 2000/05, 77 p. ABSTRACT The paper reviews the needs for strengthening the role of regional fishery bodies in the Asia-Pacific region as there is a rapid fisheries development resulting in the depletion of many fish stocks in the region. These regional bodies should be provided with proper mandates to ensure the sustainability of the resources use. As for APFIC, due to its financial constraints, its changing role is suggested to concentrate its activities in three subregions, namely, the Yellow Sea, the South China Sea and the Bay of Bengal. These activities should cover fisheries information and data management, marine fisheries management, fisheries policies and planning and a regional consultative forum in coordinating fishery activities among various international fishery bodies in the region. Distribution: Members of the Ad hoc Legal and Financial Working Group of APFIC Members of the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission FAO Fisheries Department Fishery Officers in FAO Regional Offices and Regional Fishery Bodies International Fishery Organizations iii

5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 1 Introduction 4 Major issues concerning fishery resources and environmental 5 sustainability in the Asia-Pacific region Analytical review of regional fishery bodies and arrangements 7 Page Geographical area coverage 7 Membership 10 Roles and responsibilities 15 Technical areas of concern 15 Recommendations for the Future of APFIC 18 Continuation of APFIC 18 Responsibilities 19 Area of competence 20 Activities 22 List of Figure and Tables Figure 1. FAO statistical areas 8 Table 1. International and regional fishery bodies which are 9 concerned with the conservation and management of living resources of the high seas in the Indo-Pacific region Table 2. List of key bodies and arrangements established to promote 11 rational development and management of fisheries and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region Table 3. Technical areas of concern of the key bodies/arrangements 17 in the Asia-Pacific region v

6 List of Annexes Annex 1. State of fisheries and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region 27 Annex 2. Major issues concerning fisheries and environmental 34 sustainability in the Asia-Pacific region Annex 3. Profiles of selected bodies and arrangements which play 41 an active role in the development and management of fisheries in the Asia-Pacific region Annex 4. APFIC experience 75 Page vi

7 LIST OF ACRONYMS ADCP - FAO/UNDP Aquaculture Development and Coordination Programme AFS - Asian Fisheries Society AFTA - ASEAN Free Trade Area APARRI - Asia-Pacific Association for Agricultural Research Institutions APEC - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APFIC - Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission AQD - Aquaculture Department of SEAFDEC ASEAN - Association of Southeast Asian Nations BOBC - IOFC Committee for the Development and Management of Fisheries in the Bay of Bengal BOBP - FAO Bay of Bengal Programme CDMSCS - IPFC Committee for the Development and Management of Fisheries in the South China Sea CEPTFA - Council of the Eastern Pacific Tuna Fishing Commission CGIAR - Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CIDA - Canadian International Development Agency COBSEA - Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia COFI - FAO Committee on Fisheries CPPS - Comision Permanente del Pacifico Sur (Permanent South Pacific Commission) CWP - Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics DPRK - Democratic People s Republic of Korea DWFN - Distant water fishing nation EAS/RCU - East Asian Seas Regional Coordinating Unit of UNEP EEZ - Exclusive economic zone EIA - Environmental impact assessment EVSL - Early voluntary sectoral liberalization FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FCG - Fisheries Consultative Group of ASEAN-SEAFDEC FFA - South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency FFC - Forum Fisheries Committee of FFA FOC - Flag of convenience FSM - Federal States of Micronesia FWG - Fisheries Working Group of APEC GEF - Global Environment Facility GoFAR - Group of Fisheries and Aquatic Research I-ATTC - Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission ICAM - Integrated coastal area management ICLARM - International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management ICZM - Integrated coastal zone management INFOFISH - Intergovernmental Organization for Marketing Information and Technical Advisory Services for Fishery Products in the Asia and Pacific Region IOC - Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission IOFC - Indian Ocean Fishery Commission IOP - Inter-regional Indian Ocean Fishery Survey and Development Programme IOTC - Indian Ocean Tuna Commission IPFC - Indo-Pacific Fishery Commission IPHC - International Pacific Halibut Commission vii

8 IUU - Illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing LIFDC - Low-income food-deficit country MAIN - Marine Affairs Institution Network of SEAPOL MCS - Monitoring, control and surveillance of fisheries MFRD - Marine Fisheries Research Department of SEAFDEC MFRDMD - Marine Fishery Resources Development and Management of SEAFDEC MHLC - Multilateral High Level Conference on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific MRC - Mekong River Commission MTCs - Minimum terms and conditions for fisheries access arrangements set by FFA NACA - Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia and the Pacific NARS - National aquatic research systems NPAFC - North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OFP - Oceanic Fisheries Programme of SPC PECC - Pacific Economic Cooperation Council PICES - North Pacific Marine Science Organization PNA - Parties to the Nauru Agreement PSC - Pacific Salmon Commission RAP - FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific RFB - Regional Fishery Body SARDev - Sustainable aquaculture for rural development SCSP - FAO/UNDP South China Sea Fisheries Development and Coordinating Programme SCORRAD - IPFC Steering Committee on Resources, Research and Development SEAFDEC - Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center SEAPOL - Southeast Asian Programme in Ocean Law, Policy and Management SIDS - Small Island Developing States SOM - Senior Officers Meeting of APEC, ASEAN SPC - Secretariat of the Pacific Community SPRTRAMP - South Pacific Regional Tuna Resources Assessment and Monitoring Project of SPC TAB - Technical and Advisory Board of INFOFISH TCDC - Technical cooperation amongst developing countries TD - Training Department of SEAFDEC TIC - Technical Information Center of INFOFISH UN - United Nations UNCLOS UN Convention on the Law of the Sea UNDP - United Nations Development Programme UNEP - United Nations Environmental Programme UNGA - United Nations General Assembly VMS - Vessel monitoring systems WCP - Western and Central Pacific Ocean WGFi - Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries of ASEAN WGREP - Regional Fisheries Policy Working Group of SEAFDEC WIOTO - Western Indian Ocean Tuna Organization WPFCC - Western Pacific Fisheries Consultative Committee viii

9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. The rapid development of fisheries and aquaculture, especially during the past three decades, has had both a positive and negative impact. The positive impact is that fisheries and aquaculture development have contributed to the social and economic betterment and food security of the majority of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The negative impact is that the current pattern of resource exploitation and some aquaculture practices will not lead to fisheries and environmental sustainability. Thus the economies and food security of several of these countries may be adversely affected. 2. This negative impact has led the international community to adopt a number of instruments and initiatives aimed at establishing a global order for ocean governance in areas including fisheries management, resource conservation and environmental protection. All of these instruments and initiatives recognize the beneficial role of regional organizations or arrangements in assisting their member countries to achieve sustainability. They recommend that regional organizations and arrangements consider adjusting and/or strengthening their mandates, functions and activities in order to better assist their members in this endeavor. 3. The Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC), since its early years, has been instrumental in the transfer of science and technology in the development and improvement of the fishing industry and in the strengthening of the capability of personnel. More importantly, the Commission has given impetus, since its early years, in the application of science to the management of fisheries of its member countries. It is noteworthy that the Commission applied the concept of fisheries and environmental sustainability long before the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. 4. To better assist the countries to move closer to self-reliance in the sustainable development and management of their fisheries, there are a number of major issues which should be resolved. This study lists some of the major issues of regional relevance that require further consideration in the future activities of APFIC. 5. There are several regional fishery bodies and arrangements in the region whose longterm objective is to assist their members to achieve fisheries and environmental sustainability. However, specific functions vary. As concerns specialized bodies such as ICLARM, INFOFISH, MRC, NACA and SEAPOL, the degree of overlapping with APFIC is less than other bodies with wide-ranging fisheries activities such as APEC, ASEAN and SEAFDEC. 6. Consequently, there is a need for regular consultations amongst the key organizations in the region in order to reduce and if possible avoid duplication of effort and rationalize the use of the limited funds available for the fisheries sector. It is recommended that APFIC assume the role of a forum. 7. Notwithstanding certain limitations of APFIC, in particular the lack of financial support for its work, it is recommended that the Commission continue to function until at least

10 8. Whilst the membership, area of competence and functions of the Commission remain as stipulated in the Agreement and as recommended by the APFIC Ad hoc Legal and Financial Working Group, it is proposed that due to the financial constraints of the Commission, APFIC concentrate its activities on three subregions of the Asia-Pacific: the Yellow Sea and its adjacent waters; the South China Sea and its adjacent waters; and the Bay of Bengal. The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea area in the northwestern Pacific. It is a semienclosed sea with an area of approximately 410,000 km 2. It is bordered by the Korean peninsula to the east, Mainland China to the north and west, and the East China Sea to the south. The Sea is a unique marine ecosystem because of its hydrological features and its temperate and subtropical resources. Because of its geographical location, the Yellow Sea has become increasingly polluted and the intense fishing pressure during the past three decades by the countries bordering both the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea has depleted several fish stocks, especially demersal fish. The annual demersal production from these two seas was estimated as about three million tons in the early nineties. There is an urgent need to rehabilitate the environmental conditions and restore the state of the depleted fish stocks through an appropriate subregional mechanism. The South China Sea proper is also a semienclosed sea with a total area of about 3.5 million km 2. It is bordered by nine countries, viz., Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, for which fisheries is an important industry. The South China Sea is one of the most productive areas in the world as it contains large shelf areas, e.g. the Mainland Shelf in the north and northeast and the Sunda Shelf in the south and southwest. The total fishery production of this subregion, comprised mainly of small and medium-sized tropical species, was estimated at 11.5 million tons in Various studies indicate that several marine fish stocks, especially those in the inshore and coastal waters have been heavily exploited during the past three decades. It is agreed that there is a need to strengthen fisheries and environmental management plans at both the national and subregional levels with a view to effecting fisheries and environmental sustainability in this subregion. The Bay of Bengal has a total area of approximately 2.2 million km 2 and is bordered by Sri Lanka and India to the west, Bangladesh to the north and Myanmar and the northern part of the Malay peninsula to the east. The Andaman and Nicobar groups of islands separate the Bay of Bengal proper from the Andaman Sea. The Bay of Bengal also has a unique marine ecosystem with a profusion of wetlands, marshes and mangrove forests, which enhance the productivity of tropical inshore and coastal species. This is due to a large amount of drainage from several major river systems, including the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawady and Salween. Small-scale fisheries exploit the Bay fishery resources, with fish production in 1995 of approximately 3.6 million tons. Whilst the annual fish production continues to rise, there are various indications to suggest that several fish stocks were close to full exploitation and several are under stress. Concerted action at both the national and regional levels to develop practical and more effective fisheries management information systems to 2

11 support fisheries management was recommended by the former IOFC Bay of Bengal Committee. It is hoped that this subregional approach will facilitate more effective cooperation amongst the countries therein in their effort to attain fisheries and environmental sustainability in their respective subregions in the future. 9. The Study recommends that, because of the prevailing constraints mentioned above, future activities of APFIC be scaled down to the following priority areas: Fisheries information and data management; Marine fisheries management; Fisheries policy and planning; and A regional consultative forum. As regards fisheries information and data management, it is evident that the member countries of the Commission still need assistance in the development and management of their fisheries information and statistical systems as well as in capacity building. The study therefore recommends that the Commission endeavor to implement the APFIC information network project, which was approved by the Commission at its Twenty-sixth Session in Whist it is understood that fisheries management is the prerogative of governments, the study points out that there are a number of marine fisheries management issues that require concerted action and/or subregional cooperative efforts. A regional fishery body such as APFIC could serve as a useful instrument in the provision of relevant data and information, and transfer of technology and techniques in the acceleration of capacity building required in national or subregional fisheries management work. Fisheries policy and planning constitute another issue under the prerogative of governments. However, regional fishery bodies can assist their member countries through promotion, coordination and/or harmonization of those policy issues that require concerted action of the parties concerned, e.g. those issues concerning the management of shared or transboundary fish stocks. The study recommends specifically that FAO and APFIC collaborate with regional bodies or programmes in the region in organizing a regional workshop aimed at harmonizing fisheries policy and legislation of the countries in the region so that they can effectively manage shared or transboundary fish stocks. The study indicates that the creation of a regional consultative forum is widely supported by several subregional bodies, especially those that have the secretariats in Southeast Asia. It recommends that the APFIC Secretariat should approach a potential donor(s) as soon as possible to ascertain interest in hosting a meeting of such a consultative forum. To facilitate input to the work of the Commission, it is also recommended that the Secretariat request the member countries to appoint an official to act as a national focal point for communicating with the Secretariat. 3

12 APFIC: ITS CHANGING ROLE INTRODUCTION 1. The Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) celebrated its 50 th anniversary in September 1998 at its Twenty-sixth Session in Beijing, People s Republic of China. At that session, the Commission reviewed its achievements and discussed its future role. It was unanimously recognized that APFIC had made substantial contributions towards rational fisheries development and management by the member countries. Thus, it was agreed that APFIC should continue into the next millennium to assist its Members in attaining selfreliance in the sustainable utilization and rational management of the fishery resources in the region. To this end, the Commission was of the view that APFIC should have a strengthened mandate and enhanced responsibilities Nevertheless, the Commission recognized that a number of constraints would have to be overcome, in particular an inherent lack of adequate funding. This has restrained progress in the implementation of the APFIC programmes of activity in compliance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and recent international instruments and initiatives adopted by the world community. In particular, the Commission noted the implications for APFIC s future role and responsibilities as stated in Resolution13/97 of the Twenty-ninth Session of the FAO Conference in Consequently, the Commission established an ad hoc Legal and Financial Working Group with the following terms of reference 2 : a) To formulate programmes of action to be implemented by APFIC for the shortand medium-term; b) To review the extent of financial contributions that could be provided by the Member States, taking into account the methods of assessment adopted by other international and regional organizations; c) To formulate draft financial regulations for APFIC if it decides to move towards autonomy with support from its Members (either full or in part) for consideration by the Finance Committee of FAO; and d) To review the current Agreement and Rules of Procedure, and to propose amendments necessary to facilitate the effective functioning of APFIC. 3. The Ad hoc Legal and Financial Working Group held its meeting at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand, from 6 to 8 July The meeting discussed: (i) membership, structure and responsibilities of APFIC; (ii) future programmes of activity, for both the short and medium-term; (iii) financial contributions by FAO and the 1 2 Para. 34 of the Report of the Twenty-sixth Session of the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission, Beijing, People s Republic of China, September The terms of reference of the Ad hoc Legal and Financial Working Group were approved by the Commission at its Special Session, Rome, Italy, 17 February

13 member countries; and (iv) legal and financial implications. However, the Working Group was not able to reach agreement on the question of financial contributions from the member countries as indicated in items b and c of its terms of reference. Nevertheless, the majority of the member countries indicated that they would consider providing voluntary contributions to support specific projects activities, rather than annual assessed contributions to APFIC. 4. The Working Group submitted eight recommendations for consideration by the Members and the Commission. In particular, Recommendation 4 thereof proposed that APFIC explore the possibility of becoming a consultative forum which would discuss emerging issues and aim to avoid the duplication of effort amongst international and intergovernmental fishery bodies in the region. Recommendation 5 requested that the Secretariat conduct a detailed study of APFIC s future role. 5. Thus, the objectives of the present report are (i) to review major issues implicating fishery resources and environmental sustainability; (ii) to examine the roles, responsibilities and programmes of activities of regional bodies engaged in fishery research and conservation, as compared to those of APFIC, and (iii) to suggest a future role and priority programmes of work for the Commission. MAJOR ISSUES CONCERNING FISHERY RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION 6. Fisheries play an important role in the food security and economies of the majority of countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The high per capita consumption of fish (more than 20 kg/year) in Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania compared to the world average of 15.2 kg/year during , reflects the importance of fish in food security and the general preference for fish as food in these subregions. The contributions of fisheries to the economies can be seen from the rising trend in export value of US$ 7,953 million in 1986 to more than US$ 18,000 million in 1996; the 1996 value constituted more than 85 percent of the total world export value. At the same time, import value rose from US$ 8,700 million in 1986 to US$ 23,579 million in The increasing demand for fish from the steadily expanding populations of the region and from the markets of developed countries have led to the rapid development of fisheries, especially since the sixties. Fishery production rose from 14.4 million tons or 39.4 percent of the total world production in 1960 to 76.5 million tons or 58.6 percent of the total world production in The study conducted by FAO in 1998 indicated that the projected demand for fish by the year 2010 might be 24 million tons more than the average regional production of 58 million tons during the period This projected demand is unlikely to be met by a substantial increase in marine fishery production. Recent technical and conference reports have indicated that a number of fish stocks in the Yellow Sea, the South China Sea and the Bay of Bengal and their adjacent waters have been subjected during the past three decades to intense exploitation or have been fully exploited. Environmental degradation has been increasing in many inland and coastal waters, thus affecting the habitats of the living organisms. The current pattern of resource use and environmental degradation will not lead to sustainability of fisheries nor to the environment. There is, therefore, an urgent need to rehabilitate coastal fish stocks through effective fisheries management schemes. Likewise, there is a need to develop effective management systems for inland capture fisheries with particular attention to both fishery 5

14 resources and environmental protection. The prospects for increasing fish production from aquaculture appear to be bright, but it will also be essential that effective aquaculture management programmes be implemented. 9. The rapid change in the state of fisheries and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region and the new order of ocean governance as adopted by the world community (summarized in Annex 1) will post major challenges for the countries in the region in their efforts to attain fisheries and environmental sustainability. To achieve this long-term objective, there will have to be a structural change in the fisheries sector in the States concerned. This will require that individual governments have the political will and determination to accept and implement the instruments and initiatives, by adjusting their policies and laws in the implementation thereof 3. Similarly, regional bodies concerned with fisheries and marine affairs will have to improve service to their members. This will not be an easy task in the face of increasing pressure from both inside and outside the fisheries and aquaculture subsectors. 10. There are several major issues which must be resolved by a mutual effort of the countries in the region to achieve the sustainability goal. The issues of regional relevance include: 1. population growth which give rise to the increasing demand for fish, thus implicating the sustainability of fishery resources; 2. the abatement and control of pollution and environmental degradation; 3. a change in the concept of fish as a common property resource; 4. the development of integrated coastal area management as a framework for coastal fisheries management; 5. the management of shared or transboundary and straddling fish stocks; 6. Technology transfer and capacity building in information and data management as well as in fishery research; 7. Inland fisheries management; 8. Aquaculture development and management; 9. Post-harvest technology development with special reference to the reduction of wastage and discards at sea and the improvement in the quality of fish and fishery products; 10. Implementation of global instruments and initiatives related to fisheries, with special reference to the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. 3 FAO Into the next millennium: fishery perspective. FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, RAP Working Paper Series 1/3, RAP Publication No. 1999/26, 43 pp. 6

15 11. A synthesis of the contributions of fisheries to the food security and economies of the countries in the region as well as the state of the fisheries and aquaculture is given in Annex 1. A summary account of the major issues affecting fisheries and resource sustainability appears as Annex 2. ANALYTICAL REVIEW OF REGIONAL FISHERY BODIES AND ARRANGEMENTS 12. Considering the major regional issues which should be resolved in the next millennium to attain self-reliance of the countries therein in the sustainable development and management of their fisheries, concerted action is required. This present section provides an analytical review of the geographical area coverage, membership, roles and responsibilities. It also discusses technical areas of concern of APFIC and other regional bodies and arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region with the purpose of ascertaining the degree of overlapping between those of APFIC and other bodies and arrangements. The review is intended to facilitate consideration in the last chapter of how APFIC can operate in a more effective manner in the future. Geographical area coverage 13. Marashi (1996) 4 lists four international and regional fishery bodies (including APFIC) in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific area and ten in the Pacific Ocean that are concerned with the conservation and management of living resources of the high seas. These bodies are indicated in Table 1. One of these bodies, the Indian Ocean Fishery Commission (IOFC) was abolished by the FAO Council at its Hundred and Sixteenth Session in June In this connection, the Council further approved that the functions of the IOFC Committee for the Development and Management of Fisheries in the Bay of Bengal (BOBP) be absorbed by APFIC. 14. Pursuant to the Agreement establishing APFIC, the geographical area covered by the Commission is the Asia-Pacific area 5. In practice, the areas covered by APFIC are FAO Statistical Area 04 for aquaculture and inland fisheries, and the Yellow Sea and its adjacent waters (the western part of Area 61), the South China Sea and its adjacent waters (the western part of Area 71) and the Bay of Bengal (the northern part of Area 57) for marine fisheries (Figure 1). 4 5 Marashi, S.H Summary information on the role of international fishery and other bodies with regard to the conservation and management of living resources of the high seas. FAO Fisheries Circular. No. 908, Rome, FAO. 104 p. See Article VI of the Agreement establishing the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) as last amended at the Twenty-fifth Session of the Commission, Seoul, Republic of Korea, October 1996 and approved by the FAO Council at its Hundred and Twelfth Session (Rome, Italy,2-7 June 1997). 7

16 Figure 1. FAO statistical areas 8

17 15. Table 1 indicates that bodies with areas of competence overlapping those of APFIC are Indian Ocean: IOTC and WIOTO and Pacific Ocean: PICES, NPAFC, FFA and SPC. Only two members of APFIC are members of WIOTO, viz., India and Sri Lanka: the species covered by the WIOTO convention are restricted to tuna and tuna-like fishes in FAO Statistical Area 51. Four members of APFIC: China, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United States are members of PICES; however, the work of this organization focuses on North Pacific marine science issues, including research on El Nino, ocean climate and carrying capacity primarily in relation to salmon. NPAFC is outside the scope of APFIC and concerned mainly with salmonid fisheries in the northern Pacific. Consequently, WIOTO, PICES and NPAFC are excluded from consideration of overlapping areas with APFIC. Only IOTC, FFA and SPC are considered in more detail. Table 1. International and regional fishery bodies which are concerned with the conservation and management of living resources of the high seas in the Indo-Pacific region International/Regional Fishery Body Acronym Approximate FAO Statistical Areas 1. Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific area 1.1 Indian Ocean Fishery Commission 6 IOFC 51, Indian Ocean Tuna Commission IOTC 51, Western Indian Ocean Tuna Organization WIOTO Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission APFIC 04, 51, 57, 61, & Pacific Ocean 2.1 North Pacific Marine Science Organization PICES 67, and part of 61 & North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission NPAFC 61, 67 & part of Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission I-ATTC 77, Council of the Eastern Pacific Tuna Fishing Commission CEPTFA 77, International Pacific Halibut Commission IPHC Secretariat of the Pacific Community SPC 71, South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency FFA 71, Permanent South Pacific Commission CPPS Pacific Salmon Commission PSC There are also a number of other bodies and arrangements that deal with certain aspects of fisheries development and management in the areas covered by APFIC, especially in the South China Sea and adjacent waters, several of which were recently established 7. These bodies and arrangements (the list is not exhaustive) include: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) 6 7 Abolished by Resolution 1/116 adopted at the Hundred and Sixteenth Session of the FAO Council in June There are also non-governmental bodies that have interest in the fisheries sector of the Asia-Pacific region, e.g., the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) Fisheries Task Force and the Western Pacific Fisheries Consultative Committee (WPFCC). Since the establishment of APEC, the activities of these bodies have diminised. These bodies are therefore not included in the profile summary in Annex 4. 9

18 International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) Intergovernmental Organization for Marketing Information and Technical Advisory Services for Fishery Products in the Asia and Pacific Region (INFOFISH) Mekong River Commission (MRC) Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia and the Pacific (NACA) Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) Southeast Asian Programme in Ocean Law, Policy and Management (SEAPOL) United Nations Environmental Programme - East Asian Seas Regional Coordinating Unit (UNEP-EAS/RCU) 17. The profiles of the above-mentioned bodies and arrangements, together with those of IOTC, FFA and SPC, are in Annex 3. Table 2 provides a summary of the species, geographical areas, membership, roles and responsibilities of APFIC and the bodies and arrangements referred to in the previous paragraph. Table 3 indicates the technical areas in the fisheries sector in which the bodies and arrangements extend technical cooperation or assistance to the countries in the region. 18. The geographical areas covered by these bodies and arrangements vary according to their conventions or agreements. The area covered by APFIC, APEC, INFOFISH, NACA, and SEAPOL is roughly the Asia-Pacific. ASEAN and SEAFDEC are concerned only with the Southeast Asian seas, e.g. the South China Sea and adjacent waters. The areas covered by SPC are the Western (excluding the South China Sea) and the Central Pacific Ocean and by SPC/FFA, the Western Central Pacific (excluding the South China Sea) and the South Pacific Ocean. UNEP/EAS covers the waters of the Northwest Pacific Ocean, the South China Sea and adjacent waters and Australian Seas (East Asian Seas). IOTC s area of competence is confined to the Indian Ocean. The area coverage of ICLARM is global, whilst that of MRC is confined to the Lower Mekong Basin. Membership 19. Table 2 indicates that the memberships of SPC and FFA are distinct from those of the other bodies/arrangements because the majority of their members are developing island countries of the Western Central Pacific and South Pacific. Of the 26 members of SPC, developed countries, namely, Australia, New Zealand, U.K. and U.S.A., are concurrently members of APFIC. Of the 16 members of FFA, only Australia and New Zealand are members of APFIC. These developed countries have provided substantial technical and financial contributions to SPC and FFA. They have played a minor role in APFIC in recent years. One developing island State in the Western Central Pacific (Papua New Guinea) is a member of APEC, whilst two, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are members of INFOFISH. 10

19 Table 2. List of key bodies and arrangements established to promote rational development and management of fisheries and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region. (This is not an exhaustive list.) Acronym APFIC APEC/FWG ASEAN ICLARM Regional Body/Arrangement Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Association of South East Asian Nations International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management Year founded Species Geographical area Members Role and responsibilities 1948 Various species Asia-Pacific area Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, - Promote cooperation in fisheries including inland waters China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, development and management of its Members Korea (Rep. of), Malaysia, Myanmar, amongst its Members including Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, policy and planning; Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UK, - Promote and advise on fishery USA, Vietnam. research and exchange of information and statistics; and - Promote post-harvest technology 1989 Various species Asia-Pacific region Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Japan, Korea (Rep. of), Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan Province of China, Thailand, USA and Vietnam Various species Southeast Asia Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam Various species Global One of the 16 centres of CGIAR. Work done in partnership with institutions in developing countries. development. - Promote conservation and sustainable use of fishery resources and sustainable aquaculture; - Enhance food safety/quality of fish products; and - Promote trade liberalization, investment and facilitation of trade. - Promote cooperation in the optimum utilization of the fishery resources on the region and in the management of shared fishstocks; and - Promote intra & extra-asean trade of fish and fishery products. - Contribute, through basic research, to food security and poverty eradication; - Promote sustainable development and use of living aquatic resources based on environmentally sound management. 11

20 Acronym IOTC INFOFISH MRC NACA Regional Body/Arrangement Indian Ocean Tuna Commission Intergovernmental Organization for Marketing Information and Technical Advisory Service for Fishery Products in the Asia and the Pacific Region Mekong River Commission Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia and the Pacific Year founded Species Geographical area Members Role and responsibilities 1996 Tuna & tunalike Indian Ocean and Australia, China, Eritrea, the European - Promote cooperation amongst fishes adjacent areas Community, France, India, Japan, Korea Members to ensure the (Rep. of), Madagascar, Malaysia, conservation and optimum use of Mauritius, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri tunas & tuna-like fishes, through Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, UK. appropriate management; and - Encourage sustainable development of fisheries on such 1985 Various species Asia-Pacific region Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Korea (DPR), Malaysia, Maldives, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand. (Associate membership open to private sector.) 1995 Various freshwater & brackishwater species 1990 Various cultured species (in tropical and sub-tropical waters) Lower Mekong Basin Asia-Pacific region, covering tropical, subtropical waters Cambodia, Lao DPR, Thailand and Vietnam. Members: Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Korea (DPR), Hong Kong SAR, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam Participating governments: Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Iran, Korea (Rep. of), Japan and Singapore. stocks. - Contribute to a more balanced supply of fishery products to contracting parties; - Promote development of the fishing industries taking full advantage of the potential offered by the fishery resources of the contracting parties; - Promote export opportunities; and - Promote TCDC. - Promote cooperation in the sustainable development, utilization, management and conservation of the water and related resources in the Mekong River Basin for the multiple use and mutual benefit of all riparians. - Assist its Members in accelerating aquaculture development through TCDC in order to improve food security, rural income and better economies. 12

21 Acronym SPC FFA SEAFDEC Regional Body/Arrangement The Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Marine Resources Division South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Year founded Species Geographical area Members Role and responsibilities 1947 Coral reef fish South Pacific, Western American Samoa, Cook Islands, - Provide Members with scientific and pelagic Central Pacific Federated State of Micronesia, Fiji, information and advice necessary fishery Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, to rationally manage fisheries resources Nauru, Niue, Northern Mariannas, New exploiting the region s resources of including tunas, Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, tuna, billfish and related species; bill fishes and Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie & Oeno, and related species French Polynesia, Samoa, Solomon - Provide support services to Pacific Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, islanders to optimize the social and Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna, Australia, economic value of small-scale New Zealand, UK, USA. fisheries and aquatic resources in 1979 All species, in particular highly migratory species, e.g. tunas and billfishes Central & Western Pacific Ocean 1968 All species Southeast Asian Waters (the South China Sea and adjacent waters) Australia, Cook Islands Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. the waters of the members. - Assist Members in the conservation and optimum utilization of the species covered by the Convention; - Promote regional cooperation and coordination of fisheries policies; and - Facilitate collection, analysis, evaluation and dissemination of scientific information and data for the Members. - Contribute to the promotion of fisheries development in Southeast Asia by mutual cooperation amongst its Members and through collaboration with international organizations and governments external to the Center; - Promote sustainable development of aquaculture and marine fisheries as well as the development of postharvest technology, through research, training and information exchange. 13

22 Acronym SEAPOL UNEP/EAS/ RCU Regional Body/Arrangement Southeast Asian Programme in Ocean Law, Policy Management United Nations Environmental Programme East Asian Seas Regional Coordinating Unit Year founded Species Geographical area Members Role and responsibilities 1981 Marine Asia-Pacific region, with resources special emphasis on Southeast Asia 1991 Various species Waters of Australia, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Korea (Rep. of), Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam (East Asian Seas) More than 400 associates of officials and experts specialized in marine affairs from Canada and countries in the Asia- Pacific region. Australia, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Korea (Rep. of), Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam. - Promote regional and subregional cooperation in various aspects of marine affairs, in particular, legal, policy and management issues related to sustainable use of the living resources in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. - Foster cooperation and capacity building to achieve the common objective of conserving, managing and restoring the coastal environment of the East Asian Sea, through the coordination and implementation of the COBSEA Action Plan. 14

23 20. IOTC s membership comprises some of the countries in the northwest and southwest Indian Ocean regions, the European Community and 11 members of APFIC (Australia, China, France, India, Japan, Korea (Rep. of), Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the United Kingdom). Eleven members of APFIC (Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea (Rep. of), Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam) are also members of APEC. 21. NACA membership, including participating countries (not full members), is not much different from that of APFIC. With the exception of Brunei Darussalam, Laos, and Singapore, the other members of ASEAN are also members of APFIC. Likewise, the majority of the members of MRC and SEAFDEC are also members of APFIC. 22. It is interesting to note that the major fishing countries in the region which are members of APFIC, i.e. China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam are either members or participants in many of the aforementioned other international and regional bodies. Roles and responsibilities 23. The main role of these regional bodies and arrangements is similar, i.e. to promote cooperation amongst their individual members in the conservation and rational development of fisheries and aquaculture. Each body has specific responsibilities: (i) APEC is responsible for facilitating and enhancing liberalization in trade, including the trade of fish and fishery products; (ii) ASEAN promotes sustainable use of the resources, particularly in the exclusive economic zones of its members and encourages intra and extra-asean trade; (iii) MRC is responsible for promoting cooperation in the sustainable use of the fishery resources and aquaculture development in the Lower Mekong Basin; (iv) NACA s responsibilities include the acceleration of aquaculture development through technical cooperation amongst developing countries (TCDC) to improve food security, rural income and better the economies of its Members; (v) SEAPOL s role is to assist the countries in the region to better understand the implications of UNCLOS and related instruments and initiatives through interpretation of pending issues thereof, as well as to promote cooperation in various aspects of marine affairs, including policy harmonization; and (vi) SPC provides scientific information and advice necessary to rationally manage the member countries fisheries, especially highly migratory tuna, billfish and related species. It also provides support to its developing member States so that they can obtain sustained benefits from their small-scale fisheries. Technical areas of concern 24. On the basis of a classification of the technical areas of concern into (i) main concern, (ii) general concern, (iii) less concern and (iv) no concern (Table 3), it was possible to list 19 15

24 technical subjects in the following order according to priority: (1) fisheries information and statistics; (2) fisheries management; (3) environment and ecology; (4) marine fisheries development; (5) applied fishery research; (6) fishery policy and planning; (7) fishery legislation/global instruments and initiatives; (8) capacity building/training; (9) integrated coastal area management; (10) brackishwater culture and mariculture; (11) socio-economic aspects of fisheries development; (12) small-scale fisheries development; (13) monitoring, control and surveillance of fisheries; (14) post-harvest technology development; (15) marketing and trade; (16) freshwater aquaculture; (17) strategic and basic research; (18) inland fisheries development; and (19) strengthening of extension services. 25. This review indicates that the priority of the technical areas of concern is generally in line with the current interest of the world community regarding the sustainable development and management of fisheries and aquaculture, including consideration of ecology and environmental protection. 26. Table 3 and Annex 3 also indicate that those bodies which have a wide range of activities in fisheries development and management similar to APFIC are: APEC, ASEAN, ICLARM, SPC, FFA and SEAFDEC. It is inevitable that there exist some overlapping in the activities amongst these bodies and arrangements. Nevertheless, because of the differences in the areas of competence and membership between APFIC and SPC as well as FFA, it may be considered that there are no overlapping activities amongst these bodies. Likewise, there is no gross duplication of work between APFIC and IOTC because the technical area of primary concern of the latter is highly migratory species in the Indian Ocean. ICLARM, under the CGIAR, is concerned mainly with strategic research aimed at the sustainable development and rational management of living aquatic resources at the global level. Its work should compliment that of APFIC with little duplication of effort. Because of the specialized technical areas of INFOFISH, MRC, NACA and SEAPOL, it is believed that these bodies also have little overlapping with APFIC. On the other hand, it is felt that the wide-ranging activities of APEC, ASEAN and SEAFDEC may duplicate those of APFIC to a large degree. 27. The above review points to the need for regular consultations amongst the key organizations in the region with the objective of reducing the duplication of effort and rationalization of the use of the limited funds available for the fisheries sector. APFIC has recommended such consultations at several of its sessions. The informal consultation between the Secretariats of APFIC, ASEAN and SEAFDEC in 1994 and the consultation between regional bodies and interested donors organized by the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS) in cooperation with APFIC and SEAFDEC in 1998 were felt to be useful by the participants as they learned of each other s activities and how funds were being used. 16

25 Subject Body/ Arrangement Table 3. Technical areas of concern of the key bodies/arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region APFIC APEC ASEAN ICLARM IOTC INFOFISH MRC NACA SPC SP/FFA SEAFDEC SEAPOL UNEP/EAS Marine capture fisheries development A C B B A B D D A A A B B Inland capture fisheries development A D C C D C A C D D D D D Freshwater aquaculture A B B B D B A A C D C D D Brackishwater and mariculture A A B A D B B A B C A D B Fisheries management A B A A A B A B A 1 A 2 B B B MCS B B A C A C B D D A C B C Integrated coastal area management B B B A C B C B C A B B B Environment/ ecology C A C A B B B A B A B A A Post-harvest technology development A A A D D A C C D B A D D Marketing/trade C A A C C A C C B B C C D Information & statistics A B C A A A A A A A A B B Fishery research (applied) B B C A A C B A A B B B B Fishery research (strategic & basic) D D D A C D C C B B C C D Capacity building/training B B B B B B A B A B A B C Extension C D D D D D A C C C B D D Legislation/global instruments B B B C B B B B D B B A A Socio-economic & women in development B B B A B B A B A B B C C Small-scale fisheries A C A B B B A C A B B C C Policy/planning B B B B B B A B B B B A B Note: A = main concern B = general concern C = less concern D = no concern 1 2 Reef fishery only Tuna fisheries only 17