Catalog

	Table of Contents
p. 7 of 20 BACK | NEXT I. Introduction II. The Context: Fisheries in the Asian and Pacific Region A. The Role of Fisheries B. A Profile of the Fisheries Sector in the Region C. Fisheries Production and Trade D. Major Developments Affecting the Fisheries Sector E. ADB’s Policy on Fisheries III. The Bank's Experience in the Fisheries Sector IV. The Issues: Challenges and Opportunities V. The Recommended Strategy for the Bank

Policy on Fisheries : II. The Context: Fisheries in the Asian and Pacific Region

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E. ADB’s Policy on Fisheries

33. A major theme running through the recent agreements is the application of the “precautionary principle,”¹¹ which holds that the absence of adequate scientific information should not be used as a reason for postponing or failing to take measures to conserve target (or other) species and their environment. Conservation and management measures need to be adopted that reduce the risk of damage to living aquatic resources and the environment, taking full account of scientific and technical uncertainty, as well as the best scientific evidence available. In other words, fishing targets must be set with caution wherever there is uncertainty, even in the absence of scientific proof of damaging consequences.

34. A number of international bodies and organizations are active in fisheries management and in promoting international cooperation. Under the aegis of FAO, several intergovernmental commissions are concerned with fisheries in DMCs: the Indian Ocean Fishery Commission, established in 1967; the Indo-Pacific Fishery Commission, established in 1945 and now renamed the Asia Pacific Fishery Commission; and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, the agreement for the establishment of which was adopted in 1995. The South Pacific Commission has, since 1956, provided scientific advice to its 22 island member states, 12 of which are also members of ADB, in support of management initiatives. The South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency was set up in 1979 as an intergovernmental body and has promoted regional cooperation among its 16 member states in the management of fisheries of common interest, focusing on oceanic species, predominantly tunas. The Forum Fisheries Agency and the South Pacific Commission have fostered harmonized regional initiatives in fisheries management and are addressing issues on the rationalization of domestic fishing activities and the regulation of foreign fishing activities within EEZs.

35. Few regional bodies and organizations are concerned with research on tropical or subtropical fisheries. The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), with headquarters in Bangkok, undertakes applied research and provides training in fisheries, aquaculture, and postharvest technology. An intergovernmental Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), established under the auspices of FAO/United Nations Development Programme in Bangkok, Thailand in 1990, carries out applied research of regional relevance and provides training, functioning within the framework of technical cooperation among developing countries. The Intergovernmental Organisation for Marketing Information and Technical Advisory Services for Fishery Products in the Asia Pacific Region (INFOFISH), was set up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with the assistance of FAO to disseminate information to the fishery industry in Asia. The International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM), the only center of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) involved in research in aquatic resources, is based in Manila, Philippines.

36. Major developments in fisheries and international initiatives have led to some significant sectoral consequences in ADB’s DMCs, which include the following.

1. Few coastal nations (including some DMCs such as the Republic of Korea and Thailand) have substantially increased their investments in fishing, in effect contributing to the overcapacity of the world’s fishing fleets.
2. Extensive technological advances were achieved in fishing vessels, fish-finding devices and gear (e.g., modified seines and trawls), and onboard processing, enabling fishing fleets to exploit fish stocks far away from home ports. Vessels from the region have been successful in increasing the catch of cephalopods and tuna.
3. DMCs whose zones contained valuable resources (such as the Pacific island states) enhanced their foreign exchange earnings from DWFNs, which purchased rights to fish in their waters.
4. All of the above, often in the absence of a sufficient knowledge of sustainable levels of exploitation, led to near depletion or overexploitation of fisheries in the nearshore continental shelf of coastal states as well as certain offshore commercial species.
5. The number of disputes, both international and local, has risen, in particular with regard to the use of EEZ waters by distant water fleets in the waters of coastal nations. Disputes between the industrial and artisanal subsectors within coastal waters, on matters related to use of specific fishing gear and damage to or interference with small-scale fishing operations, have also occurred.
6. Because of the problems of resource scarcity and to enhance profitability, technical innovations in the postharvest sector have emerged allowing better utilization of small pelagic species, and improved fish handling and processing. In some instances this has also facilitated the capture of the younger stages of traditional species, with negative effects on the populations of those species.

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