Regional Review On Aquaculture Development: Asia and the Pacific 2005

Regional Review On Aquaculture Development: Asia and the Pacific 2005 - By Paul G. Olin, University of California, Davis - The world population is on the rise, as is the demand for aquatic food products. Production from capture fisheries at the global level is levelling off and most of the main fishing areas have reached their maximum potential.

Foreword

Sustaining fish supplies from capture fisheries will, therefore, not be able to meet the growing global demand for aquatic food. At present, the aquaculture sector contributes a little over 40 million tonnes (excluding aquatic plants) to the world aquatic food production. According to recent FAO predictions, in order to maintain the current level of per capita consumption at the minimum, global aquaculture production should reach 80 million tonnes by 2050. Aquaculture has great potential to meet this increasing demand for aquatic food in most regions of the world. However, in order to achieve this, the sector (and aqua-farmers) will face significant challenges.

A major task ahead for sustainable aquaculture production will be to develop approaches that will increase the contribution of aquaculture to the global food supply. These approaches must be realistic and achievable within the context of current social, economic, environmental and political circumstances. Accurate and timely information on the aquaculture sector is essential in order to evaluate the efficacy of these approaches and how they can be improved.

Under the FAO Fisheries Departments current work programme, the Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service (FIRI) of the Fishery Resources Division, using a wide-ranging consultative process, regularly conducts reviews on the status and trends in aquaculture development (FAO Fisheries Circular No. 886 Review of the State of World Aquaculture and FAO Fisheries Circular No. 942 Review of the State of World Inland Fisheries).

The last review (both regional and global) was conducted in 1999/2000 and was published following the Global Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2000 (NACA/FAO, 2001, Aquaculture in the Third Millennium). These reviews are seen as important milestones and the documents produced are recognized as significant reference materials for planning, implementing and managing responsible and sustainable aquaculture development worldwide.

As part of this continuing process and with the current objective of preparing a global aquaculture development status and trends review, FIRI had embarked on a series of activities. These are:

• National Aquaculture Sector Overviews NASOs in all major aquaculture producing countries in the world;

• five regional workshops to discuss the status and trends in aquaculture development in Asia and the Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East and North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa; and

• seven regional aquaculture development status and trends reviews in Asia and the Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East and North Africa, North America, sub-Saharan Africa and Western Europe.

This document presents the Asia and the Pacific regional synthesis of all the information collected from the above activities.

Abstract

The FAO Fisheries Department conducts reviews of aquaculture development status and trends on a regular basis. This document is a result of such an exercise conducted during 2005 and 2006. The regional review is a synthesis of the National Aquaculture Sector Overviews (NASO) of 16 countries from five sub-regions of Asia and the Pacific and information from two additional countries, Japan and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

The review also contains a brief description of the aquaculture development trends and issues in the Pacific island nations. The production volume and value data have been derived from the latest FAO FISHSTAT Plus database. As part of the review process, a regional expert workshop was conducted in Ramzar, Islamic Republic of Iran, in 2006, to discuss the regional aquaculture development status and trends. The report of this expert workshop is also included in this review.

The regional review provides a description of how the aquaculture sector developed in Asia and the Pacific over the past three decades. The review and analysis of data and information clearly show that the sector is growing and expanding and is predicted to meet the increasing demand for aquatic food products in the years to come, with a few clear trends.

These are: (a) increasing demand for aquaculture products; (b) increasing intensification of production systems; (c) continuing diversification of production systems and species farmed; (d) increasing influence of markets, trade, consumers and consumption; (e) enhanced regulation and better governance; and (f) drive towards better management. The review also attempts to analyse the trends and look at the sectors sustainability and how the sector is behaving as a responsible food production sector in Asia and the Pacific.

Contents

PART I REGIONAL REVIEW ON AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT: ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 2005

1. CHARACTERISTICS, STRUCTURE OF THE SECTOR
   1. General nature and trends in culture practices (history and background)
2. PRODUCTION, SPECIES AND VALUES
   1. Range of culture species
   2. Production (species quantity and value)
   3. Production by country and rates of growth
   4. General production by species
      1. Crustaceans
      2. Carnivorous finfish species or species requiring higher production inputs
      3. Finfish requiring lower inputs
      4. Macroalgae
      5. Molluscs
      6. Reptiles and amphibians
      7. Niche aquaculture species
      8. Marine and freshwater aquarium species
   5. Seed supply
      1. Freshwater fish
      2. Marine fish
      3. Crustaceans
      4. Molluscs
3. ECONOMICS AND TRADE
   1. Contribution to economies
   2. Exports
      1. The marine and freshwater aquarium trade
4. CONTRIBUTION TO FOOD SECURITY, ACCESS TO FOOD NUTRITION AND FOOD SAFETY
   1. Demand and market trends
5. ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES
   1. Fishmeal and other fish-based ingredients for aquaculture feed
   2. Water and land
   3. Genetic resources
   4. Chemicals and drugs
6. LEGAL INSTITUTIONAL AND MANAGEMENT ASPECTS
   1. Promotion and management of the sector
   2. General characteristics of the institutional framework
   3. Status of governing regulations and issues relating to implementation
   4. Applied research
   5. Education and training
7. TREND ISSUES AND DEVELOPMENT
   1. Subregional trends in aquaculture production (key species/systems)
      1. Australia
      2. East Asia
      3. South Asia
      4. Southeast Asia
      5. Near East
      6. Pacific Islands
   2. Trends in environment and availability of resources
   3. Economics and trade
   4. Social impacts and employment and poverty reduction (aquacultures likely bfuture subregional contribution to food security; access to food, nutrition)
   5. Institutions to support responsible development of aquaculture
8. REFERENCES

PART II REPORT OF THE FAO EXPERT WORKSHOP ON REGIONAL AQUACULTURE REVIEW: ASIA

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Summer 2006