SEAFDEC Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
SEAFDEC participated in the 11th Meeting of the ASEAN Shrimp Alliance (11ASA), 13th Meeting of the ASEAN Fisheries Consultative Forum (13AFCF), and 29th Meeting of the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries (29ASWGFi), led by the SEAFDEC Secretary-General, Ms. Malinee Smithrithee. The 11ASA was organized virtually on 21 June 2021 and hosted by the Department of Fisheries, Thailand. The Meeting noted the progress of activities under the Plan of Action of ASEAN Shrimp Alliance 2020 ̶ 2025. Also, the ASEAN Member States shared information on the current marine shrimp situation of during the COVID-19 pandemic especially the national measures to support shrimp farmers as well as shrimp farming and trade.
Furthermore, the virtual 13AFCF and 29ASWGFi Meetings were chaired and hosted by Cambodia on 22 and 23 ̶ 24 June 2021, respectively. During the 13AFCF, SEAFDEC reported its regional initiatives related to fishing capacity, securing sustainable small-scale fisheries, combating IUU fishing, resource rehabilitation and enhancement, and impacts of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture. The Meeting noted the progress of initiatives and activities undertaken by the AMSs. For instance, on securing sustainable small-scale fisheries, Indonesia was tasked to develop the detailed proposal on regional strategies to implement the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) and activities related to small-scale aquaculture in the region. Regarding the US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the Meeting agreed to organize a workshop to share information on MMPA implementation while SEAFDEC would provide the technical information on stock assessment of marine mammal during such platform.
Subsequently, during the 29ASWGFi, SEAFDEC shared information on its activities related to impacts of and responses to COVID-19 pandemic on the fisheries and aquaculture sector of the region. In this juncture, SEAFDEC is currently conducting the study on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fisheries sector of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Member Countries with the support of the Japanese Trust Fund. In addition, SEAFDEC also reported the outcomes of the 23rd Meeting of the Fisheries Consultative Group of the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Strategic Partnership (FCG/ASSP). Finally, the Meeting noted the progress of the implementation of policy frameworks such as the Strategic Plan of Action on ASEAN Cooperation on Fisheries (2021 ̶ 2025) and Roadmap on Combating IUU Fishing in the ASEAN Region (2021 ̶ 2025).