SEAFDEC Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
Representatives from the SEAFDEC Secretariat led by the Secretary-General Dr. Suttinee Limthammahisorn and Deputy Secretary-General Dr. Tomoko Nakazato attended the “Workshop on 10-year Achievement of SEAFDEC/IFRDMD” organized on 23–24 October 2024 in Palembang, Indonesia. In her opening remarks, Dr. Suttinee recalled the initiation raised by the Minister of the MMAF of Indonesia during the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Conference in 2011 for the establishment of regional center for inland fisheries development as part of SEAFDEC organization that led to the establishment of IFRDMD. She then congratulated the significant activities undertaken by IFRDMD since its launching in 2014 that contributed to improved contribution from inland capture fisheries to the well-being and food security of people in the region.
The participants then went along the 10-year Journey of IFRDMD which was documented in its commemoration publication followed by the awards given to people that had made substantial contribution to the establishment of IFRDMD. During the Workshop, the staff of IFRDMD presented the best practices developed based on its works on sustainable inland fisheries management and data collection on anguillid eels. Subsequently, a panel gathering was made on perception in support of sustainable inland fisheries. Through the discussion, the Workshop raised the importance of enhancing the profile and substantiality of inland fisheries by improving data collection, promotion of science-based management and resilience practices, as well as conservation programs suitable for specific types of habitats, e.g. river, lake, reservoir, swamp, etc. Subsequent to the Workshop session, on 24 October, the participants went to observe the SPEECTRA site in Patra Tani that serve as swamp fisheries management model; and visited IFRDMD premises in Palembang.
