South East Asia Fisheries Development Centre SEAFDEC, marine/climate 13 - 19

SEAFDEC has been working, in a very complex political environment and large geographical area to achieve the intended outcomes of the programme. SEAFDEC has under the current circumstances both succeeded to deliver expected and un- expected outcomes at regional, national and local level in South East Asia. SEAFDEC has since 2013 moved from raising awareness to capacity development, finalising and managing regional action plans and developing agreements between the SEAFDEC Council, ASEAN and partner countries. Here below, you will find a few interesting examples of results achieved during the programme period:   Neritic tunas are important species that are targeted for exploitation by commercial and local fisheries. Through the support of the project a  Regional Plan of Action for Neritic Tuna and Fishing Capacity was developed and  adopted by SEAFDEC Council and the ASEAN in 2015. This is one important tool in the process to achieve a sound management of fisheries in the region. Thereafter, a regional scientific group (SWG), for Neritic Tuna was established to provide technical / scientific advice on the current status of neritic tuna fisheries resources and policy consideration needs to the SEAFDEC Council for the improvement of the fisheries management in SEA.    The programme contributed with capacity building in Essential Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management and Training of Trainers TOT). Approximately 200 officers attended the national on- site trainings of the EAFM and TOT. There were fisheries officers from Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Lao PDR participating in the courses. The Regional Fisheries Policy Network (RFPN) which was established at the SEAFDEC Secretariat has been a good platform for young fishery professionals from the member countries to enhance their capacity in sustainable management of fisheries as well as it has strengthened  cooperation among fisheries officers and collaboration among  SEAFDEC´s member countries in South East Asia. Approximately, 50 national fisheries officers of AMS´s under the RFPN program were assigned to work with SEAFDEC Secretariat.  According to the requirements of the market for the import and export fish and fishery products, issues were raised on the need to improve and develop the traceability for recapture fisheries to ensure the sustainability of fisheries for food security as well as to prevent the entry of IUU fish and fishery products into the supply chain in the Southeast Asian Region.  The programme supported the member - countries in the development of the common regional catch documentation scheme, taking into consideration the format, standards and information requirements of importing countries, but simplified to enhance its applicability by the small- scale fisheries in the region. The result of the efforts materialized in an ASEAN Catch Documentation Scheme / ACDS, which was endorsed at the SEAFDEC Council an ASEAN mechanism in 2017, improving the traceability for capture fisheries and enhanced intra- regional and international trade of the Asean member countries. The ACDS was first tested in 2017 in Brunei and subsequently promoted in Myanmar, Malaysia and Viet Nam for possible application.    The Project has also supported the development of a regional approach to implement the "FAO voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small- Scale Fisheries" in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication.  Between 2013-2015, approximately 1,500 people were trained on several subjects such as Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM), stock assessment and fish larvae identification. The capacity building was among others provided to national fisheries officers in the respective Asean Member States (AMS) on the concept and application of Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM), which resulted in improved management of fisheries and habitat integration in consideration to human well-being.  The Programme has been instrumental in introducing HRBA and gender into the ASEAN context, for example addressing the importance of increasing the visibility of the women´s role in the fisheries value-chain. The programme has contributed to enhance the knowledge of gender equality in SEAFDEC and in its programmes and projects.  SEAFDEC has developed a Gender Strategy, which strives to mainstream and integrate gender perspectives into the SEAFDEC´s organization, programs and projects to ensure that men, women, and youth have equitable access to benefits from the management of fisheries and aquaculture. In 2019, after the adoption of Gender Strategy, SEAFDECs  departments designated staff to be  Gender Focal Points with responsibility to  coordinate  the implementation gender strategy, subsequently to SEAFDEC Council in its 52nd Meeting in 2020.      

In Southeast Asia, marine fishery resources are abundant. However, with fishery technology development coupled with human population growth and the demand for fish and fish- based products, fish landings have substantially increased which leads to growing pressure on marine resources and eventually results in over fishing. Moreover, the impact of climate change contribute to the instability of stuck abundance as well as deviations of fish migration routes.  The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center – SEAFDEC, established in 1967, is an autonomous inter-governmental body comprising 11 member countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam aiming to promote sustainable development and management o fisheries and aquaculture in order to alleviate poverty and enhance food security and the livelihood of people in Southeast Asian Region.  Sweden has provided support to SEAFDEC since 2009. During the first phase of cooperation (2009- 2012), support was provided to “Activities related to climate change and adaptation in Southeast Asia with special focus on the Andaman Sea” and during the second phase (2013-2019) to “Fisheries and Habitat Management, Climate Change and Social well-being in Southeast Asia”, commonly known as the “SEAFDEC-Sweden Collaborative Programme”. The Programme has been implemented as an integrated part of SEAFDEC regular activities and has been managed out of the SEAFDEC Secretariat in Bangkok supported by the five technical SEAFDEC departments, linking up with authorities, institutions and organisations in the ASEAN member countries (AMS) as needed for special activities.  The "SEAFDEC - Sweden Collaborative Programme" has aimed at contributing to sustainable use of aquatic resources and reduced vulnerability to climate change by fishing communities in the ASEAN region. The project has developed three output objectives which link outputs and to measurable indicators.  Output objective 1: Capacity built  for integration of  habitat and fisheries management and adaptation to climate change.  Output objective 2: Capacity built and systems improved for the management or fishing capacity (monitoring, record and control)  Output objective 3: Capacity built and policy development improved for the drafting and the implementation of regional and sub- regional agreements.  The Project adopted partnerships and cooperation at the regional, sub-regional, national and community levels. The geographical outreach of the programme was the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea, while the Project also  worked in partnership with the Mekong River Commission (MRC) in the Mekong River Basin and with the USAID-Oceans and CTI-CFF in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas. The focus of the operations has been on capacity building and integration of habitat and fisheries management and climate change adaptation, for example, ASEAN - wide implementation of the regional plan of action for Neritic Tuna and the assessment stocks and spawning of Indo- Pacific mackerel in the Gulf of Thailand. Second , the project aimed to build capacity, improve systems and develop networks for monitoring, control and surveillance. Third, the project was committed to improving the policy development processes for regional and sub- regional agreement drafting and implementation.   Collaboration and networking with partners such as ASEAN, FAO Headquarters in Rome and FAO Regional Office in Bangkok, Mekong River Commission, RPOA-IUU Secretariat, ILO, UNEP, CTI-CFF, USAID-Oceans, IUCN/MFF, SEI, SwAM, JTF, and NGOs were key to advance the initiatives undertaken through the programme.