Implementation of catch documentation scheme and traceability of fish and fishery products by international and regional organizations”. Tomoko Nakazato presented on the "Catch Documentation Scheme and Traceability of Fish and Fishery Products in JAPAN". The representative of the Philippines presented "Lessons Learned and Implementation of Catch Documentation Scheme and Traceability of Fish and Fishery Products".
DISCUSSION ON THE WAY FORWARD FOR TRACEABILITY OF FISH AND FISHERIES PRODUCTS IN THE REGION. Advantages and disadvantages of implementing traceability of fish and fishery products in SEAFDEC member countries. Support and facilitate the traceability of fish and fishery products in SEAFDEC member countries.
Planning, development and improvement of traceability of fish and fishery products in the SEAFDEC member countries. Suggestions and recommendations on the way forward for the traceability of fish and fishery products in the region.
CLOSING OF THE WORKSHOP
Regional workshop for the exchange of information on the system of documentation on the catch and traceability of fish and fishery products. It is my great pleasure to welcome everyone to the "Regional Information Exchange Workshop on the Fish and Fishery Products Catch and Traceability Documentation System". One of the key elements in our region is how the country designs a fish and fishery product traceability system to prevent IUU fish and fishery products from entering the supply chain.
Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, as you know, combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has in recent decades been one of the top priorities addressed by countries around the world. This can result in the loss of short- and long-term social and economic opportunities and can have negative consequences for food security. A number of countries in the Southeast Asian region are always confronted with increasing pressure on their fish resources from illegal fishing.
The main challenges for the management of coastal and marine fisheries in the Southeast Asian region are the rapid depletion of fish stocks; overfishing; conflicts between resource users; ignorance, violations of laws and regulations by fishermen, etc. Some are successful, while others are still in process, which may be due to the communal nature of the fisheries resources, lack of strict enforcement of the limited entry policy and other policies, lack of manpower and equipment to enforce the laws, lack of coordination between the relevant government agencies concerned . FAO Global Information Exchange System; ASEAN Plan to Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing ASEAN-SEAFDEC Regional Plan of Action for Fishing Capacity Management; ASEAN-SEAFDEC Guidelines to prevent the introduction of fish and fishery products from IUU fishing activities into the supply chain and much more.
It aims to improve and strengthen collaborative efforts to combat IUU fishing in the region, thereby improving fisheries management, sustaining fishing resources and optimizing the benefit of adopting responsible fishing practices. Combating IUU Fishing and Improving the Competitiveness of ASEAN Fish and Fishery Products” in Bangkok, Thailand. The ASEAN SEAFDEC member countries have declared and plan to combat IUU fishing in the Southeast Asian region and improve the competitiveness of ASEAN fish and fishery products in accordance with applicable international laws and arrangements.
15. practices, 2) Strengthening the implementation of measures and activities to combat IUU fishing by ensuring compliance with national laws and regulations and the provisions of international instruments; .. encouraging the development and implementation of national action plans to combat IUU fishing; . promoting coordination between agencies for effective implementation of laws and regulations; increasing awareness and understanding of applicable international and regional instruments and agreements through information dissemination campaigns, 3) Establishing and strengthening regional, sub-regional and bilateral coordination on fisheries management and efforts to combat IUU fishing, 4) Mobilizing regional/sub-regional regional cooperation frameworks and instruments for combating IUU fishing, 5) improving the capacity of relevant national authorities and strengthening their regional and bilateral/sub-regional cooperation functions, to effectively implement the requirements of port State measures and flag State responsibilities and 6) Apply traceability systems with mechanisms necessary to certify or validate the information throughout the supply chain, and establish regulations and enforcement regimes in line with international standards by harmonizing the inspection systems of AMSs, including port inspections as a means to improve traceability systems. To achieve sustainable fisheries development and management, and to combat IUU fishing in the region, SEAFDEC would support our cooperation with partners such as FAO, NOAA, USAID, the fisheries agencies in AMSs and other relevant initiatives through the implementation of regional programs and activities. We currently have a significant budget source from the Japanese government through the Japanese Trust Fund project of SEAFDEC, and we expect to have many more donor organizations supporting these types of activities in the near future.
All presentations from representatives of international organizations, and our participants of AMSs by sharing information in the discussion, are indeed highly valuable for the catch documentation scheme and traceability of fish and fishery products in our region. We are all aware that Southeast Asia accounts for about a quarter of global fish production, enabling the region to strongly support the eradication of poverty and food security not only in ASEAN but also across the world. I hope that this workshop will serve as a good opportunity for participants to think about ways forward for the traceability of fish and fishery products in the region.
Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to all of you for your active contribution and look forward to increased close cooperation between stakeholders, including ASEAN member states and relevant international/regional organizations, for the improvement of fisheries in Asia Southeast in the future. .
