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2008/FWG19/009

Agenda item: 4

Discussion Paper – Aquaculture and Capture Fisheries Interactions

Purpose: Consideration

Submitted by: Australia

19th Fisheries Working Group Meeting
Piura, Peru
14-17 April 2008

Discussion Paper for APEC FWG_2008 2 of 2

Prepared by Australia

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Aquaculture and capture fisheries interactions

Discussion Paper

The landings of fish from the world’s oceans have gradually declined in recent years as stocks have been progressively overfished. At the same time, demand for seafood has been steadily rising and, in parallel, aquaculture production has expanded significantly, and at present is estimated to contribute 43 percent to global aquatic food consumption. It is a commonly held view that fishing (hunting) and farming (aquaculture) contribute equally in the same food-producing system. However, there are many specific interactions between the two sectors, and some of these interactions can no longer go without further study as some of them are becoming crucially difficult to manage.

Interactions between capture fisheries and aquaculture should therefore be studied and discussed as soon as possible. These interactions may diminish the efficiency and the possible benefits to be derived from well-coordinated and understood interactions between these two important sources of food and socio-economic welfare in the Asia-Pacific region.

Some of these interactions are issues that have existed for some time and have been examined disparately or have only been cursorily studied as having a two-way effect. These include the introduction of exotic species; the need for stocking programmes; the ownership of resources and of confined environments; the use of wild seed to supply aquaculture especially in shrimp farming and the use of fishery products to supply the fish feed farming industry. Similarly, emerging issues include stocking and restocking models; the genetic origin of cultured organisms; biodiversity conservation and value; genetic improvement through breeding programmes and genetic engineering; aquaculture development in sensitive environments; direct impact of farmed products on markets and prices; the growing role of aquaculture in meeting the additional demand for fishery products; product quality and labeling; capture fisheries and aquaculture within a sustainable system approach.

The most obvious level of interaction between aquaculture and wild capture fisheries can be seen in the pursuit of small pelagic fish for the production of fishmeal and fish oil, of which a significant quantum is used for aquaculture of high-valued species such as salmonids and shrimp. Also, a significant quantum from artisanal fisheries is used for feeding carnivorous finfish mariculture, particularly in Asia (estimated at 3 to 4 million tonnes per year), as well as the growing tuna fattening practices. The aquaculture industry, to assist in reducing pressure on stocks caught for fishmeal and fish oil, needs to continue to move towards sustainably produced plant based feeds. Cultivating fish that are lower down the food chain (herbivores and omnivores), and utilizing fish meal and fish oil more sparingly or as finishing diets, needs to be examined. In more general terms there is a need for fisheries management to shift towards an ecosystem-based approach to assist with achieving sustainable fisheries.

What is missing from this overall picture are the implications for human food security. For example in Southeast Asia small pelagic fish such as those targeted by artisanal fisheries for aquaculture feed production, are very important in the human diet. Similarly use of low-value fish in aquaculture inflates their price such that the rural poor can no longer afford to buy them. Demand for such fish is likely to grow as human populations increase, bringing low-value fish under even further pressure from both aquaculture and from direct consumption. This raises the question, what is the appropriate use and allocation of this resource?

However, the interactions extend beyond the basic food production processes. The consequences of actions in one sector are likely to have a deep impact on the other and in environmental, socio-economic, political and economic terms as we consider the repercussions of, for instance, the over-fishing of certain small pelagics.

The APEC has as its members some of the largest fishing and aquaculture production nations in the world and presents an ideal forum to consider this emerging problem.

Some key issues and questions that APEC members could consider and discuss include:

o  How to make the relationship and effects of the interactions between wild catch and aquaculture operations clearer;

o  Understanding these interactions and options for sustainable management of affected fisheries and associated ecosystems;

o  Sharing information on the operations and needs of the two sectors and identifying ways they can be done better;

o  Developing strategies to sustain both sectors and support livelihoods in both sectors; and

o  Developing a project to address one/some of the issues identified.

Discussion Paper for APEC FWG_2008 2 of 2

Prepared by Australia