Status and Potential of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Asia and the Pacific

8/3/2019 Status and Potential of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Asia and the Pacific

1/62

1

ASIA-PACIFICFISHERYCOMMISSION

Status and potential of fisheries andaquaculture in Asiaand the Pacific

A P F I Cm e m b e r

R e s t o f t h e w o r l d

C h i n a

0

20 000

40 000

60 000

80 000

100 000

1 9 5 0

1 9 5 5

1 9 6 0

1 9 6 5

1 9 7 0

1 9 7 5

1 9 8 0

1 9 8 5

1 9 9 0

1 9 9 5

2 0 0 0


2/62

3

By

Shunji Sugiyama, Derek Staples & Simon Funge-Smith

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

RAP Publication 2004/25

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Regional Office for Asia and the PacificBangkok, 2004

Status and potential of fisheries and aquaculturein Asia and the Pacific


3/62

ii

The designation and presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinionwhatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning thelegal status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of itsfrontiers and boundaries.

All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educationalor other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyrightholders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information productfor sale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders.

Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Secretary, Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission,FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Maliwan Mansion, 39 Phra Athit Road, Bangkok 10200,Thailand or by e-mail to [email protected].

FAO 2004

For copies please write to: The Secretary Asia-Pacific Fishery CommissionFAO Regional Office for Asia and the PacificMaliwan Mansion, 39 Phra Athit RoadBangkok 10200THAILANDTel: (+66) 2 697Fax: (+66) 2 697 4445E-mail: [email protected]


4/62

iii

Preface

One of the important activities of the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) is to provide itsmembers with an overview of the status and potential of fisheries and aquaculture in the

Asia-Pacific region. The region currently produces almost 50 percent of the worlds fish fromcapture fisheries and 90 percent from aquaculture. Fish and fisheries are important in supplyinganimal protein and nutrition to a large part of the Asian-Pacific populations, and are increasinglybecoming an important source of income and trade for the region.

There are many differences, most obviously geographical, between the sub-regions and seas ofthe region, but there are also many common trends that will have a large impact on the futuresupply of fish. One alarming trend is the rapid decline in the status of coastal fishery resourcesand ecosystems throughout the region.

Aquaculture production is increasing, with a large part of this increase being driven by massivegrowth in China. However, much of this aquaculture growth is dependent on the use oftrash fish for feeding the cultured species (either directly or by processed fish meal/oil), and isnot sustainable in the long term unless major changes take place in the management of capturefisheries and in aquaculture practices.

This report provides an excellent summary of the major trends and future potential for fisheriesand aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region and provides an insight into the many challenges thatwill need to be addressed if fisheries and aquaculture are to continue to contribute significantlyto food security and poverty reduction in the region.

He Changchui Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific


5/62

iv

Preparation of this document

This document was prepared for the twenty-eighth session of the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC),which was held in Chang Mai, Thailand from 3 to 5 August 2004. With this session, APFIC has assumeda new role as a regional consultative forum, embarking on a new chapter in its endeavour to respondeffectively to the changing requirements in the fisheries and aquaculture sector in the region. In support

of the work of the Forum, APFIC is committed to improving the quality of information on the status andtrends of fisheries and aquaculture in the region and to regularly reviewing and analysing the information.This document is aimed at informing APFIC member States of the current status and potential of fisheriesand aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region as well as the emerging issues facing the sector.

Abstract

Sugiyama, S., Staples, D. & Funge-Smith, S.J. 2004. Status and potential of fisheries and

aquaculture in Asia and the Pacific. FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. RAPPublication 2004/25. 53 pp.

The fisheries and aquaculture sector is of fundamental importance to the Asia-Pacific regionproviding opportunities for revenue generation and employment, and contributing to food security.This document reviews the current status of inland and marine fisheries resources and theircontribution to national economies and food security. Regional fishery data and information storedin FAO databases are analysed to provide a comprehensive picture of production trends offisheries and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region, which is further illustrated by a detailed viewof sub-regions and aquaculture production by species groups. It also touches upon issues thatrequire closer attention in order for the fisheries resources to be managed in a responsive andsustainable manner.


6/62

v

Geographical scope of this review

States and areas

This review covers the States and entities of the Asia-Pacific region that report fisheries and aquaculturestatistics to FAO, and which are within the area of competence of the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission.They are sub-divided into the following sub-regions;

Oceania: American Samoa, Australia, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji,French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Nauru,New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Is., Palau, Papua New Guinea(PNG), Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis andFutuna Is.

South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Southeast Asia: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR (Peoples Dem. Rep.), Malaysia,Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam

China: China PR (Peoples Republic of), Hong Kong SAR (Semi-autonomous Region) andTaiwan POC (Province of China)

Other Asia: Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea DPR (Democratic Peoples Republic of), Mongolia,Korea RO (Republic of), Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

Production areas

In cases where the fishing occurs on the high sea or in EEZs under access agreements, although theproduction is assigned to the flag vessel, the catches made outside the regional area mentioned aboveare excluded from this review. The regional area covers the FAO Major Fishing Areas (MFA) as follows:

Inland waters: Asia Inland waters (MFA 04)Oceania Inland waters (MFA 06)

Marine waters: Western/Eastern Indian Ocean (MFA 51 and 57)Northwest, Western/Eastern Central and (MFA 61, 71, 77 and 81)Southwest Pacific Ocean

Species

Data on aquatic mammals, aquatic plants, corals, pearls, sponges and crocodiles from capture fisheriesare excluded.


7/62

vii

Table of contents

Page

PREFACE .................................................................................................................................................... iii

PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT ...................................................................................................... iv

GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE OF THIS REVIEW ............................................................................................ v

1. CONTRIBUTIONS OF FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION ...... 1

1.1 C ONTRIBUTION TO NATIONAL ECONOMIES ............................................................................................. 1

1.2 C ONTRIBUTION TO FOOD SECURITY ..................................................................................................... 2

2. PRODUCTION TRENDS OF FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE .................................................. 4

2.1 C APTURE FISHERIES PRODUCTION IN THE ASIA-P ACIFIC REGION .............................................................. 4

2.2 A QUACULTURE PRODUCTION IN THE ASIA-P ACIFIC REGION ...................................................................... 6

2.3 S TATUS AND TRENDS BY SUB -REGIONS ................................................................................................ 10

3. STATUS OF RESOURCES ................................................................................................................ 20

MARINE WATERS ............................................................................................................................. 20

3.1 M EASURING THE STATUS OF FISHERY RESOURCES ................................................................................. 20

3.2 E VIDENCE FROM TRAWL SURVEYS ....................................................................................................... 20

3.3 E VIDENCE FROM L ARGE M ARINE ECOSYSTEMS .................................................................................... 22

INLAND WATERS ............................................................................................................................. 34

3.4 W ATER RESOURCES ......................................................................................................................... 34

3.5 F ISHERY RESOURCES ....................................................................................................................... 34

4. AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION TRENDS BY SPECIES GROUP ................................................ 36

4.1 C ARNIVOROUS SPECIES OR SPECIES REQUIRING HIGHER PRODUCTION INPUTS ............................................. 36

4.2 F INFISH REQUIRING LOWER INPUTS ..................................................................................................... 37

4.3 C RUSTACEANS ................................................................................................................................ 38

4.4 M OLLUSC ...................................................................................................................................... 40

4.5 A QUATIC PLANTS ............................................................................................................................. 40

4.6 R EPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS ............................................................................................................... 41

4.7 N ICHE AQUACULTURE SPECIES ........................................................................................................... 41

5. SELECTED ISSUES FACING FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC . 42

5.1 T RASH FISH CATCHES .................................................................................................................... 42

5.2 F ISH MEAL AND OTHER FISH -BASED INGREDIENTS FOR AQUACULTURE FEED ................................................ 43

5.3 L IVE FISH TRADE FOOD FISH AND ORNAMENTAL AQUARIUM FISH ............................................................. 46

6. THE OUTLOOK FOR FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC .............. 48

6.1 G LOBAL AND REGIONAL TRENDS ........................................................................................................ 48

6.2 C OASTAL FISHERIES ......................................................................................................................... 48

6.3 O FFSHORE FISHERIES ....................................................................................................................... 50

6.4 A QUACULTURE ................................................................................................................................ 51


8/62

viii

Table of contents (continued)

Page

Tables

Table 1. Contribution of capture fisheries and aquaculture to GDP .................................................... 1

Table 2. Top twenty capture production species in the Asia-Pacific region........................................ 8Table 3. Top ten aquaculture producer States in 2002 ......................................................................... 8

Table 4. Top twenty cultured species in Asia-Pacific region by quantity ............................................ 9

Table 5. South Asia capture fisheries production, top ten species ..................................................... 10

Table 6. Southeast Asia capture fisheries production, top ten species .............................................. 12

Table 7. China capture fisheries production, top ten species .............................................................. 14

Table 8. Unidentified capture production in China ............................................................................... 14

Table 9. Other Asia capture fisheries production, top ten species ...................................................... 16

Table 10. Oceania capture fisheries production, top ten species .......................................................... 18

Table 11. Comparison of catch, revenues, costs and profits ................................................................. 23

Table 12. The large marine ecosystems of the Asia-Pacific region ....................................................... 26Table 13. Aquaculture production reported under marine finfish nei ................................................. 37

Table 14. Tilapia top eight producer States (2002) ................................................................................. 37

Table 15. Carps and barbs top ten producer States (2002) ................................................................... 38

Table 16. Milkfish top seven producer States (2002).............................................................................. 38

Table 17. Penaeid shrimp top ten producer States (2002) ..................................................................... 39

Table 18. Freshwater prawn top eight producer States (2002) .............................................................. 40

Table 19: Lower value molluscs top ten production (2002) .................................................................... 40

Table 20: Higher value molluscs top ten production (2002) ................................................................... 40

Table 21. Aquatic plants top ten producer States (2002) ....................................................................... 41

Table 22. Aquatic plants top ten cultured species (2002) ...................................................................... 41

Table 23. Net fish meal usage in the Asia-Pacific region (2001) ............................................................. 44

Table 24. Live fish imports to China PR, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and Singapore in 2000 ......... 47

Table 25. Status of tuna species in the Western and Central Pacific and in the Indian ocean ............ 51


9/62

ix

Table of contents (continued)

Page

Figures

Figure 1. Trends in global capture production....................................................................................... 5

Figure 2. Trends in capture production by sub-region outside China .................................................. 5Figure 3. Trends in capture production by species group outside China ............................................ 5

Figure 4. Trends in global aquaculture production ................................................................................ 7

Figure 5. Trends in aquaculture production of the Asia-Pacific region by environment ...................... 7

Figure 6. Trends in capture production of South Asia by environment ................................................ 11

Figure 7. Capture production of South Asia by major species groups ................................................ 11

Figure 8. Trends in aquaculture production of South Asia by major species groups .......................... 11

Figure 9. Aquaculture production of major species in South Asia ....................................................... 11

Figure 10. Trends in capture production of Southeast Asia by environment ......................................... 13

Figure 11. Capture production of Southeast Asia by major species groups ......................................... 13

Figure 12. Aquaculture production of Southeast Asia: proportion of major species groups ............... 13Figure 13. Trends in aquaculture production of Southeast Asia by major species groups ................... 13

Figure 14. Trends in capture production of China by environment ........................................................ 15

Figure 15. Capture production of China by major species groups ........................................................ 15

Figure 16. Trends in aquaculture production of China by environment ................................................. 15

Figure 17. Trends in top eight cultured species in China ........................................................................ 15

Figure 18. Trends in major cultured carnivorous species production in China ...................................... 15

Figure 19. Trends in capture production of other Asia by environment ................................................. 17

Figure 20. Capture production of other Asia by major species groups ................................................. 17

Figure 21. Aquaculture production of other Asia: proportion of major species groups ....................... 17

Figure 22. Trends in aquaculture production of other Asia by major species groups ........................... 17

Figure 23. Trends in capture production of Oceania by environment .................................................... 19

Figure 24. Capture production of Oceania by major species groups .................................................... 19

Figure 25. Fishing down the food chain ............................................................................................... 21

Figure 26. Trawl surveys in the Asian region ........................................................................................... 21

Figure 27. Declines in the abundance of fish .......................................................................................... 23

Figure 28. Changes in the composition of the top ten species .............................................................. 23

Figure 29. Large Marine Ecosystems of the APFIC Region .................................................................... 25

Figure 30. Reported landings from the Kuroshio Current LME .............................................................. 29

Figure 31. Reported landings from Western and Central Pacific ........................................................... 29

Figure 32. Reported landings from the Yellow Sea LME ........................................................................ 29

Figure 33. Reported landings from the Gulf of Thailand LME ................................................................ 31

Figure 34. Reported landings from the Northwest Australian Shelf LME............................................... 31

Figure 35. Reported landings from the Bay of Bengal LME ................................................................... 31

Figure 36. Reported landings from the South China Sea LME ............................................................... 33

Figure 37. Reported landings from the Southeast Australian Shelf LME ............................................... 33

Figure 38. Reported landings from the New Zealand Shelf LME ........................................................... 33

Figure 39. Usage of fishmeal for aquaculture and other sectors ........................................................... 45

Figure 40. Share of total fishmeal use ..................................................................................................... 45

Figure 41. Tuna catches in the Western and Central Pacific region ....................................................... 51


10/62

1

1.1 Contribution to national economies

Fisheries and aquaculture production is a clearcontributor to national economies across the

Asia-Pacific region. Crude estimation of capture

production value 1 indicates that the contribution ofcapture fisheries to GDP accounts for more thanone percent in many States in the region (Table 1) .Capture fisheries are particularly important inSmall Island Developing States (SIDS), where thefisheries sector plays a critical role in the nationaleconomies. The economic contribution of fisheriesproduction is less in South and Southeast AsianStates, yet there are still ten of these States towhich fisheries contribute more than one percentof GDP. It is also worth noting that these figuresfor fisheries value are probably underestimated and

do not adequately value the artisanal part of thesector. Overall it is clear that more policy attentionshould be paid to this important production sector.For example, according to the official reports fromCambodia, fisheries production is more valuablethan rice production in the country.

Aquaculture also makes an important contributionto GDP. In Asian States, which are the productioncentre of aquaculture, aquaculture productionaccounts for over one percent of GDP in sevenStates. Statistics related to export income from

aquaculture products are not generally availableand this affects the estimation of the contributionto foreign currency earnings through exports ofaquaculture products.

It is clear that the State listings above also closelymatch those States which export considerableamounts of aquaculture products (particularlyshrimp). China PR is an exception in this case,since the majority of aquaculture products it

produces are consumed domestically, althoughthere is an increasing trend towards exportfocussed products.

1. Contributions of fisheries and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacificregion

The capture fisheries and aquaculture sectors are of fundamental importance to the Asia-Pacific region interms of food security, revenue generation and employment. In many countries, catching or farming aquatic

resources forms a vital part of rural people s livelihoods. In cultural terms, aquatic resources mean morethan a source of income or food supply; traditional fishery products such as fish sauce and fish-basedcondiments are important ingredients of people s daily diet which are not easily substituted. People utilizeall sizes and types of fish and there is very little discard or wastage of this valuable resource. It is onlynow becoming apparent that fish play an important role in both the food security and nutritional securityof many rural and coastal populations.

1 The data to quantify the value of capture production is notreadily available for many States. As indicative figures, unitvalue of 0.8 US$ per kg was applied for this estimation ofcapture production value.

Table 1Contribution of capture fisheries andaquaculture to GDP

Production value as percent of GDP 2

Capture fisheries Aquaculture

Kiribati 33.549 Lao PDR 5.775Marshall Is. 28.378 Viet Nam* 3.497Maldives 17.294 Bangladesh 2.688Cambodia 10.030 Philippines 2.633Solomon Is.* 7.787 China PR 2.618FSM 6.603 Thailand 2.071

Samoa 4.239 Indonesia 1.662Viet Nam* 3.702 Cambodia 0.893PNG 3.306 Kiribati 0.752Vanuatu 3.294 India* 0.540Tonga 2.865 Sri Lanka 0.468Indonesia 2.350 Malaysia 0.366Philippines 2.184 Nepal 0.345Fiji Islands 2.046 Taiwan POC 0.324Thailand 2.044 New Zealand 0.189Bangladesh 1.884 Myanmar 0.167Lao PDR 1.432 Korea RO 0.145Sri Lanka 1.428 Japan 0.108China PR 1.132 Iran 0.105Malaysia 1.128

Employment, income and trade

The information on employment in fisheries andaquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region is very scantyand only a few States report the number of fishersand fish farmers. Despite this, there are clearindications that fisheries and aquaculture playa substantial role in providing vital income

2 GDP values in 2001 calculated from the ESCAP officialstatistics except Taiwan POC. The data of States marked withan asterisk is from 2000.


11/62

2

generation opportunities to the people. InIndonesia, capture fisheries sector offered a fulltimeor part time job to 3.3 million people 3, whichaccounted for 3.6 percent of the populationof 15 years of age and over (2000) 4. Gendersegregated data on employment are available inIndia, where 7.9 million of male and 2.7 million of

female workers were directly engaged in fishingand fish farming. In the Philippines the fisheriessector provides direct and indirect employment toover one million people, or about 12 percent of theagriculture, fishery and forestry sector workforce 5.

FAO (1998) 6 estimated that Asia accounted for85 percent of the total global number of personsengaged in fisheries production (total 25 million).These figures typically represent full time fisheriesand those for whom fishing is a highly significantactivity. It is well known that such estimatestypically do not include those who fish seasonallyor as a supplemental part of a more diverselivelihood. The estimated figure can therefore beconsidered a lower threshold.

In addition to those people involved directly in theprimary production sector, it should be noted thatthere are also a number of people who are engagedin the supporting industries of fisheries andaquaculture such as boat building, ice making, feedmanufacturing, processing, marketing anddistribution of fisheries and aquaculture products.

As demand outstrips supply, the price of fish isincreasing world wide and fish is becoming a cashcrop . In many cases, the more marketable fishare being sold to provide income that is used topurchase other more affordable food items.

Fisheries products are highly traded commoditiesin the Asia-Pacific region bringing valuable foreignexchange earnings to exporting States. Over thepast 20 years, many developing countries havebecome net exporters of fish, rather than netimporters, a trend very evident in the Southeast

Asia region. Thailand is a major exporting Statein the region, exporting 1.2 million tonnes offisheries products with the foreign exchangeearning of US$ 3.7 billion in 2002. Fish is

a particularly important internationally tradedcommodity for SIDS where land-based resourcesare very limited. In Marshall Islands, thecontribution of fisheries products was as high as79 percent of total exported commodities of theState by value in 1997. In many developed States,such as Japan, the trend has been reversed withthese countries becoming net importers, rather thannet exporters. The quantity of imported fisheriesproducts in China PR exceeded that of exportedproducts in 2002; however, China PR achieveda remarkable trade surplus of US$ 2.4 billion fromfisheries products, indicative of the strong valueadding that occurred in the process.

1.2 Contribution to food security

Importance of fish in human nutrition

Fish is a food of excellent nutritional value and it

makes a very significant contribution to the diet ofmany fish-consuming communities in both thedeveloped and developing world.

Fish provides high quality protein and a widevariety of vitamins and minerals, includingvitamins A and D, phosphorus, magnesium,selenium, and iodine, especially in marine fish. Fishis also a valuable source of essential fatty acidsand its protein is easily digestible.

Even in small quantities, fish can have a significant

positive impact on improving the quality of dietaryprotein intake by complementing the essentialamino acids that are often present in low quantitiesin the rice-and-vegetable diets typical of manydeveloping States. In particular, fish is a richsource of lysine which is an essential amino acidthat is often deficient in rice diets with little animalprotein.

Recent research shows that fish is much more than just an alternative source of animal protein. Fishoils in fatty fish are the richest source of a type of

fat that is vital for brain development in unbornbabies and infants. Closely spaced pregnancies,as often seen in developing States, can lead to thedepletion of the mother s supply of essential fattyacids, leaving younger siblings deprived of this vitalnutrient at a crucial stage in their growth. Thismakes all fish and especially fatty fish, such astuna, mackerel and sardine, particularly goodcomponents of the diet of pregnant and lactatingwomen. It is therefore apparent that fish makesa valuable contribution to the nutritional quality ofthe diets of the populations of many developing

countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

3 FAO Fisheries Information, Data and Statistics unit.4 Statistics Indonesia of the Republic of Indonesia http://

www.bps.go.id/index.shtml5 Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic resources of the

Philippines http://www.bfar.da.gov.ph/programs/gma_fisprogrm/fish_sector.htm

6 FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries No. 7

Responsible Fish Utilization , FAO Rome 1998, 33 p.


12/62

3

Trends in fish consumption

Taken globally about one billion people rely on fishas their main source of animal protein, especiallyin coastal areas where the dependence on fish istypically high. About 20 percent of the world spopulation derives at least 20 percent of its animalprotein from fish, and some small island Statesdepend on fish almost exclusively. For instance,fish contribute more than, or close to, 50 percentof total animal proteins in some small islanddeveloping States and in Bangladesh, Cambodia,Indonesia, Japan and Sri Lanka.

Asia and the Pacific represents the most importantregion for fisheries and aquaculture production. Ithas a number of States with the highest per capitaconsumption. Importantly, the source of fish in thediet of rural people in this region is graduallychanging. Rural populations that were once almostentirely dependent upon inland capture fisheries fortheir food have seen the decline of fisheriesresources through environmental changes andchanging water management regimes. Aquaculturefish has become an increasingly viable alternativeto inland capture fish as cheap wild fish becomeless available. This trend is also accompanied byrising prices for fish.

Fish consumption in selected States

Globally 100 million tonnes of fish were available

for consumption in 2001 and two-thirds of this totalwas consumed in Asia. Of this, 36.2 million tonneswere consumed outside China PR (14.0 kg percapita) and 42.6 million tonnes in China PR alone(25.6 kg per capita). Per capita consumption inOceania was 23.0 kg. Maldives recorded thehighest rate of per capita supply of fish (185.9 kgper year) in this region, followed by Kiribati(75.2 kg per year). There are considerableintra-regional variations depending on access toinland and marine capture fisheries and suitabilityof environments for aquaculture.

Existing estimates of food consumption are derivedfrom food balance calculations based on reported

catches. These provide statistics of total and percaput fish supply in live weight and contribution offish to animal protein supply by State. However,as with production data, their reliability has oftenbeen questioned. In this review, fish consumptionof selected States where survey data are availablewas examined.

Bangladesh

The availability of non-cereal protein food inBangladesh has reportedly increased significantlyand has had a sustained growth rate of over eightpercent per annum in the fishery and livestocksectors in recent years. National nutrition surveysof Bangladesh during 1995-1996 indicated theaverage fish intake was 11.7-13.5 kg/capita/yr forrural and urban populations, with a nationalaverage of 12 kg/capita/yr.

Cambodia

Studies carried out in the late 1990s recorded a fishconsumption of 38-58 kg/capita/yr in SoutheastCambodia. Another estimate puts the per capitaconsumption of fish in Cambodia as high as 67 kg/ capita/yr.

India

Diet surveys in India in 1996 showed that the intakeof fish and meat was very low (6.9 and 4.0 kg/ capita/yr) in the diets of the urban and rural poor.

Lao PDR

Consumption of fish varies greatly ranging from15 to over 57 kg/capita/yr. An overall average formost of the provinces lies between 15-25 kg/ capita/yr.

Viet Nam

According to nutritional surveillance data inViet Nam, the consumption of animal foods isnoted to be increasing. In 1995, fish and sea food

consumption in three sub-regions, namely RedRiver, Northern Central and Mekong Delta, were15.6, 17.9 and 29.2 kg/capita/yr respectively.


13/62

4

2.1 Capture fisheries production in the Asia-Pacific region

Production from the Asia-Pacific region s capture

fisheries totalled 44.7 million tonnes in 2002. Theregion has been the world s largest producer of fishfor decades, with 48.0 percent of global productionin 2002. In inland waters, the regional share hasincreased to 64.7 percent. Of the top 10 producersof capture fish in the world, five States came fromthe Asia-Pacific area, namely China PR (1 st ),Indonesia (4 th ), Japan (5 th ), India (7 th ) and Thailand(9th ). Total capture fisheries production has steadilyincreased since 1950, mainly from the marinecapture fisheries sector ( Figure 1 ).

China PR remains by far the largest producer in theregion with a reported production of 16.3 milliontonnes in 2002, representing 36 percent of regionalproduction. Chinese production is more than threetimes greater than that of Indonesia, which is thesecond largest producer in the region. Because ofits enormous scale of production and remarkablyhigh growth rate, China 7 is treated as a distinctsub-region in this review.

Total capture fishery production from marine watersfor all the sub-regions, except China, peaked in

1989 at 24.7 million tonnes and gradually declinedto 24.0 million tonnes in 2002. The sub-regiongrouped as other Asia was once the topcontributor in the area, but has experienceda serious and continuous decline in productionsince 1988. In contrast, Southeast Asia hasconstantly increased production and maintainedthe largest share of the APFIC region since 1993.

In inland waters, capture fisheries production 8 hasgenerally increased and its reported growth in thelate 1990s was remarkable. However, this periodalso coincided with a change in the way severalStates estimated their inland fisheries productionand it is likely that earlier production wasunderestimated. Even today, inland productionfigures may not reflect the true situation forexample, Coates 9 estimated that production fromSoutheast Asia was possibly under-reported bya factor of between 2.5 and 3.6.

Total inland production of the region in 2002 wasreported as 3.4 million tonnes. South Asia andSoutheast Asia contributed the greatest productioncompared with other sub-regions ( Figure 2 ).

2. Production trends in fisheries and aquaculture

The Asia-Pacific region is the world s largest producer of fish, from both aquaculture and capture fisherysectors. In 2002, this amounted to 46.9 million tonnes from aquaculture and 44.7 million tonnes from capturefisheries. However, it is common knowledge in the region that production from many small-scale operators,especially in inland areas, is not recorded. As expected, there is considerable variation in general trendsamong the five main sub-regions of Asia and the Pacific. Most of the growth in both aquaculture andcapture fisheries has come from China, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Areas such as Japan, Korea DPRand Korea RO have shown a steady reduction in the supply of capture fish and consistent production inaquaculture. Oceania s production is minor compared with the other sub-regions, but continues to increase,although many of the fisheries in the Pacific small island developing States that operate at a subsistencelevel are not recorded.

7 In this document, China refers to the sub-region thatincludes China PR, Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan POC.

Top 10 producers of capture fish in 2002 wereChina, Peru, USA, Indonesia, Japan, Chile, India,Russian Federation, Thailand, and Norway, of thesefive are in the Asia-Pacific region.

Total capture fishery production, however, masksconsiderable differences in the trends of the mainspecies groups ( Figure 3 ). Demersal marine fishwere at the highest level of production of 5.2 million

tonnes as early as 1974 and then declined tothe lowest level at 3.7 million tonnes in 1983.Production then gradually recovered to 4.4 milliontonnes in 2002.

8 It is common understanding that fisheries informationsystems in the region have been particularly weak in inlandareas. The relatively low level of inland capture productioncould be simply a reflection of poor quality of information.Constant increase of freshwater/diadromous production forsome States could implicate the excessive reliance onestimation rather than actual measurement of production.

9 Coates, D. (2003). An overview of inland capture fisherystatistics of Southeast Asia. In: New approaches for the

improvement of inland capture fishery statistics in the MekongBasin . FAO & MRC, RAP Publication 2003/01. 45 pp.


14/62

5

* Excluding aquatic plants Unit: 1000 tonnes

Inland waters Marine waters

APFIC w/o China

ChinaRest of the world

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

APFIC w/o China

China

Rest of the world

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Figure 2Trends in capture production by sub-region outside China


Inland waters Marine waters

Southeast Asia

South Asia

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Southeast Asia South Asia Other Asia Oceania

Southeast Asia

South Asia

Other Asia

0

10000

20000

30000

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Figure 3Trends in capture production by species group outside China


0

4000

8000

12000

1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Freshwater and diadromous fish Demersal marine fish Pelagic marine fishMisc. marine fish Crustaceans Cephalopods

Molluscs (excl. cephalopods) Misc. aquatic animals

Figure 1Trends in global capture production

Figure 2Trends in capture production by sub-region outside China

Figure 3Trends in capture production by species group outside China


15/62

6

Pelagic marine fish followed the same upward andthen downward trends, peaking at 11.7 milliontonnes in 1988 and subsequently decreasing tothe production levels of the early 1980s by 2002(9.4 million tonnes). Other species groups such asfreshwater/diadromous fish, crustaceans andcephalopods have grown steadily while mollusc

production has levelled off at around 900 thousandtonnes.

A comparison of the top 20 species in the region(Table 2 ) shows that although there are changesin the rankings over time, the region s catch isdominated by small pelagic marine species(e.g. Japanese jack mackerel, Japanese anchovy,chub mackerel, Pacific saury, Indian oil sardine,Indian mackerels and scads).

It is significant that the reduction in catch of single

dominant species such as Alaska pollock 10 in theearly 1970s and chub mackerel 11 in the late 1970sbrought up the relative ranking of large pelagicmarine species (i.e. skipjack tuna and yellowfintuna) in 2000. When the Chinese figures areincluded, the large catches of largehead hairtail(1.3 million tonnes), akiami paste shrimp ( Acetes

spp. ) (578 thousand tonnes) and Japanese Spanishmackerel (519 thousand tonnes) from thissub-region increases their importance in the overallrankings

It should also be noted that there is considerablecapture production not identified to the specieslevel but recorded as marine/freshwater fishes nei(not elsewhere included), marine/freshwatermolluscs nei and marine/freshwater crustaceansnei. The quantity reported under these categorieshas been increasing significantly in recent years,which indicates a worrying trend in availablestatistical quality. In 2002, 16.8 million tonnes ofcapture production was not identified to species,order, or family level.

2.2 Aquaculture production in the Asia-Pacific region

The Asia-Pacific region is by far the world slargest contributor to world aquaculture, producing46.9 million tonnes 12 or 91 percent of globalaquaculture production. In terms of production

by value, the region s share is slightly less, at82 percent of total value of global aquacultureproduction. Even when aquatic plant productionis excluded (the vast majority of which originatesin the Asia-Pacific area), the region still remainsthe dominant aquaculture production area,representing 89 percent of global aquaculture

production by quantity and 80 percent by value.

The growth of aquaculture production in the regionhas been very strong for the last ten years, resultingmainly from increased production from China(annual growth rate of 13.8 percent 13 ). Both inlandculture and mariculture showed steady growth butthe growth rate of the inland culture sector wasmore rapid ( Figure 4 ).

10 Its highest production was 2.7 million tonnes in 1973.11 Its highest production was 1.7 million tonnes in 1978.12 It should be noted that regionally aggregated figures in this

report are based on national data, the quality of which is

known to be very uneven among States. Some nationalfigures are estimates or repetitions of the data previouslyreported to FAO.

Top 10 aquaculture producer States by quantity

(excluding aquatic plants) in 2002 were China PR,India, Indonesia, Japan, Bangladesh, Thailand,Norway, Chile, Viet Nam, and USA. Seven of theseare Asian States, dominating the top 6 ranks.

By value, China PR, Japan, India, Chile, Thailand,Indonesia, Norway, Viet Nam and Bangladesh areamongst the top 10 producer States. (see Table 3)

China PR 14 alone reported to have produced36.6 million tonnes or 79 percent of the worldaquaculture production in 2002 (including aquaticplants) . To understand the enormous scale ofaquaculture production in China, it can becompared with the total fisheries production ofPeru, the world second largest fisheries producerafter China PR, which was 8.8 million tonnes in2002 (including both capture and aquaculture).This was still less than one quarter of China saquaculture production alone. Since China PR issuch a predominant producer, the scale of reportedproduction can mask other regional trends;therefore, China 15 will be treated separately andpresented as a sub-region in its own right.

Even excluding China, the Asia-Pacific region stillremains an important production area foraquaculture, exhibiting steady growth regardless ofthe culture environment. In particular, inland culturedoubled its production from 1854 thousand tonnesin 1990 to 4 478 thousand tonnes in 2002. Such

13 For the period of 1991-2001 without aquatic plantsproduction.

14 The massive scale of China PR s aquaculture productionchallenges statistical collection and there are uncertaintiesregarding the quantities reported.

15 See footnote 7.

percent

reported


16/62

7

* Excluding aquatic plants Unit: 1000 tonnes (quantity), million US$ (value)

Quantity Value

APFIC w/o China

China

Rest of the world

0

20000

40000

60000

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

APFIC w/o China

China

Rest of the world

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Figure 5Trends in aquaculture production of the Asia-Pacific region by environment

Marine waters


Inland waters

0

3000

6000

9000

12000

15000

18000

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

China Regional total w/o China Rest of the world

0

3000

6000

9000

12000

15000

18000

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Figure 4Trends in global aquaculture production

Figure 5Trends in aquaculture production of the Asia-Pacific region by environment


17/62

8

Table 2Top twenty capture production species in the Asia-Pacific region

1960 1980 2000 (production) 2000 with China (production)

1 Jap. jack mackerel Chub mackerel Skipjack tuna 1 333.1 Japanese anchovy 1 853.9

2 Jap. flying squid Alaska pollock Japanese anchovy 582.8 Largehead hairtail 1 420.5

3 Japanese anchovy Skipjack tuna Yellowfin tuna 572.9 Skipjack tuna 1 417.3

4 Chub mackerel Natantian decapods Jap. flying squid 570.4 Scads nei 1 163.5

5 Pacific saury Jap. flying squid Scads nei 523.7 Chub mackerel 872.9

6 Alaska pollock Japanese anchovy Chub mackerel 522.2 Akiami paste shrimp 594.8

7 Indian oil sardine Indian oil sardine Natantian decapods 500.6 Yellowfin tuna 585.6

8 Natantian decapods Croakers, drums nei Sardinellas nei 462.5 Japanese flying squid 576.3

9 Scads nei Yellowfin tuna Croakers, drums nei 461.5 Jap. Spanish mackerel 553.7

10 Indian mackerel Sardinellas nei Indian mackerels 458.1 Jellyfishes 504.4

11 Sharks, rays, skates Stolephorus anchovies Alaska pollock 446.2 Alaska pollock 460.0

12 Yellowfin tuna Indian mackerels Indian oil sardine 358.6 Natantian decapods 449.6

13 Skipjack tuna Sharks, rays, skates Yesso scallop 304.4 Croakers, drums nei 437.5

14 Clupeoids nei Pacific saury Pacific saury 288.7 Sardinellas nei 429.0

15 Croakers, drums nei Scads nei Tuna-like fishes nei 287.3 Indian mackerels nei 387.0

16 Indian mackerels nei Clupeoids nei Cephalopods nei 282.1 Cuttlefish, bobtail squids 386.3

17 Bigeye tuna Tuna-like fishes nei Clupeoids nei 278.3 Indian oil sardine 369.2

18 Stolephorus anchovies Ponyfishes nei Stolep. anchovies 276.1 Gazami crab 365.8

19 Sea catfishes nei Bigeye tuna Sharks, rays, skates 272.3 Silver pomfrets nei 309.4

20 Chumsalmon Carangids nei Jap. jack mackerel 271.5 Tuna-like fishes nei 309.0

Unit: 1 000 tonnes

Table 3Top ten aquaculture producer States in 2002

By quantity By value

Country (1 000 tonnes) Country (million US$)

1 China 27 767 1 China 28 4282 India 2 192 2 Japan 3 3943 Indonesia 914 3 India 2 5394 Japan 828 4 Chile 1 6345 Bangladesh 787 5 Thailand 1 4366 Thailand 645 6 Indonesia 1 4187 Norway 554 7 Norway 1 1558 Chile 546 8 Viet Nam 1 1369 Viet Nam 519 9 Bangladesh 1 126

10 USA 497 10 Brazil 909Other 4 550 Other 10 621TOTAL 39 799 TOTAL 53 798

Excluding aquatic plants


18/62

9

Table 4Top twenty cultured species in Asia-Pacific region by quantity

Inland waters

1990 2002

1 Silver carp 1 416.6 1 Silver carp 4 009.6

2 Grass carp 1 042.0 2 Grass carp 3 494.53 Bighead carp 671.8 3 Common carp 2 955.34 Common carp 658.4 4 Bighead carp 1 715.55 Tilapias 282.8 5 Crucian carp 1 700.66 Rohu 244.7 6 Tilapias 1 126.47 Catla 235.3 7 Rohu 578.48 Crucian carp 215.6 8 White amur bream 564.19 Japanese eel 163.5 9 Catla 469.1

10 White amur bream 161.6 10 Mrigal carp 424.011 Mrigal carp 160.1 11 Chinese river crab 340.012 Clarias catfishes 61.1 12 Black carp 225.3

13 Barb 47.0 13 Japanese eel 222.414 Climbing perch 39.4 14 Giant river prawn 191.415 Black carp 37.9 15 Clarias catfishes 182.116 Milkfish 34.5 16 Mandarin fish 130.017 Cyprinids nei 25.6 17 Soft-shell turtle 119.718 Gourami 24.9 18 Barbs 79.019 Trouts 24.7 19 Milkfish 55.320 Giant river prawn 18.5 20 Gouramis 46.7

Misc. freshwater fishes 776.8 Misc. freshwater fishes 2 815.6

Marine/brackish waters

1990 2002

1 Milkfish 399.6 1 Giant tiger prawn 508.62 Giant tiger prawn 289.7 2 Milkfish 472.53 Fleshy prawn 185.1 3 Fleshy prawn 385.54 Japanese amberjack 161.6 4 Marine crabs nei 178.35 Silver seabream 52.0 5 Japanese amberjack 162.76 Tilapias 39.2 6 Silver seabream 73.47 Banana prawn 32.8 7 Other penaeus shrimps 65.78 Metapenaeus shrimps 28.6 8 Tilapias 50.99 Coho salmon 23.6 9 Banana prawn 42.9

10 Other penaeus shrimps 21.0 10 Bastard halibut 33.211 Kuruma prawn 9.3 11 Metapenaeus shrimps 22.412 Barramundi 7.9 12 Groupers 21.013 Mullets 7.9 13 Barramundi 19.714 Bastard halibut 7.1 14 Scorpionfishes 15.315 Indian white prawn 6.7 15 Indo-Pacific swamp crab 14.516 Japanese jack mackerel 5.9 16 Atlantic salmon 14.417 Indo-Pacific swamp crab 3.8 17 Mullets 17.418 Tilapias 3.8 18 Indian white prawn 9.519 Puffers 2.9 19 Coho salmon 8.020 Groupers 2.8 20 Chinook salmon 7.0

Misc. fishes 38.6 Miscellaneous fishes 578.1Misc. crustaceans 4.5 Misc. crustaceans 230.7

* Colourd cells indicate carnivorous species ** Excluding aquatic plants and molluscs Unit: 1 000 tonnes


19/62

10

advances far exceed the growth of aquaculture inthe rest of the world ( Figure 5 ).

A comparison of the top twenty cultured species 16

in the region between 1990 and 2002 (excludingaquatic plants and molluscs) shows that there hasbeen little change in the higher ranked species in

inland waters, which are dominated by Chinese andIndian carps. It is worth noting that the number ofcarnivorous species has increased during the pastten years. In marine waters, although there arechanges in the order of species, major culturedspecies are generally dominated by high-valuedcarnivorous species such as penaeid shrimp,

jacks, sea breams and salmons. Production ofcrabs has made significant advances in recentyears (i.e. Chinese river crab in inland waters andmarine crabs in marine waters) ( Table 4 ).

2.3 Status and trends by sub-regionsSouth Asia capture fisheries

The South Asian sub-region showed very strongand continuous growth during 1980-2002, nearlydoubling its capture production from 3.1 milliontonnes in 1980 to 6.0 million tonnes in 2002(Figure 6 ). Although overall growth largely resultedfrom production in marine waters, South Asia hasthe largest share of inland capture production(29 percent of total capture fisheries production)among sub-regions in the Asia-Pacific area. Inland

production was relatively stable during late 1970sand 1980s, but grew rapidly from the early 1990s.It reached the highest level of production at1.9 million tonnes in 2001 but showed a sharpdecrease in 2002 for the first time in the past10 years.

It is notable that there are no dominant speciesamong the top production species in this area. Incomparison with top production species of othersub-regions, the combination of South Asianspecies is unique in the sense that freshwater

species (Cyprinids nei: 5 th ), diadromous species(Hilsa shad: 3 rd ) and demersal species (Croakers/ drums: 2 nd and Bombay-duck: 9 th ) are ranked highin the list ( Table 5 ).

Freshwater fish and diadromous fish has beenthe number one production group for the lastfour decades (except in 1992) and achieved very

rapid growth in the 1990s. Among marinespecies, pelagic fishes and demersal fishesshowed almost parallel increasing trends withsimilar levels of production in 2002 (1 254 thousandtonnes and 1 190 thousand tonnes respectively).Crustacean production has been relatively stableand production levels of molluscs including

cephalopods in this area have been very low(Figure 7 ).

16 There is significant volume of aquaculture productionreported by large group of species, e.g. 3 394 thousandtonnes of fin fish production in 2002 were not identified atfamily, order or species level. Consequently, the species itemstotals could have underestimated the real production of theindividual species.

Table 5South Asia capture fisheries production, top tenspecies

Species Tonnes (1 000)

Indian oil sardine 365.8Croakers, drums nei 296.3Hilsa shad 220.8Natantian decapods nei 198.7

Cyprinids nei 183.8Skipjack tuna 181.5Giant tiger shrimp 157.1Clupeoids nei 140.9Bombay-duck 135.9Hairtails, scabbardfishes 134.2Marine fishes nei 1 081.7Freshwater fishes nei 1 199.7

South Asia aquaculture

South Asia s production increased rapidly from1 179 thousand tonnes in 1990 to 2 807 thousandtonnes in 2002. A notable feature of theaquaculture sector in South Asia is that the majorityof production comes from inland waters and hencethe growth of the sector has been mostly due toincreasing freshwater culture ( Figure 8 ).

Top five cultured species in 2002 were all freshwatercarps (Silver carp, Rohu, Catla, Common carp andMrigal) and their aggregated production was2 390 thousand tonnes accounting for 79 percent

of total aquaculture production of the sub-region.

Reported production of freshwater finfishes aloneconstituted 93 percent of total aquacultureproduction in 2002. Although Indian carps (Rohu,Catla and Mrigal carp) have been the mainstays ofthe region s cultured species, there have beennotable increases in the production of introducedChinese carps in recent years. Silver carpproduction has increased almost five-fold in twoyears (1998-2000) becoming the top culturedspecies in 2002 for the first time. Similarly commoncarp production recorded very rapid increasessince 2000. During the same period the production


20/62

11


0

2000

4000

6000

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Total production Inland Marine

0

400

800

1200

1600

2000

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Freshwater/diadromous fish Demersal marine fish

Pelagic marine fish Misc. marine fish

Crustaceans Cephalopods

Molluscs (excl. cephalopods) Misc. aquat ic animals

Figure 8. Figure 9.

Trends in aquaculture production Aquaculture production of of South Asia by major species groups major species in South Asia

Unit: 1000 tonnes

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Silver carp Rohu

Catla Common carp

Mrigal carp Penaeid shrimps

Grass carp Clarias catfishes

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Freshwater f ishes Crustaceans

Diadromous fi shes Marine fi shes

Molluscs Other

Figure 6Trends in capture productionof South Asia by environment

Figure 7Capture production of South Asiaby major species groups

Figure 8

Trends in aquaculture productionof South Asia by major species groups

Figure 9

Aquaculture production ofmajor species in South Asia


21/62

12

of indigenous carps showed sharp declines(Figure 9 ).

Mariculture in South Asia has not been an areaof remarkable growth except for the productionof crustaceans. Marine crustacean production,mostly comprised of Penaeid shrimp, has

increased steadily and reached 177 thousandtonnes in 2002. In general, the level ofdiversification of cultured species is relatively lowin this area and there has been very limited or noreported marine finfish production.

Southeast Asia capture fisheries

Similar to the situation in South Asia, productiongrowth in Southeast Asia has been very strong forthe past four decades with marine captureproduction increasing linearly through this period.The production level of 14 million tonnes in 2002(total capture production) was second only to theChina sub-region.

Inland production increased gradually and reached1.5 million tonnes in 2002. Considering the richfreshwater resources in the area, it is commonlythought that the proportion of inland captureproduction, which constitutes only approximately11 percent of total production 17 , might beparticularly underestimated in this sub-region(Figure 10 ).

(freshwater/diadromous fish, demersal fish,crustaceans and cephalopods) exhibited similarincreasing trends, maintaining nearly the sameshare of production. The proportion of unidentifiedmarine fish (marine fish nei) is notably high(29 percent of total production) in this sub-regionbecause many States do not segregate marine fish

production.

Table 6 shows the top ten production species inSoutheast Asia. Eight of the top ten productionspecies are marine pelagic fishes and the top threeranks are dominated by the small pelagic fish group(scads, Indian mackerels, and sardinellas). Thelarge pelagic fish group (skipjack tuna, tuna-likefishes, yellowfin tuna and carangids) also hasrelatively high production.

Southeast Asia aquaculture

Aquaculture production in Southeast Asia is verydiversified, comprising 39 percent of freshwaterfish, 29 percent of aquatic plants, 13 percent ofcrustaceans, 13 percent of marine/diadromousfishes and 7 percent of molluscs (by quantity). Interms of production by value, highly pricedcrustaceans constituted an increased share of49 percent of the total production, followed byfreshwater fish at 35 percent ( Figure 12 ).

The growth trend is particularly strong forfreshwater finfish culture, which has increased from564 thousand tonnes in 1990 to 1 556 thousandtonnes in 2002 with an average annual incrementof 83 thousand tonnes. In the mariculturesub-sector, aquatic plants showed surprisingproduction growth. Crustaceans have beena major cultured species throughout thesub-region, although this has declined since 2000(Figure 13 ).

Table 6Southeast Asia capture fisheries production,top ten species


Scads nei 550.7Indian mackerels nei 460.0Sardinellas nei 437.4Skipjack tuna 348.4Natantian decapods nei 323.3Stolephorus anchovies 295.6

Tuna-like fishes nei 254.3Yellowfin tuna 242.7Carangids nei 239.3Threadfin breams nei 214.4Marine fishes nei 4 079.7Freshwater fishes nei 1 032.0

In terms of production by main species groups,catches of the pelagic marine fish group andmarine fish nei group have grown strongly and area major driving force of the overall productiongrowth ( Figure 11 ). Other species groups

17 see footnote 8.

Top ten cultured species in Southeast Asia(by quantity, excluding aquatic plants) were milkfish,

giant tiger shrimp, tilapias, common carp, clariascatfishes, blood cockle, green mussel, rohu, barbsand gouramis.

Zanzibar weed (Eucheuma cottonii ) is the mostwidely cultured aquatic plant in the region witha production of 778 thousand tonnes in 2002.

Apart from aquatic plants, Giant tiger shrimp(Penaeus monodon ) maintained the position of topproduced species until 2001, although very recentlythe massive increase in production of P. vannameiis challenging this position. P. monodon productiondecreased sharply in 2002, back to the productionlevel of 1992.


22/62

13


0

5,000

10,000

15,000

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000


0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Freshwater/diadromous fish Demersal marine fishPelagic marine fish Misc. marine fishCrustaceans CephalopodsMolluscs (excl. cephalopods) Misc. aquat ic animals

Figure 12Aquaculture production of Southeast Asia: proportion of major species groups

Production by quantity Production by Value

Freshwater fishes34.9%

Diadromousfishes8.1%

Crustaceans51.4%

Aquatic plants28.6%

Freshwater fishes38.5%

Diadromousfishes11.7%

Crustaceans13.2%

Molluscs7.2%

Freshwater fishes

Diadromous fishes

Marine fishes

Crustaceans

Molluscs

Aquatic plants

Miscellaneousaquatic animals

Figure 13Trends in aquaculture production of Southeast Asia by major species groups

Unit: 1000 tonnes

0

400

800

1,200

1,600

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Freshwater fishes

Diadromous fishes

Marine fishes

Crustaceans

Molluscs

Aquatic plants

Others

Figure 10Trends in capture productionof Southeast Asia by environment

Figure 11Capture production of Southeast Asiaby major species groups

Figure 12 Aquaculture production of Southeast Asia: proportion of major species groups

Figure 13Trends in aquaculture production of Southeast Asia by major species groups


23/62

14

China capture fisheries

Chinese capture fisheries production can bedivided into three periods that show distinct trends(Figure 14 ). The first period, 1950 to 1985, ischaracterized by relatively low rates of growth,during which all species groups exhibited a verysimilar pattern, albeit with some annualfluctuations. In the second period, 1986 to 1998,China reported very rapid and substantial growthin production in almost all segments of capturefisheries. Between 1992 and 1997, annualincrements of total production constantly exceededone million tonnes (the highest annual incrementwas 1.7 million tonnes in 1994/1995). The thirdperiod started with the introduction of the zerogrowth policy in 1998; total production started todecline for the first time in twenty years. Thedegree of decline was higher in marine production

than in inland production. Although most species groups showed similarrapid growth trends during the second period,trends in the third period varied widely. Productionof the marine fish nei group declined sharply, whilstthe crustacean group continued to grow. Duringthis period, molluscs maintained the sameproduction level ( Figure 15 ).

There are several notable differences in theChinese production figures compared with othersub-regions. These include:

q Remarkably high proportion of crustaceans in

Chinese production (18.8 percent in 2002)compared to those of other sub-regions.Proportions of crustaceans in Southeast Asia,South Asia and other Asia were 6.1 percent,8.3 percent and 3.9 percent respectively.

q The large quantity of production reportedwithin unidentified large groupings which farexceeded that of the other sub-regions. Totalquantity reported under these groups was8.4 million tonnes in 2002 representing47.5 percent of the Chinese total captureproduction. Production of marine fish neigroup in 2002 alone was almost equal to thetotal capture production of India ( Table 8 ).

q The much smaller amounts of small pelagicfish in the catch.

China aquaculture

China has continued to show strong growth in allculture environments. Growth in inland culturecame mainly from increased production of finfishculture, which according to official information isbeing achieved through the intensification ofexisting systems rather than any significantincrease in production area. Growth in productionfrom marine waters has been driven by two majorgroups, namely molluscs and aquatic plants(Figure 16 ).

In China generally, the production of most culturedspecies showed an increasing trend. However,there are a number of species worth highlighting,as follows:

Japanese kelp (Laminaria japonica): this specieshas been the top cultured species in China and itsproduction growth is remarkable; increasing from

Table 7China capture fisheries production, top ten

species


Largehead hairtail 1 296.2Japanese anchovy 1 174.5Scads nei 608.3

Akiami paste shrimp 578.6Japanese Spanish mackerel 518.8Chub mackerel 450.3Silver pomfrets nei 386.3Gazami crab 347.1Golden threadfin bream 309.4

Cuttlefish, bobtail squids nei 299.7

Table 7 shows the top ten production species inChina in 2002. Largehead hairtail and Japaneseanchovy catches were extremely high with bothspecies exceeding one million tonnes. A distantsecond group includes a variety of species groupsuch as small pelagic fish (scads and chubmackerel), large pelagic fish (Japanese Spanishmackerel), bentho-pelagic fish (silver pomfrets),demersal fish (golden threadfin bream),

crustaceans (akiami paste shrimp and gazami crab)and cephalopods.

Table 8Unidentified capture production in China

Species group Tonnes (1 000)

Marine fishes nei 3 595.5Marine molluscs nei 1 376.7Marine crustaceans nei 1 215.0

Freshwater fishes nei 924.2Freshwater crustaceans nei 772.7Freshwater molluscs nei 551.0Total of nei groups 8 435.1Total capture production 17 767.2


24/62

15


0

5000

10000

15000

20000

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000


0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Freshwater/diadromous fish Demersal marine fishPelagic marine fish Misc. marine fishCrustaceans CephalopodsMolluscs (excl. cephalopods) Misc. aquatic animals

Figure 16Trends in aquaculture production of China by environment

Unit: 1000 tonnes

Marine watersInland waters

Aquatic plants

Molluscs

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Aquatic plants Molluscs Crustaceans Marine fishes Diadromous fishes Freshwater fishes

Freshwater

fishes

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Figure 17 Figure 18Trends in top 8 cultured species Trends in major cultured carnivorousin China (aquatic plants and molluscs) species production in China

Unit: 1000 tonnes

0

1500

3000

4500

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Japanese kelp Pacific cupped oyster Japanese carpet shell Yesso scallopLaver (Nori) Constricted tagelusAquatic plants nei Marine molluscs nei

0

200

400

600

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Fleshy prawn Chinese river crabJapanese eel Giant river prawnMandarin fish Marine fishes neiMarine crabs nei

Figure 14Trends in capture production of Chinaby environment

Figure 15Capture production of Chinaby major species groups

Figure 16Trends in aquaculture production of China by environment

Figure 17Trends in top eight cultured speciesin China (aquatic plants and molluscs)

Figure 18Trends in major cultured carnivorousspecies production in China


25/62

16

1 222 thousand tonnes in 1990 to 4 208 thousandtonnes in 2002.

Miscellaneous aquatic plants: this massivevolume of aquatic plants is not reported at thespecies level. However, production jumped from196 thousand tonnes in 1990 to 3 931 thousand

tonnes in 2002. The highest annual incrementwas 1 485 thousand tonnes between 1997 and1998. As this group and Japanese kelp are notparticularly easy to culture intensively, theseincreases suggest the expansion of additionalareas of seaboard for their culture. A descriptionof the areas under seaweed culture and productionintensity in China would be very useful.

Pacific cupped oyster: this is another culturedspecies that has made outstanding growth;increasing from 532 thousand tonnes in 1990 up

to 3 646 thousand tonnes in 2002. Molluscproduction is also difficult to intensify andincreased production suggests developments ofnew production areas as in the case of aquaticplants ( Figure 17 ).

Carnivorous species: Production of high valuecarnivorous species such as mandarin fish,Chinese river crab and marine finfish had beenrelatively low up to the early 1990s. However, rapidgrowth has started to occur since 1995. Many ofthe carnivorous species show very similar patterns

of growth in production ( Figure 18 ).

Other Asia capture fisheries

Since reported inland production in this region islow, the trend in total capture fisheries productionis almost identical to the trend in marineproduction. Total production increased towards itspeak production of 13.6 million tonnes in 1988, andthereafter decreased steadily ( Figure 19 ). In itsbest years, the sub-region s share of global captureproduction was estimated as high as 40 percent.

Production by main species groups ( Figure 20 )provides a more detailed picture of the situation ofthe fisheries sector. During the late 1960s to early1970s, demersal fish became the most importantproduction group with a very rapid growth rate,achieving a three-fold increase in fifteen years.However, after the peak production of five milliontonnes in 1974, it started to decline, gradually atfirst, but with a sharp decline after 1976. Thecurrent level of demersal fish production is as lowas in the early 1950s. This reduction wascompensated for by increased production of

marine pelagic fish, the strong growth of whichcontributed to an overall increase of captureproduction until 1988, but then a similar decline tothat of demersal fish production occurred. Currentproduction levels have dropped to those of theearly 1960s.

In terms of major production species, pelagicspecies predominate in this area. It is also notablethat there is high production of cephalopods(Japanese flying squid) and molluscs (Yessoscallop) ( Table 9 ).

Other Asia aquaculture

In other Asia, particularly in East Asian States,aquatic plants continue to be predominant,accounting for 54 percent of total production. Thisis followed by molluscs (28 percent) and marinefinfish (11 percent). However, the high economicvalue of marine finfish makes this species group thelargest contributor in terms of value, constituting42 percent of total production value ( Figure 21 ).

Production trends by major species groups showthat aquaculture production in this region has beenvery stable; most of the major species groups havebeen maintained at the current level of productionfor the last ten years. The only exception to thisis aquatic plant production, which peaked in 1993then decreased by almost half in 2000 ( Figure 22 ).

It is notable that the percentage of carnivorous fishin the total for fish production is very high in thissub-region (82 percent in 2002) compared withSouth Asia, Southeast Asia and China, which allhave levels below 10 percent.

Table 9Other Asia capture fisheries production, top tenspecies


Japanese anchovy 679.5Japanese flying squid 500.2Skipjack tuna 479.2Chub mackerel 420.8Yesso scallop 306.7

Alaska Pollock 298.0Pacific saury 232.5Japanese jack mackerel 222.1Chum salmon 211.7Yellowfin tuna 164.5Marine fishes nei 649.3Marine crustaceans nei 67.4


26/62


27/62

18

Oceania capture fisheries

Similar to the other Asia sub-region, Oceania scapture production consists mainly of fish takenfrom marine waters. Although there have beenannual fluctuations, it has continued to increase(Figure 23 ). Capture fisheries are often conductedon subsistence scale in many small island Statesand hence production may not be well representedin the official statistics. An effect of this is thatgeneral trends in production are basicallydetermined by a few larger States such as Australiaand New Zealand with well established commercialfisheries sectors, with the exception of offshorepelagic fisheries. Commercial offshore productionhas increased in many small island States andcontributed to the increase in total production.Rapid growth of demersal fish production hasmainly come from the States in temperate waters

(i.e. New Zealand and Australia) ( Figure 24 ).The top ten species produced from capturefisheries in Oceania ( Table 10 ) are distinct fromthose of the rest of the region as the majorityof them are from the temperate waters ofNew Zealand and Australia.

island States in tropical waters. Aquacultureproduction from the small island States is relativelylimited. The aggregated production of all islandStates was 29 462 tonnes in 2002 (less thanone percent of aquaculture production in the

Asia-Pacific region).

The major cultured species in terms of quantity areseaweed, clams, penaeid shrimp, tilapia andmilkfish. Two commodities and three Statesdominate the value of commercial aquacultureproduction in region. They are cultured black pearlfrom French Polynesia and the Cook Islands andshrimp from New Caledonia. In 2002 the totalexport value was US$ 153 million.

Live reef fish, aquarium fish and pearls, which arerelatively low in quantity but high in valuecommodities, bring significant income to some

Pacific Islands. The Pacific is an important sourceof trade in the marine aquarium industry. Althoughthe target species are mostly caught from the wild,there is an increasing desire for culture-basedsources. Giant clam culture for the ornamentaltrade is widespread throughout the region andthe total export is probably in the range of30 000-50 000 pieces/annum. The Pacific is alsoa major supplier of live rock (rock encrusted withcoralline algae) with approximately 50 000 piecesof live rock currently being cultured in the FijiIslands.

Eucheuma cottonii (Zanzibar weed) culture is wellestablished in the Kiribati atolls and is beingrejuvenated in the Solomon Islands and Fiji withforecasted production in the order of 1 500 tonnesfor 2004.

Interest in inland freshwater aquaculture is growing,particularly amongst the larger Melanesian Statessuch as Fiji and Papua New Guinea. At presentthe most commonly farmed species are tilapia,common carp and Macrobrachium prawns.

The larger States in the region (New Zealand and Australia) have shown a steady growth inaquaculture production, which is largely attributableto increased production of finfish species. Majorcultured species of these States were marinemolluscs, salmonids and tunas.

Table 10Oceania capture fisheries production, top tenspecies


Blue grenadier 201.7Skipjack tuna 166.4Wellington flying squid 50.0Yellowfin tuna 47.8Southern blue whiting 42.1

Albacore 33.1Jack and horse mackerels 32.3Snoek 23.3Orange roughy 22.6Pink cusk-eel 21.9Marine fishes nei 62.6

Oceania aquaculture

Aquaculture in the Oceania sub-region occurs intwo distinctly different environs; larger developedStates in temperate waters and small developing


28/62

19


0

600

1200

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000


Figure 24Capture production of Oceania by major species groups


0

200

400

600

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Freshwater/diadromous fish Demersal marine fish Pelagic marine fish

Misc. marine fish Crustaceans Cephalopods

Molluscs (excl. cephalopods) Misc. aquat ic animals

Figure 23Trends in capture production of Oceania by environment

Figure 24Capture production of Oceania by major species groups


29/62

20

Marine waters

3.1 Measuring the s tatus of f ishery

resourcesTraditionally, the status of capture fisheries hasbeen described by (i) providing a summary of thetime series trends in production for a fishery orregion and (ii) presenting an assessment basedon the number of fisheries or stocks categorizedas being under-exploited, fully exploited orover-exploited (e.g. SOFIA 18 ). However, in manyseas of the APFIC region, such descriptions are notsufficient and may in fact be misleading. Reportingtotal production often masks what is actuallyhappening in the fishery, and both of the aboveindicators also rely on the existence of accurateand timely fishery statistics from all the sub-sectorsof the fishery, including small-scale fisheries.Calculating the percentages in terms of exploitationalso relies on having reliable stock assessments,at least for the more abundant fish stocks ina fishery. In the APFIC region characterized bymulti-species/multi-gear fisheries, it is very rare tofind a fishery satisfying the above two conditions.

Pauly and his co-workers at the University of BritishColumbia (UBC), Canada have been advocatinga more ecosystem-based approach to theassessment of fisheries the so-called fishingdown the food chain 19 approach. The basicconcept of this is presented in Figure 25 .

This approach is based on a hypothetical fisheryin which industrial-scale fishing (mainly bottomtrawling, purse seining and long-lining) expanded

in the 1950s and 1960s. The catches in the earlierstages of this development were dominated bylarge longer-lived predators. As these becamefished down, fishers expanded their efforts movingfurther away from their home base and starting totake smaller, less predatory fish. During this period,total production from the fishery can be expectedto be maintained, masking the serial depletion thatis occurring. Most alarming is that throughout thisperiod, the total amount of fish in the ocean iscontinually declining and the catch rates of themajor groups are also declining as they, in turn,become overexploited.

3.2 Evidence from trawl surveys

Biomass analyses

The WorldFish Centre (WFC) has recently prepareda number of papers on the status of fisheries fromeight APFIC States (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia,Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand andViet Nam). These analyses are based on trawlsurvey data, spanning the period 1920 to thepresent (Trawlbase) 20 and the coverage of surveysis shown in Figure 26 .

Overall, analyses of the trawl surveys showedsubstantive degradation and overfishing of coastalstocks. For trawl surveys where there were morethan 25 years between surveys, the amount of fish(measured as tonnes/km 2 ) had declined to between6 and 33 percent of the original value. In all cases,the amount of fish had declined, some as much as40 percent in 5 years. The most dramatic declineswere in the Gulf of Thailand and the East coastof Malaysia. Two examples, one for the Gulf

3. Status of resources

The management of fishery resources in the Asia-Pacific region needs to be improved as overfishing isincreasing and the abundance of the more valuable species has declined. In this review, we first look ata number of the major seas of the region to determine the degree to which ecosystems have been impactedby fishing, and the situation in terms of serial depletion of key major groups in the ecosystem. Evidenceis derived from two sources trawl surveys carried out throughout the region and catches by major groupsof the region s Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs).

In inland waters, most fisheries are small-scale activities where the catch per capita is relatively small andused mainly for subsistence purposes. The lack of accurate reporting of these small-scale fisheries makesit difficult to describe their status but it is generally felt that they are under considerable pressure fromloss and degradation of habitat and overfishing.

18 FAO (2000) The state of world fisheries and aquaculture.Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,Rome, 142 pp.

19 Pauly, D., Christensen, V., Dalsgaard, J., Froese, R. andTorres, F. Jr. (1998) Fishing down marine food chains. Science279, 860-863.

20 Silvestre, G.T., Garces, L.R., Stobutzki, I., Ahmed, M.,Sontos, R.A.V., Luna, C.Z., Lachica-Alino, L., Christensen, V.,

Pauly, D. and Munro (eds.) (2003) Assessment, managementand future directions for coastal fisheries in Asian States.WorldFish Centre Conference Proceedings 67, 1 120 pp.


30/62

21

Figure 26. Trawl surveys in the Asian regionFrom Silvestre, G.T., Garces, L.R., Stobutzki, I, Ahmed, M, Santos, R.A.V., Luna, C.Z and Zhou,W (2003). South and South-East Asian coastal fisheries: Their status and directions forimproved management. Conference Synopsis and recommendations, p1-40 In Silvestre, G.T.,Garces, L.R., Stobutzki, I, Ahmed, M, Santos, R.A.V., Luna, C.Z., Lachica-Alino, L., Christensen,V., Pauly, D. and Munro (eds) Assessment, Management and Future Directions for CoastalFisheries in Asian Countries. WorldFish Centre Conference Proceedings 67,1 120pp.

C a t c h ( m t )

T tal catch

Lar e demersalsLar e Pela ic

Small demersalmall Pela ic

Time (years)

Figure 25Fishing down the food chain

A hypothetical model of the impact of fishing on a marine ecosystem

Figure 26Trawl surveys in the Asian regionFrom Silvestre, G.T., Garces, L.R., Stobutzki, I., Ahmed, M., Santos, R.A.V., Luna, C.Z.and Zhou, W. (2003). South and Southeast Asian coastal fisheries: Their status anddirections for improved management. Conference Synopsis and recommendations,p. 1-40 in Silvestre, G.T., Garces, L.R., Stobutzki, I., Ahmed, M., Santos, R.A.V., Luna,C.Z., Lachica-Alino, L., Christensen, V., Pauly, D. and Munro (eds.) Assessment,Management and Future Directions for Coastal Fisheries in Asian Countries. WorldFishCentre Conference Proceedings 67, 1 120 pp.

Catch (mt)


31/62


32/62

23

1966 1995

Rays

Threadfin bream

GoatfishBream spp .

Indian squid

Tachsuridae

Rays Threadfin bream GoatfishBream spp . Indian squid TachsuridaeBigeye Lizard fish Snapper Scad

Splendid Ponyfish

Indian squid

BarracudaPugnose ponyfish

Bream

Lizard fish

Splendid Pony fish Indian squidBarracuda Pugnose pony fishBream Lizard fishGoatfish Rabbit fishChinese squid Orange fin pony fish

Table 11Comparison of catch, revenues, costs and profits at different levels of fishing effort (MSY = maximumsustainable yield; MEY = maximum economic yield). From same source as Figure 26

State of Effort Catch Revenue Costs Profitfishery (std. hr x 10 6 ) (Tonnes x 10 3 ) (Baht x 10 6 ) (Baht x 10 6 ) (Baht x 10 6 )

MSY 28.57 985 6 578 1 992 4 586MEY 21.75 952 6 359 1 517 4 842Open access 62.70 654 4 372 4 372 0

Actual (1995) 56.88 728 4 862 3 966 896

194 7 195 2 1957 1962 1967 1972 1977 1982 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985

YEARYEAR

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

BIOMASS DECLINE IN MANILA BAY BIOMASS DECLINE IN THE GULF OF THAILAND

B I O M A S S ( x

1 0 t )

6

B I O M A S S ( x

1 0 t )

6

Figure 27Declines in the abundance of fish in (i) Manila Bay and (ii) Gulf of Thailand as measured by trawlsurveys. From same source as Figure 26

Figure 28Changes in the composition of the top ten species taken from trawl survey catches in the Gulfof Thailand between 1966 and 1995. Data from same source as Figure 26


33/62

24

monitoring and could also be used as a basis forecosystem-based management of shared naturalresources in the future. To date, 63 LMEs havebeen described world wide with 20 of these beingin the APFIC region ( Figure 29 ).

Much of the information referred to here has

been taken from the NOAA website, whichacknowledges sources of information and has anextensive reference list 22, as well as an analysis ofthe FAO catch database as modified by theUniversity of British Columbia 23.

The Asia-Pacific region is characterized byconsiderable diversity in LMEs in terms of theirfisheries and driving forces ( Table 12 ). The mostproductive (total recorded catch since 1950) are theEast China Sea, the Kuroshio Current and theSouth China Sea. Following closely behind, are the

Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan, the NW Pacific highseas area, and the Bay of Bengal.

The Indonesian Sea, the Gulf of Thailand andthe Sulu-Celebes Seas are clustered in anothergroup, followed by the much smaller ca

Status and Potential of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Asia and the Pacific

Documents

Transcript of Status and Potential of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Asia and the Pacific