Introduction

These Technical Proceedings represent the most comprehensive and authoritative review assembled to date of the status of aquaculture development in the world. This volume, the third major publication arising from the Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium, contains the information essential to conduct well-informed discussion of sustainable aquaculture development - both at the Conference, as well as after. The conclusions and recommendations were derived from the following discussion fora:

  • Two keynote papers, one reviewing the progress of aquaculture since 1976, when the first technical conference on aquaculture was held in Kyoto, and one looking ahead to where sustainable aquaculture should be in 20 years time, including possible ways to get there;
  • One global review of the status, progress and future role of aquaculture;
  • Nine regional aquaculture development trends and reviews, including one dedicated to China, which provided the basis for the global review;
  • Five plenary lectures providing the information settings for the thematic and technical reviews; and
  • Fourteen thematic (policy-related and production-based) reviews.

These all provide basic reference points on the progress, direction and magnitude of aquaculture changes, and the factors associated with these changes, within global, regional, sectoral, thematic and technical perspectives. As a collective, these offer a holistic view, thorough analyses and multi-dimensional perspectives on the progress of aquaculture, upon which stakeholders can base decisions for future development requirements.

The reviews were prepared in various fora by individuals or groups of expert authorities. The intensive preparatory work included: organization of expert consultations, national studies and workshops; regional workshops; and an international expert meeting that refined the draft regional reviews and initiated the development of the global synthesis on trends in aquaculture development. Specifically, these included:

 
  • the regional workshop to formulate the Asian aquaculture development strategy for 2000-2020 conducted by the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) in September 1999;
  • the review of South Pacific aquaculture by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), with the assistance of the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM);
  • the reviews on the state of, and trends in, aquaculture development in six other regions, facilitated and conducted by FAO with the participation of various regional organizations;
  • the review of Chinese aquaculture developed by the Bureau of Fisheries of China (BFC) with inputs from various centres under the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (CAFS), as well as the NACA Secretariat;
  • fourteen specialized expert-led thematic reviews;
  • a workshop on regional reviews and global synthesis of trends in aquaculture development, held at the FAO Regional Office in Asia-Pacific in October 1999;
  • the preparation of the two keynote papers, the first by Dr T.V.R. Pillay, who was the architect of the Kyoto Aquaculture Conference of 1976, the second by Mr Jiansan Jia, Chief of the Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service of the FAO Fisheries Department; and
  • the development of the five plenary lectures.

Additionally, technical and experience papers were submitted voluntarily, many of which were presented as posters.

For the purposes of the Conference, the presentation of the reviews was arranged in a sequence and manner that enabled the Conference participants to develop a broad understanding of the status of aquaculture and a systematic recognition of the key issues associated with its status. The program enabled a deliberate, iterative and participatory process that allowed every participant ample opportunity to contribute constructively to the deliberations, formulation of conclusions and recom-mendations, and the framing of the Bangkok

 

 
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Declaration and Strategy for Aquaculture Development Beyond 20001.

The two keynote papers complemented each other. The first reviewed the progress made in development of aquaculture, and how this has been achieved over the 24 years since 1976, when the first conference on aquaculture was held in Kyoto; the second keynote reviewed the prospects for aquaculture development over the next 20 years, the potential for sustainable aquaculture development, and the mechanisms by which this potential can be achieved. Following the keynote papers, during the first day of the Conference, eight regional reviews of aquaculture development status, trends and issues were presented, along with those within China and a global overview which was largely, but not wholly, the synthesis of the regional reviews. The plenary lectures were delivered prior to the thematic sessions, their purpose being to provide the context and setting for issues to be described and analysed by the reviewers undertaking the thematic reviews. The platforms for discussion were divided into eight thematic sessions covering policy-related issues, such as legal frameworks, stakeholder involvement etc., and six sessions addressing technical issues, such as health, nutrition and genetics. The results of these discussions, specifically the conclusions and recommendations, were presented in plenary workshops and subjected to further deliberations. These conclusions and recommendations were further synthesized by a multi-national, multi-sectoral and multi–disciplinary Technical Drafting Committee into a draft Bangkok Declaration and Strategy. The Draft was discussed and adopted at the final plenary session. After being subjected to a post-conference public review over a period of one month, it was refined and published.

 

In addition to the Bangkok Declaration and Strategy, the recommendations of the thematic sessions were brought together in the Reportof the Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium2. The recommendations were developed by the members of the session panels and other specialists present at the conference, presented in plenary workshops, redrafted, and refined through post-conference consultation by correspondence among the panel members and interested participants. These provide a comprehensive set of recommendations on key issues to address for the future development of sustainable aquaculture.

The three publications produced from this Conference are complementary. Together, they provide a useful reference for anyone with an interest or stake in aquaculture development. Moreover, they underline the need for direction towards higher production within the bounds of sustaining the aquatic resource base upon which aquaculture depends (habitat, water quality, stock resources). The Conference also emphasized the benefits from equitable distribution of the income and products generated by aquaculture. These have to support not only those who work directly for the sector, but also the rural communities and socio-economic dependants upon which aquaculture is developing. Sustainability is not only founded upon, but also best supported by, well-nourished and educated workforce communities.

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1http://www.fao.org/fi/statist/fisoft/fishplus.asp

1 NACA/FAO. 2000. Aquaculture Development Beyond 2000: the Bangkok Declaration and Strategy. Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium, 20-25 February 2000, Bangkok, Thailand. NACA, Bangkok and FAO, Rome. 27pp. http://www.fao.org/fi/default.asp, www.eNACA.org
2 NACA/FAO. 2000. Report of the Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium. Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium, 20-25 February 2000, Bangkok, Thailand. NACA, Bangkok and FAO, Rome. 120pp.

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