Search

Aquaculture provides more than half of the fish used for human consumption, contributing to food security and nutrition, economic growth and improved livelihoods. Aquaculture production in countries bordering the Mediterranean and Black Sea has grown steadily, though not homogenously, mainly based on marine species. To boost development, there is a need to support governance to establish activities within a coordinated spatial planning process. Knowledge of aquaculture spatial planning processes are assessed through consultations with stakeholders from 21 countries using a structured questionnaire, internal review and a workshop to determine major barriers to the implementation in the region. Results suggest different levels of knowledge of regulatory systems in the countries surveyed. Aquaculture zoning is widespread. Site selection is a long and inefficient process, a barrier to investment, exacerbated by an apparent lack of a clear distribution of power and responsibilities. Area management is the least implemented part of the spatial planning process, with few examples of an integrated approach. Poor social acceptance of aquaculture, low technical knowledge and understanding of spatial planning concepts, and a lack of meaningful communication are among the problems highlighted by stakeholders. Although recent advances are evident, the integration of aquaculture with other users of marine space remains a work in progress that requires a specific regulatory framework, capacity building, transparency, good communication and participatory processes. Application of spatial planning following an ecosystem approach to aquaculture can contribute to improvements that have the potential to counter the negative externalities of unplanned or uncoordinated development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaculture has become one of the fastest-growing economic subsectors of the Bangladesh economy, providing protein-rich food, source of employment and foreign currency earnings. Presently, the sector provides income and livelihood for more than 11 percent people of the country's 160 million people. Total farmed shrimp production in Bangladesh increased from 14 773 tonnes in 1986 to 132 730 tonnes in 2016, an almost 9.0-fold increase over the last 30 years. The land area under shrimp farming has increased from 70 331 ha in 1986 to 275 509 ha by 2016. The contribution of the farmed shrimp to total shrimp production and export has been increasing over the last 15 years at a rate of about 20 percent per year. The country earned foreign currency equating to USD450 million in 2015-16, through the export of 40 726 tonnes of frozen shrimp. In parallel with the significant contribution of the shrimp sector to the local and national economy, it has caused some negative impacts on local ecosystems. Ecological impacts include some deterioration of soil and water quality, depletion of mangrove forest, decrease in population of native fish and shellfish species, intrusion of saline water, water pollution and changes to local hydrology. There have also been some socioeconomic consequences, most acutely on the livelihood patterns of people living in coastal areas and on rural to urban migration, particularly among the poor and unskilled. Other impacts include deterioration of drinking water quality, loss of land for grazing of livestock and changes in agricultural cropping patterns, which has particularly affected the landless agricultural laborers. Social and environmental sustainability may have been overlooked during the expansion of shrimp farming. Losses due to disease, which are still a periodic problem for the sector, are a major indicator of the current unsustainable system of shrimp farming. At this stage, a paradigm shift is needed away from current shrimp farming practices to a more holistic and integrated approach that accounts for environmental integrity and social cohesion. Some modification and improvements have been made in recent years, and these should be extended. At the same time, incentives are needed for appropriate investment, to improve the physical infrastructure of ghers (shrimp ponds), and for adoption of new management methods. In this there is an important role for government in formulating appropriate policy and monitoring. Without a guiding policy on the development of the shrimp sector, private businessmen are likely to move ahead in an unplanned or unregulated way. To support this process, research is needed to better understand the effects of hydrology on biotic processes and of the biota on hydrology under the altered land-use scenario caused by shrimp farming. Alternative and innovative culture systems must be identified to form pathways to make shrimp aquaculture production more sustainable, including improvement in the hatchery sector, to reduce the environmental impact of wild-caught post-larvae and broodstock. Benefits for poor and marginal shrimp farmers and local stakeholders must be ensured, through improved understanding and identifying right ways to address the practical constraints under which poorer and less organized shrimp producers operate. Access to interest free or credit with minimal interest, through institutional reform, could help transform the shrimp farming sector, particularly for the poor and marginal shrimp famers, and post-larvae harvesters and traders. This will also prevent mal-adaptation, and increase diversification of livelihood strategies, as well as reduce the cost of farming. Institutional reform can also improve the enforcement of existing laws, particularly on the area of post-larvae harvesting, improve feed supply and hatchery provision, and improve fisheries diversity and conservation. Enforcement of regulations, and provision of insurance, would increase the safety of shrimp farmers. Finally, building shrimp farmer's human capital will underpin the creation of alternative livelihood activities. To evaluate the overall resource use and environmental impact caused by shrimp farming and to identify the hotspots and improvement options, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted. Among different farming stages (i.e., fertilization, stocking, feeding and harvesting), feeding and fertilization were identified as the major contributors for the environmental impacts associated with the shrimp farming. This technical paper also assesses the major spatial risks of shrimp farming in southwest Bangladesh in relation to landscape deterioration, waterlogging and salinization of land and water, nutrients and material flow and impact on natural biodiversity. The ongoing measures to improve and streamline environmental performance of shrimp farming in Bangladesh are analyzed and a number of measures proposed, based on this activity and comprehensive stakeholder engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document provides a clear and comprehensive account for the application of marine spatial planning (MSP) within the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) region, focused predominantly on its application for fisheries and aquaculture. MSP provides a step-by-step approach to balance the uses and users of the marine environment with a view to providing a coordinated system that results in the development of a marine spatial plan, which defines the strategic, forward-looking planning for the regulation, zoning, management, protection and sustainability of the marine environment. It applies the ecosystem approach and the allocation of space, addressing the multiple, cumulative and potentially conflicting uses of the sea. In order for fisheries and aquaculture prospects to be improved in the Gulf, a number of regional technical workshops were held under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with RECOFI countries. As an outcome of these workshops, it was clear that spatial planning would be an ideal approach to aid development, but that for the long-term success and sustainability of all Gulf activities and the application of the ecosystem approach, a specific RECOFI MSP framework should be developed. The adoption of MSP is directed more specifically towards the Gulf waters, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea of the RECOFI countries. Identification of the range of users and activities pursued here necessitates an urgent need for cooperation among these groups in order to best coordinate their respective long-term futures. Implementation of MSP is not a trivial undertaking. MSP can best function if an ordered set of procedures (or steps) are followed, and this paper carefully documents these procedures, giving illustrations and best practices where necessary, from other contexts where MSP has been successful. The MSP framework used here is based upon work carried out by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Although the steps recommend specific procedures, the MSP framework is highly flexible and can be adapted to suit specific requirements, the scale of the marine area being evaluated and the objectives to be achieved. The need for contributors at the regional, national and local levels to work cooperatively during MSP development and for such development to be undertaken with stakeholder engagement and participation is emphasized throughout. The document concludes by providing a case study on Saudi Arabia, identifying the potential steps and considerations in adopting a marine spatial planning approach. To allow further reading, valuable information sources on marine spatial planning from around the world are included as an annex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers brief information on the marine activities in Saudi Arabia that are involved in marine spatial planning (MSP) initiatives including energy exploitation, mariculture, and marine conservation.

The article focuses on the marine spatial planning (MSP) in Saudi Arabia and its implementation to improve the fisheries and aquaculture activity in the Gulf region.

The article presents a case study of marine spatial planning (MSP) in Saudi Arabia, its possible adoption in the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) region with the full cooperation of its partners, and its contribution to the Gulf MSP development.

The article focuses on several steps to implement the marine spatial planning (MSP) in Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) which include the identification of the need and establishment of authority, identification of stakeholders, and the selection of a marine spatial planning framework.

The article focuses on the advantage of the marine spatial planning (MSP) in Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) to achieve sustainable development in fisheries and aquaculture.

The article presents abstracts on topics including the marine spatial planning (MSP) development programme for fisheries and aquaculture activities, the regional strategy for spatial planning, and the proposed content of the spatial planning development programme.

The article focuses on the effort by the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) to promote sustainable development in fisheries and aquaculture, with topics including the fisheries and aquaculture management, the use of marine spatial planning (MSP) in fisheries, and the fisheries regulation.

The article presents an abstract on topic regarding the application of marine spatial planning (MSP) in the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) region.

Aquaculture contributed 43 per cent of aquatic animal food for human consumption in 2007 (e.g. fish, crustaceans and molluscs, but excluding mammals, reptiles and aquatic plants) and is expected to grow further to meet the future demand. It is very diverse and, contrary to many perceptions, dominated by shellfish and herbivorous and omnivorous pond fish either entirely or partly utilizing natural productivity. The rapid growth in the production of carnivorous species such as salmon, shrimp and catfish has been driven by globalizing trade and favourable economics of larger scale intensive farming. Most aquaculture systems rely on low/uncosted environmental goods and services, so a critical issue for the future is whether these are brought into company accounts and the consequent effects this would have on production economics. Failing that, increased competition for natural resources will force governments to allocate strategically or leave the market to determine their use depending on activities that can extract the highest value. Further uncertainties include the impact of climate change, future fisheries supplies (for competition and feed supply), practical limits in terms of scale and in the economics of integration and the development and acceptability of new bio-engineering technologies. In the medium term, increased output is likely to require expansion in new environments, further intensification and efficiency gains for more sustainable and cost-effective production. The trend towards enhanced intensive systems with key monocultures remains strong and, at least for the foreseeable future, will be a significant contributor to future supplies. Dependence on external feeds (including fish), water and energy are key issues. Some new species will enter production and policies that support the reduction of resource footprints and improve integration could lead to new developments as well as reversing decline in some more traditional systems.