22
Role of Development Agencies
International development agencies have sponsored aquaculture research
and outreach programs in an effort to alleviate poverty, improve employment,
and increase nutrition. In many ways, development agencies have fostered demand
by regional governments for aquaculture expansion and intensification in
Southeast Asia. The Asia Development Bank (ADB), for instance, supports the
genetic improvement and dissemination of strains of species that have the
potential for mass production (e.g., tilapia)
1
. At an August 2003 meeting, the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated that aquaculture is the way to
meet the gap between the growing demand for fish and decreasing supply of
wild stocks. In addition, FAO representatives stated that the "potential
contribution of aquaculture to rural development, food security, hunger
eradication, poverty reduction and national economic development is enormous
(AP 2003)." Whitten and Kottelat (1996) point out that the development agencies
commonly promoting aquaculture have a limited vision; they addresses the loss
of protein quantity, rather than loss of biodiversity, which can provide a locally
renewable, diverse source of protein. Ironically, in many cases, aquaculture
actually exacerbates biodiversity losses. Furthermore, the authors conclude that
projects on freshwater genetic biodiversity in Asia tend to focus on alien fishes
(e.g., carps and tilapias) despite evidence and suspicion that they are damaging
to native faunas.
1
ADB's fisheries policy highlights that
they will only support alien species
introductions if they comply with
biosafety guidelines ADB. September
1997. Policy on Fisheries. Asian
Development Bank.
Role of Institutions
Government Policies
Government policies are often one of the leading reasons why alien fish
are introduced. As summarized in the table 3, aquaculture can be a means for
producing cheap protein sources, as well as generating foreign exchange and
improving livelihoods. Since fisheries policy has often sought to improve
production, the environmental impacts of aquaculture, until recently, have not
been taken into consideration.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) 2002 report
on the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, inland waters often are
ineffectively governed (FAO 2002). Inland fisheries frequently are only subject
to national jurisdictions. This can create problems since fisheries introductions,
whether through stocking or cage culture, into watersheds are not guaranteed to
stay in one part of the watershed. Neighboring countries ought to be consulted
prior to the introduction of an alien species. Furthermore, the Asian Development
Bank (ADB) reports that the current management practices in Asia are not
precautionary, and that they react to existing problems instead of anticipating
and preventing further problems from arising (ADB September 1997). Frequently,
regional fishery bodies are not present, and if they are present they are advisory
with no management powers.The problem is further complicated, since in many
Asian countries both the Ministry of Conservation and the Ministry of Fisheries
have responsibility for managing freshwater systems, however they are often
working at cross purposes, one protecting the ecosystem and the other increasing
yields (Kottelat and Whitten 1996). This can result in unsustainable management
of freshwater aquaculture.
Common carp in pond, detail of specimen.
(Norainy Mohd Husin).