Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Aquaculturehas grown rapidly in Asia in the past three decades with the main impetus forthe industry’s surge being the stagnant wild fish catch, which has leveled offat a little above 80 million tonnes since the 1980s, according to Japanese economists.
In their recent joint article on development prospect of the aquaculture industry inAsia, TakashiYamano SeniorEconomist at the Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department of theAsian Development Bank (ADB), and Aya Suzuki, DevelopmentEconomist and Professor at the University of Tokyo, said that private actors played important roles in the growth of shrimpaquaculture in Asian countries, such as Vietnam, strengthening the supply sideand expanding global demand as a result.
According to the article, shrimp farming became widespread after technologicalinnovation intensified the industry in the 1980s. The employment generated in aquaculture issubstantial and rising, providing more work for women than the male-dominatedwild capture fisheries.
Vietnam is an interesting case study. In 2000, Vietnam allowed the conversionof rice fields to fishponds. Initially, shrimp exports from the country weremet with high rejection rates in importing countries, with high antibioticresidue in the product often cited as the main reason. After collaborativeefforts of producers, traders, and government agencies, the rejection rates forshrimp exports from Vietnam have declined. The Southeast Asian nation is nowone of the world’s largest shrimp producers.
However, the article noted that the aquaculture industry is also facing environmental sustainability concerns.
The environmental challenges facing aquaculture include land salinisation, landsubsidence from overuse of groundwater, frequent outbreaks of shrimp and fishdiseases under intensified farming methods, misuse of prohibited antibiotics, destructionof mangroves, and dependence on wild fish catch for feed, which depletes marineresources.
Amid challenges, efforts have been taken to mitigate the negative impact onthe environment. Producer groups share technical and marketing information onsocial networks. Experienced producers, experts, and academics share tips andcheck for inappropriate information on these groups. Digital applications onmobile phones are now available for checking the health status of aquacultureproducts through their photos.
Digital technology use can help promote inclusive growth by providingaffordable access to technical information and market access to farmers inremote areas, the article said.
Aquaculture production in Asia needs to keep up with the increasing demandwhile ensuring the sustainability of the growth, the two experts said. They proposed several recommendations toincrease the sustainability of the aquaculture industry in the region, theexperts stressed.
It is necessary to ensure that fish farmers follow goodpractices, governments and supporting organisations should actively use digitaltechnology.
Some rulesand monitoring schemes on the use of water should be put in place, preferablyby crop and fish farmers themselves, and more research should be conducted onfish farming practices which are appropriate for the small-scale farmers’environments, they said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that formeraquaculture practices are not sustainable going forward. Therefore, putting theright policies and practices in place will help support fish farmers and themillions of people in Asia and the Pacific who rely on fish to feed theirfamilies./.
