Aquaculture in the Middle East: Opportunities and Challenges

1. Aquaculture in the Middle East: Opportunities and Challenges Regional Seminar For National Focal Points on Aquatic Animals Lebanon, 12-14 August 2013 Ibrahim AL HAWI

2. Introduction Fish farming, now well known as aquaculture, has been well recognized since the ancient era. The first written document on fish culture was published in China in 475 BC, and the first pond was constructed at the Japanese Imperial Palace grounds. In recent years, aquaculture has progressively played an important role in the provision of: animal protein and gourmet cuisines, job opportunities, and foreign currency for developing countries. Asian countries produce around 91 percent of the world’s total aquaculture production.

3. INTRODUCTION The percentage of global aquaculture production in terms of total fishery production was only 3.22 percent in 1950, but quickly increased to 9.72 percent in 1980, 32.02 percent in 2000 and 41.74 percent in 2006, and reached 50% in 2011. Moreover, the percentage of consumed fish from aquaculture has also increased significantly, from 9 percent in 1980 to 44 percent in 2007 and is expected to increase further in the future. the aquaculture industry looks promising in supplying the necessary food due to the fact that the ocean covers 71% of earth’s surface. Aquatic products are well known for their high contents of high-quality proteins, HUFAs (highly unsaturated fatty acids), phospholipids, and other nutrients such as calcium, iron, phosphatide, iodide and vitamin A.

4. Despite the significant increase in aquaculture production, several setbacks have been experienced in overall production: Unresolved and newly emerging disease problems; Conflicts between the aquaculture industry and environmentalist regarding adverse effects in the aquatic ecosystems; Natural disasters including El Niño and La Niña phenomena, flooding, drought, desertification and typhoon; climate change; Movement of investors from one country to another to take advantage of lower tax and cheaper capital for labor and the use of land and water resource; Inconsistent and inappropriate management and regulations in many aquaculture-producing countries; Domestic and international marketing problems.

5. What does OPPORTUNITIES include? Understanding the nutritional value of aquatic products resulting in the popularity of consuming aquatic animals and the motivation for the utilization of aquatic plants; Availability of advanced larval rearing and grow-out culture technologies; Versatile production systems including utilization of rice fields, ponds, lakes, rivers, irrigation canals, cages in reservoir, tidal pools, off-shore cages, deep-ocean water, and sea ranching; Sound knowledge of target species’ nutritional requirements, Compound feed formulations, and feed manufacturing technologies;

6. OPPORTUNITIES Progressive study on diagnostic kits for bacterial and viral diseases of aquatic organisms; Promotion of aquaculture zones by the government, and aquaculture farms by private investors; Earning foreign currency through export of aquacultural products; Creation of job opportunities related to aquaculture production including food processing, domestic and international trade, and education in many Asia-Pacific countries; Profit-driven investment by investors

7. What are the Challenges? • Promoting sustainable aquaculture that is • Environmentally friendly • Socially responsible • Compliance to international standards (e.g. WTO-SPS, Codex Alimentarius, OIE) that • meets food safety requirements • remain profitable • Awareness and capacity building activities • Project driven activities (strengthening aquatic animal health capacity )

8. Compliance to international standards e.g. WTO-SPS, Codex Alimentarius, OIE Awareness and capacity building activities Project driven activities strengthening aquatic animal health capacity

9. CHALLENGES • Access to information –Regional resource base –Regional lead centers –Sharing of information and expertise

10. CHALLENGES •Access to financial and technical services for sustainable aquaculture: –Insurance (Workshops: bring together insurers, bankers & farmers) -Improving servicing of the small-scale aquaculture sector (One Stop-centers) -Credit to farmer groups

11. CHALLENGES •Responding to stringent market requirements • –Development of Best Management Practices along the supply chain • –Piloting traceability systems • –Developing guidelines for aquaculture certification • –Connecting small-scale producer to markets

12. CHALLENGES •Risk of introduction and spread of aquatic animal diseases in Aquaculture –Technical guidelines that include responsible movement of live aquatic animals –Surveillance/ regional quarterly aquatic animal disease reporting (QAAD) system –Capacity building on: •disease diagnosis •risk analysis •Surveillance •epidemiology, etc

13. CHALLENGES •Harmonization of approaches for diagnosis and risk assessment

14. Shrimp Farming and the Environment •To analyze and share experiences on better management of shrimp aquaculture in coastal areas. •Multi-sector participation •Government Policy and R&D, Farmers Groups, Traders, Industry, NGOs….. •Development of an internationally agreed document adopted/endorsed OIE, FAO –Globally accepted management principles for “responsible” shrimp aquaculture •Guiding principles and guiding criteria •Support to implementation ongoing, with special reference to small-scale farmers •Developing market links for responsible BMP product •Electronic Newsmagazine and newsletter

15. Trends/recommendations •Cooperative R&D program to support development of sustainable marine fish farming –People-based network with institutional participation –Multi-sector participation: •Government Policy and R&D, Farmers Groups, Traders, Industry, NGOs –Electronic e-magazine and e-newsletter

16. Aquatic Animal Health •Reduce the risk of aquatic animal disease impacting on trade, environment & human health • Development of policy framework • Implementation of practical health management strategies at farm, local, national and regional levels • Regional surveillance system • Technical support through sharing of expertise and laboratory facilities • Participation of primary producers • Address emerging issues such as food safety and new disease (KHV, WTD, TS) OIE, FAO, and others

17. Genetics & Biodiversity • Conserving aquatic biodiversity and genetic resources by: –Building capacity for national aquatic resource management programs –Coordinate cooperative R&D programs –Development of broodstock management programs for economically important and newly emerging indigenous species –Contribute to conservation plans for endangered species e.g. Mekong giant catfish

18. Culture-based Fisheries •Development of extensive, community-based aquaculture through: –Development of ‘best practice approaches’ to culture-based fisheries –Effective use of small water bodies for low cost fish production amongst rural communities –Application of co-management principles to culture-based fishery and stock enhancement activities –Dissemination of findings from completed projects in member countries

19. Support to Regional Aquatic Resource Management •Address rural development and poverty alleviation issues by promoting: –Improved understanding of the livelihoods of poor fishers and farmers –Institutions that better support the livelihoods objectives of poor fishers and farmers –Policy development that reflects the livelihoods objectives of the poor fishers and farmers –Improved communications among the poor, service providers, institutions & policy makers

20. Education, Training & Study tours •Promote (capacity building,)human resource development and technical exchange • Participating centres share expertise • Short term courses, workshops, study visits • Training • Customized training as requested

21. Communication •Improve communication and information sharing between members through: –Portal website on aquaculture /OIE website •News and events •Discussion forums / online community –Training in digital publishing and website management

22. Thank you