In observance of the Lenten season, please be advised of the following adjustments to our repository services:
- Effective Date: Afternoon of April 1, 2026
- Service Resumption: Monday, April 6, 2026
Our repository remains online for browsing; however, "Request a Copy" responses will be paused starting April 1, 2026 afternoon. Standard processing and responses will resume on April 6, 2026. Thank you for your patience!
Adopt sustainable development principle in aquaculture
Share
Abstract
The inadequate planning and inefficient management of coastal aquaculture has resulted into serious socioeconomic consequences. These are the displacement of rural communities which traditionally depended on mangroves due to large-scale mangrove conversion for shrimp and fish farming, land subsidence caused by excessive pumping of groundwater for use in aquaculture, financial losses due to disease outbreaks, and public health consequences due to red tide. In order to maximize the socioeconomic benefits of coastal aquaculture the adoption of the principles of sustainable development id recommended. Sustainable development is the management and conservation of natural resource base and the orientation of technological and institutional change in such a manner to ensure the attainment and continued satisfaction of human needs for present and future generations.
Suggested Citation
SEAFDEC/AQD (1995). Adopt sustainable development principle in aquaculture. Aqua Farm News , 13(2), 8, 18. http://hdl.handle.net/10862/2462
Type
magazineArticleISSN
0116-6573Collections
- Aqua Farm News [286]
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Aquaculture development and sustainability in Southeast Asia
(Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, 1995)Countries in Southeast Asia still display a vivid spectrum of developmental stages in aquaculture, the most and the least developed seen in contiguous areas despite geographic similarities. The Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific is actively involved in the development of aquaculture in the region, approaching it from a holistic viewpoint by integrating issues in environment, resource management, and socioeconomics into its program of work. Constraints related to site, inputs, and markets have assumed more importance in many countries, but transfer of technology is still the problem in about half the region. More intense culture systems, especially shrimp pond and fish cages, have resulted in serious problems of self-pollution, which affects the industry's own sustainability. A recent FAO-NACA regional study indicated that non-aquaculture sectors such as industries, agriculture, urbanization, and tourism have serious impacts on aquaculture, but there is little evidence that aquaculture is seriously affecting non-aquaculture sectors. Sustainability of aquaculture has to be considered along with economic and environmental sustainability. It appears from examples in the region that aquaculture that seriously damages the environment is economically unsustainable. Various constraints that impinge on the sustainability of aquaculture in the region are discussed. -
Singapore: Status of implementation of the resolution and plan of action on aquaculture.
(Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, 2011)Singapore is a small island state and its development of commercial aquaculture started only in the early 1970s. The foodfish aquaculture industry currently produces about 4% of the estimated 100,000 mt of fish consumed annually. The main bulk of foodfish production comes from marine coastal farms and some from land-based foodfish farms. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) is the national authority for aquaculture development for Singapore and manages aquaculture farms through the issuance of farm licenses. For marine foodfish farms, the farm licensee has to abide by good farm management guidelines to maintain the farm in good condition and ensure that the farm does not engage in activities that would pollute the farm waters. For land-based farms, there are also guidelines that address infrastructure layout, farming system and water treatment facilities. The latter requires that sedimentation ponds, reservoir ponds/tanks, supply and drainage systems, trade effluent treatment and sampling plant are included in the farm set-up. Aquaculture, as with all other food production practices, is facing challenges for sustainable development. An example of Singapore s contribution to sustainable aquaculture is through the development of technology for consistent and economical mass production of fish seeds under controlled conditions. This approach will alleviate the pressure on nature to provide the seeds for farming and would make available large numbers of quality fish for small and large-scale commercial aquaculture. AVA has established the Marine Aquaculture Centre (MAC) at St. John's Island to address the needs of aquaculture development for Singapore through fish reproduction and seed production technology development as well as large- scale fish farming technology development. At present, the fish reproduction technology research work involves closing the reproductive cycles of key marine food fish species and also fry production at a commercial scale. Closing the reproductive cycles will eliminate the reliance and alleviate the pressure on wild seed stock. Good quality brooders are selected, maintained and bred to produce quality fry, which would indirectly translate to better growth performances and shorter culture period. This, together with good farm management practices, will optimize the usage offish feeds during the culture cycle. AVA is looking into the use of vaccination for fish health management purpose, to reduce the reliance on prophylactic drugs in the future. Antibiotics or chemicals if not administered properly for treatment may have negative consequences. One of them is the presence of drug residues in aquatic products which has food safety and health concerns. Other issues include adverse effects on the environment such as build-up resistance of pathogens. In the past, the focus of attention in aquaculture management had been on increasing yield by culture practices, with a view to short-term economic viability. With the current rate of depleting marine resources, there is an urgent need to develop aquaculture in a sustainable way. Current efforts and future developments such as implementation of surveillance programmes, personnel training, fish nutrition and feeding, fish health, the establishment of good aquaculture practices, monitoring of the fish farming environment seawater re-use and information sharing will facilitate working towards the development of sustainable aquaculture in Singapore. -
Orchestrating the southeast Asian aquaculture towards sustainability: SEAFDEC initiative
(Secretariat, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, 2015)Three years after the Philippines became a signatory to the Agreement Establishing the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) in January 1968, the Philippine Government submitted a Position Paper during the Fourth Meeting of the SEAFDEC Council in January 1971, formally inviting SEAFDEC to establish a regional aquaculture project in the Philippines. This was anchored on the decision reached during the Third Ministerial Conference for the Economic Development of Southeast Asia in 1968, for SEAFDEC to consider the establishment of a new department to deal with freshwater and brackishwater fish culture, in addition to the already established Research and Training Departments. Subsequently, the Ministerial Conference established a working group of aquaculture experts from the Member Countries to conduct a study on the aquaculture situation in Southeast Asia. Their report which indicated that the new SEAFDEC Department could be established in the Philippines was considered by the Fourth Ministerial Conference for the Economic Development of Southeast Asia in 1969. This led to the series of surveys in the Philippines, conducted by a Survey Mission from the Japanese Overseas Technical Cooperation Agency headed by Dr. Katsuzo Kuronoma, former President of Tokyo University of Fisheries, Japan from 1969 to 1971 to identify the appropriate site of this new Department. Together with counterpart experts from the Philippines, the Survey Mission concluded that the Aquaculture Department would be established in Iloilo Province, Panay Island, Philippines, to undertake aquaculture research in the region, and training of researchers and technicians in aquaculture. Following a conference in September 1972 among representatives from the Philippines and Japan, the Mindanao State University which at that time had already developed the technology for breeding penaeid shrimps, was designated as implementing agency of the Project for the Philippine Government. Although shrimp culture was given priority in the initial project plan, it was also agreed that the new Department could undertake, whenever feasible, the culture of other coastal and brackishwater species, and in a subsequent stage, freshwater fish culture. Based on such recommendations and the commitments of the Governments of Japan and the Philippines to support the operations of the new SEAFDEC Department, the Sixth Meeting of the SEAFDEC Council in July 1973 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia agreed to establish the Aquaculture Department in Iloilo, Philippines, adopted the corresponding Plan of Operation and Program of Work, and approved the appointment of Dean Domiciano K. Villaluz as the first Department Chief. True to its word, the Aquaculture Department has since then been pursuing programs on sustainable development and responsible stewardship of aquaculture resources in Southeast Asia through research and promotion of appropriate aquaculture technologies and socio-economic strategies relevant to the sustainability of the aquaculture industry in the region.
