Regional Stability and Fish

Dr Meryl Williams is a former Director General of the Worldfish Centre. Here she shares her thoughts on the role of fish in developing greater regional stability.

Australia is surrounded by the Indian, Pacific and Southern oceans and located among countries of great cultural and biological diversity.

We all share in the use of fish and other aquatic life - for sustenance, for trade, for making an income and for the environment.

Fish can be used to help create stability. The development of the aquaculture industry in the Asia- Pacific region has reduced poverty in some areas by giving small fish farmers more food security, greater incomes and trading opportunities. On one hand the industry has increased national economies. On the other hand, fish have sometimes been at the centre of economic and environmental disputes - forces for instability.

Take the case of the shrimp. Over the past 20 years the huge growth of shrimp farming and other aquaculture has helped fuel the economic growth of Thailand, Bangladesh and Vietnam. In these countries, fish exports dominate other agricultural commodities to the point where, in Vietnam in 2001, seafood exports were three times that of rice.

This created a measure of stability for growers. Yet, at times the prosperity brought by such growth has been destabilised by sudden trade restrictions. An example is when the European Union took issue with Bangladesh over the quality of its shrimps and placed a blanket ban on importing them from Bangladesh. The growth of shrimp farming has also generated sporadic environmental and social protests.

Despite the pervasive nature of fish issues in the region, they are often not visible on the political agenda until a crisis occurs. This raises the fundamental question of whether we should make fish a greater force for stability?

I believe the answer is 'yes', and we can achieve this through our aid, environment and fisheries programs, and by increasing trade opportunities.

Already, Australia's aid program helps landmine victims in Cambodia and Vietnam to develop fish farms. In Indonesia, through microcredit projects many women have built up small fish businesses. Australia is a world leader in fisheries and conservation. We have an oceans policy and tough measures to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

We are also a world leader in applying international agricultural research through the government funded Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). ACIAR collaborates with researchers in neighbouring developing countries on projects of mutual benefit.

If government departments, the private sector, universities and non-government agencies were to draw together their expertise on fish, and work with regional partners towards similar mutual benefits, we would go a long way towards making fish a source of regional stability and security.

Dr Williams was the keynote speaker at this year's Crawford Fund seminar in Canberra. The theme of the seminar was 'Fish, Aquaculture and Food Security: Sustaining Fish as Food Supply'. Dr Williams is Chair of the ACIAR Board.

2004