The Asian Fisheries Society, established in 1984, celebrates World Fisheries Day on November 21. The diversity of fisheries, people and types of activity involved with fishing, particularly small-scale fishing, are amazing throughout the Indo-Pacific and Asian region. We also acknowledge the very significant and often unrecognised role of women in fisheries that includes fishing activities such as gleaning small invertebrates and fish, activities in the value chain like processing and marketing fish, managing household finances.
Fisheries in Asia are in an area of great, global biodiversity value that includes the Coral Triangle and areas adjacent to this region. This highlights the importance of fisheries and conservation and engaging fishers to promote sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation. It also highlights the significant challenges that fisheries and conservation managers face for ensuring sustainable fisheries and marine ecosystems in the future.
These challenges are only met when partnerships are developed between people from different disciplines and organisations and two-way knowledge transfer and is facilitated among researchers, policy makers and managers, fishers, fishing industries and the coastal communities whose livelihoods and food supply are often supported by fisheries.
The Asian Fisheries Society reflects the diversity of fisheries with members in over 20 countries representing traditional fisheries and aquaculture disciplines, as well as the increasingly important topics of Fish Health, Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries and the Social Sciences. The society encourages collaborations amongst researchers and the sharing of knowledge for sustainable fisheries and marine ecosystems and sustainable coastal livelihoods. It joins people globally in celebrating World Fisheries Day and the people engaged in fishing.
Sumbawa – researchers (Prof. Neil Loneragan and Dr Abdul Halim) talking with fishers in a cooperative in southern Teluk Bay, Sumbawa Indonesia (image Wildlife Conservation Society)
Fishers Perancak – Women gleaning purse seine nets for small fish in Perancak, Bali, Indonesia (image Dr Carol Warren)
Fisher training – Dr Vanessa Jaiteh training shark fishers from Pulau Osi, Cerum, Indonesia to collect measurements for shark fisheries conservation (image by shark fisher)
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