During
the past year the Technical Advisory Body on Fisheries Management
(TAB) made a number of important steps towards defining its
role and objectives and creating a plan of work for the coming
years.
At meeting in Hanoi in early 2004, the body reviewed its past
performance and formulated clear a mission statement and vision
for its future development. During a subsequent meeting, held
in Luang Prabang in June, the TAB agreed on a three-year work
plan.
In the short to medium-term this involves increasing the uptake
of information on fisheries management and development into
government policies and action plans. In the longer term, the
TAB will work with other agencies to further the concept of
regional, Mekong-basin wide fisheries management. The work plan
comprises 17 activities; these will strengthen management capacity,
create knowledge through research, and assist information flow.
As a priority, the TAB will develop and implement a training
course for the provincial staff of national fisheries agencies
on local, national and regional trans-boundary fisheries management.
This will incorporate some of the experiences made and lessons
learned from the FP's regional co-management capacity building
during the period 2001-2003.
Other activities will include:
- Studies on 'regional fisheries issues' of mutual interest.
- Publishing of a series of short briefing documents (Mekong
Fisheries Management Recommendations) for key fisheries policy
makers.
- Publishing a regular newsletter.
- Study visits for senior government line agency staff to
develop a better understanding of Greater Mekong Sub-region
(GMS) and the opportunities for and constraints to fisheries
development in the region.
- Supporting TAB members to participate in Asian regional
forums relevant to fisheries management and development.
- Establishing a secretariat, the TAB Support Group, or TSG.
The TAB has already initiated a number of these activities including:
- Sub-contracting specific studies to individual researchers
and R&D providers (the STREAM Initiative; the Network
for Promotion of Gender and Women in Fisheries; WorldFish
Centre).
- Supporting TAB members’ participation at international
meetings and conferences (including the 7th Asian Fisheries
Forum in Penang in November 2004, and the biennial Meeting
of Regional Fisheries Bodies at the FAO in Rome in March 2005).
- Launching a newsletter, TAB Update.
- Commissioning the first set of Mekong Fisheries Management
Recommendations. The first four issues of these policy briefs
present a précis of earlier studies commissioned by
the TAB.
The TAB recently defined a set of indicators and milestones that
will monitor and measure the progress and impact of its work.
A key early indicator of progress will be when national fisheries,
water sector line agencies and other concerned organisations themselves
initiate and promote cross-sector management. Typical activities
could be events to explain linkages between food and livelihood
security and cross-scale fisheries management or agreements between
fisheries and line agencies in other sectors.