SOI Regional Worskhop for East South and South East Asia at Seoul

 

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in partnership with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea and the National Biodiversity Institute of Korea, convened the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) regional capacity-building workshop for East, South, and South-East Asia during 05-08, September 2023, in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

The workshop had a primary focus on addressing the capacity-building needs of developing countries in the region, aligning national activities with the objectives and targets outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), which was adopted by COP-15 in December 2022.

The participants included heads of the Regional Fishery Bodies (RFBs) and Regional Seas Organizations (RSOs) and representatives from the countries of this region. Dr. P. Krishnan, Director, BOBP-IGO, co-chaired the sessions.

During his presentation, Dr. Krishnan provided an overview of the current state of marine fisheries in South and Southeast Asia and the challenges related to the sustainable management of fisheries resources in the region. He highlighted the need for close coordination between RSOs and RFBs and among the member countries.

BOBP-IGO has also committed to working with the representatives from Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka to form a BOB Global Biodiversity Framework Working Group (BOB-GBF WG), which would serve as a platform for experience and knowledge sharing in mainstreaming fisheries in the NBSAPs of respective countries.

BOBP and FSF to Strengthen Accident Reporting in Marine Fisheries  

 

Marine fisheries is one of the riskiest occupations in the world with over 100,000 deaths annually. However, systematic accident reporting remains a challenge, especially in developing countries and the small-scale fisheries sector such as the Bay of Bengal region.

BOBP-IGO and FishSafety Foundation (FSF) have entered into an MOU to develop an AI-enabled accident data management system for improving the status of accident reporting in the marine fisheries sector in this region. The collaboration would aid in building regional capacity for ensuring that incidents are diligently recorded, analyzed, and used as a basis for preventive measures in the future.

FSF, is an international non-profit organization based in New Zealand, which works with FAO, IMO, ILO, and other international inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Exposure-Cum-Skill Development Workshop for Fisheries Students

 

BOBP-IGO organized an exposure-cum-skill development workshop for the PG scholars from Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Kerala, and College of Fishery Science, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh from 05 to 11 September 2023.

The workshop aimed at sensitizing the researchers on potential regional fisheries issues, introducing them to various public databases related to fisheries, and building their skills in data analysis through hands-on training and group exercises. Innovative exercises were planned to develop critical thinking and academic writing skills.

This need-based workshop, the first in the series, conceived for the research students from various universities, was coordinated by R. Mukherjee and M. ShriHari from BOBP-IGO.

Potential of Andamans to Emerge as Regional Fisheries Hub Highlighted

 

The 2nd International Conference on Prospects and Challenges of Environment and Biological Sciences in Food Production System for Livelihood Security of Farmers (ICFPLS-2023) was held at ICAR-CIARI, Port Blair during 18-20 September, 2023. 

 

Delivering the key note address, Dr. Krishnan, Director of BOBP-IGO, provided an overview of the fisheries sector in the south and south east asia. He highlighted the opportunities for the Andaman Nicobar Islands to emerge as a model for evidence based regional fisheries management, leveraging the proximity to the Bay of Bengal rim countries. 

 

The Conference, participated by over 125 scientists from across India, was inaugurated by Shri. Swatantra Dev Singh, Ministry of Jal Shakthi, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh. Dr. Gaya Prasad, former Vice-Chancellor of SVPUAT, Meerut, and the Co-Chairperson, Dr. E.B. Chakurkar, Director of ICAR-CIARI, Port Blair were also presen