Capture fisheries and aquaculture continue to play very significant roles in the economy of many countries in Southeast Asia as far as food security, employment and income (local and export) are concerned. With average fish consumption at 16.9 kg/capita, total global demand is projected to continuously increase over the years especially as population grows and consumers become more health-conscious.

Drying up of reservoirs is one impact of climate change affecting capture fisheries and aquaculture.

At the same time however, continuing concerns on the uncertain impact of climate change and the relative vulnerability of countries and specific communities to these changes have made it imperative to identify and implement early on specific strategies and mitigation policies to cushion if not totally avert the negative consequences of climate change.

To address the above concerns, SEARCA will conduct back-to-back activities highlighting the fisheries sector of Southeast Asia. The first will be a regional workshop entitled “Climate Change and Food Security: Global Challenges for Improving the Competitiveness of Fisheries and Fisheries-Based Products in Asia” in collaboration with WorldFish Center, Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (DOST-PCAMRD) and Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) that will be held on 19-20 March 2009 at the SEARCA Residence Hotel. The workshop will bring together a multi-stakeholder group including policymakers, researchers and private sector representatives from Asia.

The regional workshop aims to identify production constraints and target priority areas along the product or service life cycle where improvements and higher investments could be made to enhance the competitiveness of the fisheries sector and/or fisheries-based products. It will assess the status of the fisheries sector in the region and develop a research proposal that could help address the various limitations confronting the sector, especially those associated with climate change within the context of food security and other key areas of concern.

The second activity is a regional forum entitled "Mini-Forum on Initiatives, Information Exchange and Research Cooperation on Fisheries and Climate Change in Southeast Asia", being organized by SEARCA and PCAMRD, as a back-to-back activity to the regional workshop. The forum will be conducted in the afternoon of March 20, 2009, also at SEARCA. This mini-forum aims to conduct a preliminary assessment on the impacts of climate change on fisheries in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam; identify research gaps and come up with recommendations for future action plans.