Sustainable Coastal Fisheries

Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and irrigation

Sustainable Coastal Fisheries

Background

The Myanmar’s fisheries sector with its three subsectors; inland fisheries, marine fisheries, and aquaculture, are considered after agriculture the second major contributor to income and employment creation and livelihoods in the country. Fisheries also contribute in a major way to national protein food supplies, security, safety, and nutrition. Fish and fisheries products are the second most important household expenditure item after rice; per capita consumption of fish is estimated at over 50 kg/year, up to 70% of total protein intake. The fisheries sector is deemed to be a particularly important area of engagement, as it is the second largest contributor to employment opportunities and income in the primary sector after agriculture, providing direct employment to an estimated 3 million people. Small-scale artisanal fishers and their families are among the country’s poorest and most vulnerable groups, and the sector generates employment opportunities both among women and in several culturally and socio-economically highly diverse areas both of which have been identified as key areas for this programme initiative.
However, the inshore fisheries sector currently faces sharply increasing pressures from overfishing mainly by large-scale offshore operations that might lead to a complete collapse of the marine ecosystem. This would threaten the livelihoods of millions of people dependent on this sector directly or indirectly. In response, the Department of Fisheries, with the support of Denmark, recognizes that the involvement of coastal fishing communities is necessary to improve overall fisheries governance. The Department of Fisheries is now supporting the development of fisheries co-management structures. This implies that organized fishers in coastal communities will be able to become local partners for sharing responsibility and authority in the management of fisheries resources.

Vision

The vision of the programme initiative is, thus, to improve livelihood in local communities through promotion of a more sustainable, community-based and responsible exploitation of natural coastal and marine fish resources.
Programme Name: Support to Sustainable Coastal Fisheries
Development Partner: Denmark
Implementing Agency: Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation
Locations: Rakhine State and Tanintharyi Region
Implementation Period: 2017 - 2020
Budget DKK: 66,000,000  (Approx. USD: 10 million)
 

Objective

The objective aims at improving inclusive and responsible economic green growth, with attention to the livelihoods of marginalized populations. More specifically the Danish support to Sustainable Coastal Fisheries (SCF) will focus on:
  1. piloting co-management arrangements between Department of Fisheries and communities to sustainably manage Myanmar’s inshore fisheries;
  2. enhancing fisheries communities’ ability to improve livelihoods dependent on natural coastal and marine fish resources;
  3. involving communities by including people with different cultural and religious backgrounds; and
  4. enhancing fisheries communities’ ability to improve post-harvest handling and value addition to the fish catch by working closely with community-based SMEs.

Tides of Change in Myanmar