Application of remote sensing in fisheries

The remote sensing techniques is used to study the distribution of fish in relation with the oceanic phenomena such as sea surface temperature (SST) and ocean color (phytoplankton). The pelagic fishing data were analysed from May 1997 to August 1998. The satellite data from NOAA AVHRR (SST) and SeaWiFS (phytoplankton) were also analysed. The results show that a lot of pelagic fish were caught in the warm water fronts as well as in the area of high density of phytoplankton. Further analyses should be made to come out with the firmer conclusion

Background of SEAFDEC and ASEAN

The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) is an intergovernmental agency established in 1967. The members o f SEAFDEC include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Lao PDR and Vietnam. Japan is also a member of SEAFDEC and acts as main donor. Its mandate is to promote fisheries development in Southeast Asia, and assist member countries to develop fisheries potential for the improvement of food supply in the region through training, research and dissemination of information

Sea turtle species of the Southeast Asian countries

Six of seven species of living sea turtles in the world were confirmed to nest or inhabit the Southeast Asian waters. These are leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and flatback turtle (Natator depressus); (Kamarruddin, 1993; Soehartono, 1993; Palma, 1993; Chantrapornyl, 1993; Sukarno et al., 1993; Chantrapornsyl, 1996 and Kamarruddin e t al., 1996). All these six species are commonly found in ASEAN waters except for the flatback which are found in eastern Indonesia. The flatbacks are known to nest in Australia but the foraging areas are in the Indonesian waters

Action taken by SEAFDEC on sea turtle research and conservation activities (1992-2003)

The First SEAFDEC Workshop on Marine Turtle Research and Conservation was held in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia from 15-18 January 1996. The workshop was attended by participants from Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam and Japan. The objectives of this workshop were to provide a platform for sea turtle scientists from SEAFDEC member countries to present, discuss and update biological information on marine turtles in the region, beside enhancing the cooperation and collaboration in research and relevant activities among member countries to help protect and conserve sea turtles

Conservation and Enhancement of Sea Turtles in the Southeast Asian Region

Southeast Asian countries have accorded great concern to the conservation and enhancement of sea turtles , both from the environmental and marine biodiversity point of view. These countries produce six of the seven living sea turtle species found worldwide and renowned as some of the most productive in the world. All countries recognize the significance of the sea turtle population and their habitats existing in the waters of this region. The sea turtles are highly migratory species, where the seas of Southeast Asian countries form a contiguous body of water without any interval where the sea turtle migrate freely across national boundaries. Thus, all Southeast Asian countries realize that multi-lateral efforts are necessary to ensure long-term survival of the sea turtle in this region . It was this understanding that had led to the signing of Memorandum of the Understanding (MoU) on ASEAN Sea Turtle Conservation and Protection by ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) at their Nineteenth Meeting on 12 September 1997 in Bangkok. The MoU laid down the objectives and the mechanism of cooperation for the conservation , management and enhancement of sea turtles in this region

Availability of environmental data related to the shared stocks in the South China Sea

The availability and of type environmental data in the South China Sea are discussed. Information from the papers presented in the last two shared stocks workshops were examined with regards to the availability of oceanographic data. Results of the recent collaborative survey conducted by SEAFDEC on MV SEAFDEC were presented particularly those obtained in the Eastern Peninsular Malaysia. It was found that the data currently available would be able to draw only few preliminary conclusions on the effects of the variability of oceanographic parameters on the pelagic fish stocks in the South China Sea area. However more data is required to fill the gaps and to ascertain accurate relationships between the pelagic fish and the environment in these tropical waters