This is a three week Summer Training Program on “Aquaculture Development & Aquatic Resources Management in South & Southeast Asia”, 10th -30th July 2016 to be held in Bangkok.
Program Outline
The program has been designed in the form of 5 modules – (i) Classroom Sessions at AIT: there will be lecture sessions at AIT at the beginning, middle and towards the end of the program; (ii) Hands-on training at AIT’s Tilapia Production Facility: this will be learning by doing activities for a duration of three days at AIT; (iii) Study Visits and Practical Sessions in Prachuapkhirikhan, Petchaburi, Chonburi and Bangkok Provinces: there will be 4 separate study visits to Shrimp and Coastal Aquaculture Areas of Prachuapkhirikhan, Integrated Farming using the philosophy of "sufficiency economy" approach in Petchaburi, Aquarium Technology Center at Burapha University, government department and to the Royal development study center; (iv) Reflection of lessons learnt from the training and selection of a topic for future course or study or research that can link similarities between SE Asia or Thailand and China. This should be developed in the form of a short individual presentation at the end of the lectures and study visit sessions; and (v) Social and Cultural Visits: there will be social and cultural visits arranged in the weekend between the three weeks program to allow the students to learn about the history, life and culture of Thailand.
Learning Outcomes
After the completion of the summer program, the students shall be able to:
1) Understand the development trends, innovation and the technology adopted for the improvement of aquaculture and aquatic resources management in South and Southeast Asia
2) Understand the management strategies employed in Thailand towards sustainable development and improvement of shrimp farming and aquaculture industry.
3) Understand the policies in place in Thailand and in the rest of Southeast and South Asia which are important for sustainable growth of those industries.
4) Apply the knowledge learnt from lectures, hands-on training and field visits to developing student/research projects within their college or department.
5) Have a considerable understanding of the education and research frontier of AIT in the aquaculture and aquatic resources management (AARM), food engineering and bioprocess technology (FEBT) and in integrated coastal management (ICM).
6) Learn from the experience of international and multicultural education environment.
7) Understand about the culture and society of Thailand.
Background
China is the leading exporter of fish and fishery products in the world and ever since the country opened up to the outside world in the 1980s, the aquaculture industry has grown dramatically. From 1980 to 2004 the country’s aquaculture development has observed an average annual growth rate of 15%. This rapid development has considerably improved food supply situation in the country. In addition this industry has also created direct employment for about 4.3 million rural people bringing the annual per capita net income to 8667 Yuan.
|
In 2010, China accounted for 60% of global aquaculture production (by volume), and the only nation where aquaculture output exceeds wild capture output and where more than 90% of the domestic consumption of seafood is from aquaculture. Today China, with one-fifth of the world's population, accounts for one-third of the world's reported fish production (61.7 million MT in 2013) and two-thirds of the worlds reported aquaculture production. According to FAO 2010 report, around 14 million people in China (26% of the world total) are engaged as fishers and fish farmers. The principal aquaculture-producing regions are close to urban markets in middle and lower Yangtze valley and the Zhu Jiang delta. |
Since 2002, China has been the world largest exporter of fish and fishery products. In 2005, exports, including aquatic plants, were valued at US$7.7 billion, with Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea as the main markets. China's 2005 reported harvest was 32.4 million MT, more than 10 times that of the second-ranked nation, India, which reported 2.8 million MT. In that same year the reported catch of wild fish, caught in rivers, lakes, and the sea, was 17.1 million MT, far ahead of the second-ranked nation, the United States, which reported 4.9 million MT. In 2005, China was also the sixth largest importer of fish and fish products in the world, with imports totaling US$4.0 billion. Source: FAO & Wiki |
However, recently the biggest issues facing China’s fishing industry are overfishing and pollution associated with development. The seas off northeast China have been severely overfished, causing habitat destruction and wildlife such as sardines to disappear. This loss of wildlife directly contributes to the increasing amount of fish imported into China each year with yearly imports estimated at around US$4 billion. Difficulties in fish farming are also an issue due to lack of environmental regulations and proper implementation, and shortage of skilled and technical manpower. However, to improve the quality and efficiency of its aquaculture sector during the 12th Five Year Plan (2011-2015) China’s National Fisheries Extension has hired thousands of trainers and researchers. Through this the organization’s headcount has soared to 40,000 employees spread over 14,000 institutions, with technical staff accounting for 72% of the headcount.
The coastal areas of South and Southeast Asia have somewhat similar characteristics to China and offer potential to learn from each other’s good practices. Aquaculture development in South Asia (led by India and Bangladesh) is promising as both commercial and subsistence farming continue to grow. As population growth is very high in this region, a context similar to China, it would be important for the latter to learn about strategies that have been developed in tackling the challenge of fish production and supply and addressing poverty alleviation. South-east Asia is also rapidly developing its aquaculture industry with improvements in technology and management systems (e.g., Thailand and Vietnam). There are numerous examples that can allow students and professionals to learn from and apply in their research and academic projects.
