Highlights of the SEAFDEC Interdepartmental Collaborative Research Program on Fishery Resources in the South China Sea, Area I: Gulf of Thailand and East Cost of Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

Fisheries of the world oceans are fast entering a global crisis at the end of the 20th century, as a result of the increasing exploitation of marine resources to meet the growing demand for human food. The problems are particularly acute in the Southeast Asian Region and the SEAFDEC member countries, because of (i) the specific nature of their tropical fisheries based on multi-species exploitation; (ii) conflicts over the possession of fisheries resources and the use of fishing grounds; and (iii) the need to find a delicate balance between the supply-demand situation and the national exigencies to satisfy the aspirations of the traditional subsistence fishermen in a way to ensure both food security and job security.