Page 65 - ii_3_2020

//Feature 63

Table 1: Number of fishers in selected Asian countries, 1995–2017
Country 1995 2000 2005 2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
China 8 759 162 9 213 340 8 389 161 9 013 173 9 226 177 9 238 837 9 165 990 9 045 338 8 795 228 8 692 055
Indonesia 2 463 237 3 104 861 2 590 364 2 620 277 2 748 908 2 640 095 2 667 440 2 702 664 2 601 638 2 601 638
India 6 100 000 6 800 000 9 115 605 9 537 565 9 071 549 9 790 197 9 790 197
Viet Nam 415 000 555 800 580 000 650 000 530 000 530 000 530 000 530 000
Japan 301 440 260 200 222 170 202 880 173 660 180 985 173 040 166 610 160 020 153 490
Myanmar 900 000 2 646 710 2 794 000 2 948 555 2 979 200 2 980 000 2 981 000 2 999 500 2 999 500 2 262 000
Philippines 1 421 715 1 497 000 1 901 000 1 988 435 1 988 435 1 988 435
Bangladesh 1 320 480 1 320 480 1 320 480 1 506 064 1 506 064 1 538 539 1 712 000 1 050 210 1 726 270 1 726 420
Thailand 157 377 157 232 187 300 155 000 160 000 160 000 160 000 160 000
Malaysia 82 200 87 000 95 000 129 622 136 514 144 019 143 421 145 947 137 461 135 752
Korea Rep 140 940 112 885 103 182 90 191 82 814 81 006 80 577 77 252 71 301 75 320
Cambodia 704 523 765 124 729 893 673 963 578 468 578 468 578 468
Pakistan 389 914 272 273 311 264 366 862 366 877 378 283 385 497 406 029 421 252 432 117
Sri Lanka 106 026 150 150 156 500 230 560 244 390 250 865 276 537 278 646 290 167 278 178
World total 28 174 000 34 213 000 36 304 000 39 155 000 39 412 000 37 962 000 37 879 000 40 781 000 40 399 000 40 422 000
Credit: Roy D Palmer
Source: FAO. 2019. FAO yearbook. Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics 2017/FAO annuaire. Statistiques des pêches et de l’aquaculture 2017/FAO anuario. Estadísticas de pesca y
acuicultura 2017. Rome/Roma.
In ASEAN Member States, it is projected that by 2035, the in the fishing communities? (ii) How are fishers adjusting their
percentage of the population over 60 years old will be 21 livelihoods with the changes in fishery resources as well as
percent in Brunei Darussalam; 12 percent in Cambodia; labour availability? Are they diversifying to other livelihoods?
15 percent in Indonesia; 9 percent in Lao PDR; 16 percent (iii) What are the consequences from these adaptation
in Malaysia; 15 percent in Myanmar; 11 percent in the strategies? Are there any gender differences in the impact of
Philippines; 34 percent in Singapore; 30 percent in Thailand; such adaptation strategies? and (iv) What are the challenges
and 20 percent in Vietnam. In addition to the change in the faced and policy and programme support needed for fishing
5
population structure, there is increasing urbanisation in many communities for sustainable small-scale fisheries? The
of these countries, and it is projected that by 2030, 2.5 billion Regional Consultation was attended by participants from
people in Asia and the Pacific will be living in urban areas. Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lao PDR, Malaysia,
6
Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka,
FAO/NACA Regional Consultative Thailand and Vietnam.
Workshop on Demographic A desk study (Punyaratabandhu, 2019) prepared for the
7
Changes in Fishing Communities in Regional Workshop showed a general demographic trend in
Asia: Some interesting findings Asia of decreasing fertility rate (births per woman); increase
in the population aged 60 and over, with the majority of
In fishing communities, the impact of changes such as them being women; increase in migration from rural areas
increase or decrease in population, out-migration, and ageing to cities; and greater inequalities faced by the rural poor in
or a young population, on fisheries resources, the economy, terms of access to education. The desk study also found out
labour availability, and gender division of labour, as well as that there is limited long-term research on demographic
on fishing as a way of life, among others, is not well known. transition and fishing communities, making it difficult to
For this reason, the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the understand adaptive strategies and resilience. Knowledge
Pacific and the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific gaps identified by the desk study included: (i) Lack of linkage
(NACA) co-organised a Regional Consultative Workshop on between demographics and socio-economic indicators; (ii)
Demographic Changes in Fishing Communities in Asia on 6-7 Limited linkages between demographics, economic change
November 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. and ecosystem; (iii) Studies were people-blind and gender-
blind; (iv) Information was dated with large amount of reports
The Regional Consultation explored the following questions: on transition and change dating back to late 1990s and early
(i) What are the changes in demography (ageing, migration) 2000s; (i) Studies on drivers of demographic transition largely

INFOFISH International 3/2020 ● www.infofish.org