Two-Day SAARC Regional Meeting Begins in Male for Sustainable Marine Fisheries Management

A two-day SAARC regional consultation meeting, aimed at sustainable management and strengthening regional cooperation for commercially important marine finfish in South Asia, concluded today (Thursday) in Male, the capital of Maldives. Initiated on Wednesday, July 1, the high-level meeting brought together policymakers, senior fisheries officers, researchers, and representatives of development partner organizations from SAARC member nations. The event was jointly organized by the SAARC Agriculture Centre, the Ministry of Fisheries, Agricultural and Ocean Resources of Maldives, and 'Shushilan'—a coastal-based non-governmental development organization from Bangladesh.

Mohamed Muththalib, State Minister of the Ministry of Fisheries, Agricultural and Ocean Resources of Maldives, graced the inaugural session as the chief guest. He highlighted the critical role of the fisheries sector in ensuring food security and tackling climate change impacts, emphasizing that sustainable resource management and regional cooperation are indispensable.

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enowned fisheries scientist and Professor at Bangladesh Maritime University, Dr. Md. Abdul Wahab, presented the keynote paper titled 'Marine Finfish in South Asia: Current Management Scenario and Prospects for Cooperation'. He identified overexploitation, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, climate change, and marine habitat degradation as major challenges to South Asian fisheries, calling for urgent, coordinated regional initiatives.

Tanveer Ahmed Torafdar, Director (ARD & SDF) of the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal, stressed the need for collective efforts among SAARC countries to boost joint research, seafood processing, value addition, and women's participation in the fisheries sector. In his welcome address, Dr. Md. Harun-ur-Rashid, Director of the SAARC Agriculture Centre, stated that establishing a specialized marine management platform under the SAARC Agriculture Centre is a timely necessity.

Mostafa Nuruzzaman, Chief Executive of 'Shushilan', observed that marine finfish significantly contribute to food security, coastal livelihoods, and regional economies in South Asia, making integrated conservation essential. Dr. Md. Shariful Islam, the event coordinator and Senior Program Specialist (Fisheries) at the SAARC Agriculture Centre in Dhaka, stated that the prime objective of the consultation is to reinforce regional cooperation by facilitating knowledge exchange, policy dialogues, and identifying priority areas for joint R&D among SAARC member states.

//DBTech/ABM/EK//