Global Ecolabelling Certification Standards and ASEAN Fisheries: Can Fisheries Legislations in ASEAN Countries Support the Fisheries Certification?

Abstract

Fisheries, particularly small-scale fisheries, in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries are an important source of food security, nutrition, and livelihood for people. However, high fishing pressure and other impacts have resulted in a decline of fisheries resources, questioning the future sustainability of fisheries. Ecolabelling is a tool developed based on the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Guideline for Ecolabelling of Fish and Fisheries Products from Marine/Inland Fisheries. In the past decades, only a few fisheries in ASEAN countries have been certified. This study particularly focuses on the legal frameworks of these countries and reviews the existing national fisheries legislation, including laws, acts, decrees, directives, rules, and regulations in ASEAN countries in relation to the requirement of the fisheries certification standards. The review reveals that although the legal frameworks in ASEAN member states generally provide a fair basis for their fisheries to meet the requirement of the fisheries certification standards, further improvements are required to incorporate the concept of adaptive management, precautionary approaches, and reference points on fishery management objectives. Monitoring, control, and surveillance of fisheries and other enforcement activities for fisheries legislations are other challenges to ensure sustainability of fisheries through fisheries certification.

Leadership as the Main Driving Factor of Regional Sustainable Development Cooperation: A Case Study of ASEAN Tuna Ecolabelling (ATEL)

“…Research shows that several factors strengthen the implementation of regional eco-labels, including public management, communication strategies, criteria for sustainable public procurement, and regional income per capita to international trade incentives. The application of fisheries eco-labels in the ASEAN region also supports the need for the application of fisheries eco-labels in the Southeast Asian region [20]. ASEAN countries are generally oriented towards the international legal framework of sustainable fish management.…”

“…In addition, fisheries monitoring, control and supervision, and synchronization of fisheries regulations are needed to support the certification process. The research was carried out before ATEL was approved at the ASEAN Ministerial level [20].…”

Impact of ASEAN-China free trade area on fishery value chain based on difference-in-difference method

“…Meyer (1995) discussed this method in detail. 6 Feld Stein (1995) used this method to explore the impact of tax rates and tax reform. 7 Tan Zhibo, Zhou Li an and Zhao Yue (2015) used the DID model to study the impact of the reform in provincial management of counties on counties and cities.…”

“…http://www.wiod.org/database/wiots13 6. Meyer B., "Natural and Quasi-Experiments in Economics", Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 1995, 13(2): 151-161 7.…”

Parameterising and Adapting Ecosystem Service Models in Data Sparse Regions: Gaps, Guidelines, and an Application in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

“…Nearly 15% of the world's tropical forests are in SEA (Estoque et al, 2019) and SEA was one of the world's biggest providers of forest products in 2004 (ADB, 2009). The region also supplied an estimated 21.6% of the global fishery production (42.2 million metric tonnes) in 2014 (Lieng et al, 2018) and accounted for ~7.7% and 15% of the agricultural production in the world and Asia respectively in 2016 (IFPRI, 2019). Other important economic activities in the region include offshore oil and gas production and tourism (IPBES, 2018).…”