The economic procurement of marine commodities from fisheries is crucial to trade and consumption by Asean member states and is instrumental for the preservation of food security in the region, which is fundamental to the livelihood of millions of people and is increasing in demand.
However, the ever-growing depletion of marine resources threatens Asean’s marine industrial complex, exacerbating the region’s food insecurity.
The Asia Foundation found that 64% of the fisheries’ resource base in Asean is at a medium to high risk of significant depletion. Malaysia’s domestic fish supply is dwindling by about 20-30%, and importing marine products from member states is becoming more restricted, increasing food prices and worsening the shortage, which disrupts the country’s resources and the livelihood of millions. This issue requires restitution for both Asean and Malaysia.
A holistic interpretation of food security must be adopted to meet the demand of Southeast Asian consumers. Fisheries not only account for 9% of global fish exports but significantly depend on these collections internally.
The issues plaguing Asean serve to undermine maritime security and as a consequence asphyxiate the region’s food security. The region is experiencing significant stress in meeting demand due to disrupted supply chains and global economic stagnation. This calls for an immediate, concentrated policy resolution to solve the internal strife brought about in the area of maritime to ensure greater fortification for the foreseeable future.
Asean has demonstrated historic efforts to offset food insecurity by initiating security arrangements in its 2016-2020 fishery plan of action by enacting policy arrangements to strengthen food security.
However, bureaucratic incoordina-tion at the Malaysian domestic substrate and an ever-growing presence of outside threats and internal and geopolitical issues are overwhelming Asean’s regional cooperation at the international level, causing stagnation in the area of maritime security.
Immediate development in Malaysia and Asean security issues in the area of maritime policy is needed for the adoption of a consolidated and holistic framework that would strengthen pre-existing policy initiatives to ensure more efficacious conservation efforts as it better delineates and clarifies the marine responsibilities of member states.
There are significant challenges that continue to put Asean and Malaysia under significant duress. Maritime piracy instigated by foreign entities has economically ravaged the marine economy, with the exploitation of Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone, contributing dramatically to the nation’s food insecurity due to under management and weakening defence forces.
The effects of climate change have considerably worsened oceanic pollution, and weather disruptions have affected fish habitats and catches.
The Strategic Plan of Action on Asean Cooperation on Fisheries 2021-2025 is inadequate as there is yet to be the inclusion of policy manoeuvres promoting the recovery of fish stocks in the South China Sea. Maritime experts have advised Malaysia to consider the consolidation of a wider security framework as it suffers from under-developed international cooperation from its maritime neighbours, finding it strenuously difficult to thwart large-scale illegal fishing and address the ramifications of climate change.
An Asean Common Fisheries Policy, modelled after the European Union’s marine policies, would streamline and harmonise pre-existing policy initiatives to ensure greater coordination, incorporating precise, newfound strategies on conservation in order to preserve marine products.
Source : The Sun Daily
