In an effort to strengthen the collaboration on fisheries management with other Coral Triangle countries such as the Philippines, the Department of Fisheries Sabah (DOF-Sabah) Malaysia paid a courtesy visit to the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) central office today, April 27, to discuss the bureau’s programs on Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs) and NFRDI’s Fisheries Vulnerability Assessment Tool (FishVool).
Members of the bureau and representatives from other national agencies welcomed the delegates from DOF Sabah composed of Dr. Norasma Dacho, Deputy Director of Fisheries (Operations), Mr. Talip Hasan, Senior Principal Assistant Director (Planning Unit) and Ms. Sylvia Michael, Fisheries Officer.
The Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) is a multilateral partnership of six countries namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste (called as CT6) which aims to preserve and manage the vast marine, coastal and small islands ecosystems, and the unique biodiversity of corals in Indo Pacific region that provides invaluable livelihood and food security.
DA-BFAR as the co-Chair of the Philippine National CTI-CFF is supporting the partnership’s objectives to improve integrated and sustainable management of our fisheries resources, focusing on priority species that are vital for food security and national economic growth, against threats such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and seafood fraud.