In recent years, there has been increasing discussion as to the status of the inland fisheries of Southeast Asia. In recognition of the shortcomings of current inland fisheries information and statistics worldwide, a review of the status of inland fisheries statistics in Southeast Asia was commissioned by the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) in 2001. The consultant, Dr. David Coates visited Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand to discuss the issues concerning inland fisheries information and statistics with the authorities concerned. During this time the consultant was also able to collect the most recent information on the inland fisheries in these countries. In addition, the consultant also drew on considerable experience of inland fisheries in Cambodia, Lao PDR and VietNam for incorporation into this report.
The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author alone and do not imply any opinion whatsoever on the part of APFIC or FAO. The conclusions and recommendations as given in this report are considered appropriate at the time of its preparation, but may be subject to change in the light of subsequent information.
