biodiversity. They play an important role at every
stage of the life cycle of an aquatic animal from
hatching to harvesting and processing, and thus are
essential to ensuring sustainable and healthy
aquatic production. They can also stimulate increased
market supply and private investments, as such
frameworks support farmers’ ability for efficient
production of healthy products that are highly
competitive in the market, thus increasing their
incomes, improving their resilience and enabling
them to effectively respond to the impacts of pro-
duction risks.
While significant developments have taken place in
many countries with regard to managing aquatic
animal health, the current trend towards intensifi-
cation, expansion and diversification of aquatic food
production continues to present many challenges.
Countries should consistently carry out effective
biosecurity measures at both farm and policy levels
to: reduce the risks from emerging threats brought
about by expanding species for aquaculture and
improving production efficiency; prevent, control
and eliminate diseases in a timely manner; and
respond to consumers' increasing concerns for
healthy and nutritious aquatic production, food
safety, ecosystems integrity and animal welfare.
Ecosystem approach
Many rural households depend heavily on aquatic
ecosystems as a source of essential nutrients in
their food supply. Rapidly growing populations and
changes in agronomic practices have however often
resulted in increased use of pesticides and fertilizers
in agricultural activities in order to produce more
food in less space. This development is in many
cases threatening the food and nutrition security of
populations, as biodiversity might be reduced in
ecosystems affected by intensive agriculture, such
as rice cultivation. Traditional cultivation of rice
crops under flooded conditions provides an excellent
environment for aquatic organisms such as fish
(Halwart, 2007). Intensive rice farming has increased
production and reduced the price of this essential
commodity, but at the same time the aquatic biodi-
versity in the rice fields is inevitably being reduced.
Poor populations, who traditionally obtained a sig-
nificant part of their dietary diversity from this
aquatic environment, are threatened. The aquatic
ecosystem, such as rice fields, have been reported
to provide more than 1 00 aquatic species such as
fish, molluscs, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, and
plants in Cambodia (Balzeret al., 2005), many of
which are collected and utilized on a daily basis by
rural households (Halwart and Bartley, 2007). These
species are excellent sources of essential nutrients,
such as proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamin A,
calcium, iron, zinc and other micronutrients, defi-
cient in many diets (James, 2006).International frameworks
In order to secure a sustainable use of aquatic
resources, it has been important to identify rights
and responsibilities of states who manage fisheries
resources. In the mid-1 970 s, exclusive economic
zones (EEZs) were widely introduced, and in 1982
the United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea provided a new framework for the better man-
agement of marine resources. Growing population
and increasing demand for fish and fishery products
has increased investments in fishing fleets and
processing facilities, leading to a rapid and uncon-
trolled exploitation of limited fishery resources. In
order to address the concerns related to responsible
and sustainable fisheries, FAO was requested
to prepare an international Code of Conduct for
Responsible Fisheries (FAO, 1995).
The Code was finally adopted in 1995 by the FAO Con-
ference, and provides a framework for national and
international efforts to ensure sustainable exploita-
tion of aquatic living resources in harmony with the
environment. The Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries establishes principles and standards appli-
cable to tile conservation, management and develop-
ment of all fisheries, in a non-mandatory manner.99