Just like people need regular health checkups, a protected area needs regular assessments to make sure it's performing successfully. FISHBIO staff made this point during a recent workshop we hosted in Vientiane, Lao PDR, with the Lao Department of Livestock and Fisheries. The workshop served as a kick-off for a project to create a guidebook for assessing Fish Conservation Zones (FCZs) in Lao PDR with funding from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.

The goals of the workshop were to introduce the project to a broad group of stakeholders working on FCZs, and also to receive input from workshop participants on relevant indicators of FCZ success that they felt should be included in the guidebook. These indicators are like the vital signs of a healthy FCZ, and could include measurements such as fish abundance, community standard of living, or the level of FCZ regulation enforcement. The workshop was attended by more than 20 groups representing non-profit, government, and private sectors in Lao PDR, as well as two members of Conservation International in Cambodia, and a researcher from Charles Sturt University in Australia... Read more >

Many people associate the term "fisheries" with boats on the ocean, but substantial fishing also takes place in rivers, lakes, and wetlands. These "inland fisheries" are often overlooked, but are important for food security, recreation, and livelihoods, especially in developing countries. Regardless of whether an inland fishery is large or small, it likely faces challenges regionally or globally. Many external factors can threaten inland fisheries, such as degraded water quality, rapid development in watersheds, and competition for water resources. Given the growing human population and our demand for both freshwater and fisheries resources, it will be increasingly important to effectively manage and sustain these fisheries.

The Global Conference on Inland Fisheries, held in Rome in January 2015, was hosted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Michigan State University to assess challenges and take stock of inland fisheries world-wide. The outcome of this meeting was synthesized in a recent publication called The Rome Declaration: Ten Steps to Responsible Inland Fisheries , which outlines a recommended path towards sustainable inland fisheries... Read more >