NFI Crab Council Announces ASEAN FIP Protocol

The NFI Crab Council announces the first meeting designed to develop a FIP Protocol and potential Standard for wild-caught fisheries within the geo-political ASEAN region. A partnership of Southeast Asian countries for economic growth, ASEAN has been addressing sustainability issues through the USAID funded MARKET Project, Maximizing Agricultural Revenue Through Knowledge, Enterprise Development and Trade (MARKET). First proposed by the NFI Crab Council’s Asia Liaison Jeremy Crawford, the resulting process will be managed under the MARKET Project to further contribute towards food security in Southeast Asia.

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Crawford believes work on standardizing an ASEAN FIP Protocol is a landmark moment for crab sustainability. “Until now, Asia’s main crab exporting countries have been working individually towards better maintaining their fisheries,” said Crawford. “An ASEAN FIP standard will unify Blue Swimming Crab efforts and elevates crab sustainability to a multi-national level.”

Held December 16th, the first ASEAN FIP Protocol meeting was attended by stakeholders from the public, private and scientific communities. Representatives from the Crab Council’s in-country associations in Indonesia (APRI) and the Philippines (PACPI) were present as well as key environmental NGO’s such as Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and WWF.

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Timothy Moore, USAID’s Deputy Chief of Party for the MARKET Project, says the  FIP talks have given additional strength to MARKET’s food growth goals. “Economic and food development depend on stable resources,” said Moore. “The Blue Swimming Crab fishery provides jobs and meals to thousands throughout Southeast Asia. Efforts to help ensure that crab remains a dynamic mainstay of the ASEAN food picture are important.”