Regional Workshop on

“National and Regional

Good Practices in Seafood

Traceability in Asia to

Combat IUU Fishing”

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Presenter: Ong YihangPost-Harvest Technology DepartmentAgri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore

Kochi, India

22-24 March 2016

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• Overview of Finfish Production in Singapore

• Current status of traceability systems

– Good Aquaculture Practice for Fish Farming

– Product recall system

– ASEAN Catch Documentation Scheme

• Efforts to promote seafood traceability

– Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs)

– Issues and challenges in implementing traceability systems

– Future Plans

Content

Total Finfish Production (2014) contribute to 8% of

local consumption

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Overview of Finfish Production

in Singapore

Finfish Production in Singapore 2014

Finfish

Production

figures

(Tonnes)

Value

(million dollars)

Coastal Fish Farm 3,670 17.5

Land based Fish Farm 535 6.0

Fish Landings (Catch) 1434 12.8

East Johor Strait

West Johor Strait

Southern Islands

Asian seabass

Mullet

Brown marbled grouper

Estuarine grouper

Milkfish

Golden snapper

Red snapper

Pompano

Golden trevally

Asian seabass

Overview of Aquaculture in Singapore

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West Johor StraitsWest Johor Straits

East Johor StraitsEast Johor Straits

Designated Fish Farming Areas

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Role of AVA

• National Authority

• Administer Fisheries Act (Chapter 111)

• Licenses Fishing Vessels

• Licenses Coastal and Land-based Farms

• Administer Sale of Food Act (Chapter 283)

• Technical Assistance

• Good farm management practices

• Manage animal diseases

• Monitoring water quality

• Promoting local produce

• Research & Development

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Current Status of Traceability System

Singapore leverages on the following programmes:

• Fisheries Act

• Good Aquaculture Practice for Fish Farming (GAP-FF)

• Recall system of AVA licensed fish establishments /processors

• ASEAN Catch Documentation Scheme

• Others measures to curb IUU

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Current Status of Traceability System

• Fisheries Act Review

• Training course on “Vessel Inspection and Enforcement

Measures Against IUU Fishing” with Australian

Fisheries Management Agency (AFMA):

� Jan 2015, 5 days

� 24 participants from 10 ASEAN countries

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Current Status of Traceability System

Objectives:

• Promote responsible management practices in food fish farming

• Provide the basis and framework to implement elements of

traceability

Good Aquaculture Practice for Fish Farming (GAP-FF)

Implementation:

• Voluntary scheme launched in August 2014

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Current Status of Traceability System

Traceability via GAP-FF:

• Documentation of all farming activities such as:

- fish species

- culture/stocking period

- source of stock

- movement of fish

• Must stock fish from known origin

• Records and invoices of incoming fish stocks are to be kept for

verification and audit purposes

• Use of dry formulated pelleted feed that can be traced to source

Good Aquaculture Practice for Fish Farming (GAP-FF)

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Current Status of Traceability System

• Under the Sales of Food Act, AVA-licensed fish establishments/

processors are GMP/ HACCP-certified

- proper documented records for all incoming raw materials and

all outgoing finished products

• Licensing condition required to have a recall system in place to

remove marketed consumer products

• Enables manufacturer to remove any unsafe products along the

food supply chain in order to safeguard public health

Product recall system of fish establishments /processors

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Current Status of Traceability System

• ACDS is a traceability system

• Aim

• Prevent entry of IUU fishing products into supply

chain

• Providing for Traceability

• As a harmonised CDS to facilitate intra-regional

trade

• Singapore is the lead country for the development of

ACDS

ASEAN Catch Documentation Scheme (ACDS)

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Other Efforts to Combat IUU

Port State Measures

• Unloading and loading of fish can only take place at

designated ports.

• Advanced notification of arrival (NOA) at least 12

hours before arrival.

• Vessels involved in IUU fishing activities denied entry.

• Singapore continues to strengthen our port State

measures.

• Information sharing with Indonesia: Capture of IUU

vessel Viking

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Other Efforts to Combat IUU

• SEAFDEC Council Chair 2014-2015

• Lead country for development of:

� ASEAN Guidelines for Preventing the Entry of Fish

and Fishery Products from IUU Fishing Activities

into the Supply Chain

� ASEAN Catch Documentation Scheme

SEAFDEC

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Efforts to promote traceability

• Encourage farms to keep proper records for traceability

purposes e.g. digitization of records

• Educate farmers to stock traceable hatchery produced fry or

fingerlings

• Promote use of dry pelleted feeds from traceable sources

• Educate consumers about produce from GAP-FF-certified

farms

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RFMOs

• Non-contracting party cooperating with CCAMLR:

� Monitoring of the toothfish trade through limited access

to e-CDS

� Working with CCAMLR Secretariat to achieve

compliance to CCAMLR CDS

� Deny entry and use of port services by CCAMLR IUU-

listed fishing vessels

• Non-contracting party cooperating with ICCAT and

IOTC

� Singapore-flagged vessels comply with RFMO measures

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Issues and Challenges

• Implementing traceability

- Limited resources of small holder farmers

- Consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for products

traceability

- Limited Trained Fisheries Inspection Officers

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Recommendations

• Future Plans

- Promote the uptake of GAP-FF among farms

- Expand GAP-FF scheme to include local hatcheries

- Promote local produce from GAP-FF-certified farms

- Capability Building in Traceability amongst stakeholders

in the supply chain

- Enhance consumer awareness on important of traceable

seafood

- Regional Cooperation to curb IUU and promote

Traceability Systems

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Thank You