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Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) was formed in 1989 in response to the growing
interdependence among Asia-Pacific economies. Begun as an informal
dialogue group with limited participation, APEC has since become
the primary regional vehicle for promoting open trade and practical
economic cooperation. Its goal is to advance Asia-Pacific economic
dynamism and sense of community. The Asia-Pacific is experiencing
the most striking economic growth in the world. It is a major
contributor to global prosperity and stability. Today, APEC includes
all the major economies of the region and the most dynamic, fastest
growing economies in the world. APEC's 18 member economies had
a combined Gross Domestic Product of over US$13 trillion in 1995,
approximately 55 percent of total world income and 46 percent
of global trade.
APEC recognizes
that regional prosperity depends on sustaining a healthy environment.
In this regard, APEC has included environmental cooperation
among its priorities. NMFS participates actively in APEC Working
Groups on Fisheries and Marine Resource conservation.
The objectives
of the Fisheries Working Group (FWG) are to promote the conservation
and sustainable use of fisheries resources; sustainable development
of aquaculture and habitat preservation; to seek solutions to
common fisheries resource management problems and aquaculture
disease control; to enhance food safety and quality of fish
and fisheries products; and to promote sector-specific work
relating to trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.
In June 1997, the
NMFS Office of Protected Resources sponsored a workshop in Mexico
on "Reef-Destructive Fishing with a Focus on Cyanide Fishing
and the Live Reef Fish Trade." The Workshop was held in
conjunction with the 8th Meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) Fishery Working Group (FWG). Cyanide is used
for the live capture of reef fish for Asian restaurants or for
the aquarium trade, in the process killing corals and associated
reef organisms that are exposed to the poison. The workshop
brought together representatives from the major live reef fish
producing economies (e.g., Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand)
with the major importers (e.g., Hong Kong, China, and Chinese
Taipei - for live food fish; the United States - for marine
aquarium fish). Regional experts from the World Bank, non-governmental
organizations, industry and government made presentations and
the FWG delegates drafted a resolution
condemning the use of cyanide and urging support for cooperative
efforts to address the problem.
The Marine Resource
Conservation (MRC) Working Group was launched in 1990. The objective
of the working group is to promote initiatives in the APEC region
which will protect the marine environment and its resources
and ensure continuing socioeconomic benefits through maintenance
of marine environmental quality. In December 1997, the MRC Working
Group sponsored a follow-up technical workshop on the Impacts
of Destructive Fishing Practices on the Marine Environment which
built upon the NMFS-sponsored FWG workshop.
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