Myanmar is the 17th largest producer of saltwater fish in the world. Myanmar’s fisheries sector plays a key sector in the country’s economy and national food security. Roughly, the fisheries sector contributes to two percent of Myanmar’s gross domestic product (GDP), 50 percent of animal protein consumption, more than 56 percent of the income of some coastal regions, where unemployment ranges from 6 percent to 34 percent, and regional and state governments. Many Myanmar people depend on the saltwater fisheries sector for their socio-economic life.
The Department of Fisheries is working with the vision of not only ensuring fish food security for the current population but also ensuring sustainable fish resources for future generations. As part of its efforts to achieve these goals, the Department of Fisheries is cooperating in measures for development of fisheries on assessing the availability of fish resources and production in the waters for offshore fishing including the Exclusive Economic Zone. The department had also been a key partner in previous research and assessment activities of the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project.
As part of the EAF-Nasen Programme funded by the The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, it observed and conducted a survey on Myanmar’s fish resource from 1979 to 2018. In doing so, the survey was conducted during the late monsoon period from September to November in 1979, the early monsoon period from March to April in 1980, the late monsoon period from November to December in 2013, the early monsoon period in June, 2015 and the monsoon period from August to September in 2018. These surveys showed a significant decrease in the abundance of pelagic and demersal fish compared to the results in 1988.
The average surface fish abundance in 1979-80 was estimated at one million tonnes but in 2013-2015 and 2018, it was only 160,000 tonnes. The current surface fish abundance has decreased by about 80% compared to 1979-80. The availability of bottomfish resources has also decreased by 60% compared to 1979-80. The average bottomfish abundance in 1979-80 was estimated at 750,000 tonnes but in 2013-2015 and 2018, it was only 310,000 tonnes. Similarly, the changes in the abundance of bottom fish between the 1979-80 and 2013-18 research periods were also found to be a significant decline in long-lived and economically important fish species, while some short-lived and less valuable fish species, such as Tetraodontidae, red lionfish, Platycephalus, were increasing. The results of the 1979-1980 research and the 2013-2018 research showed that many economically important fish species declined significantly while some less valuable fish species increased significantly.
Threats of plastic
One of the reasons for the scarcity of marine resources in Myanmar’s coastline is plastic waste. Plastic waste reaches the bottom of the sea and destroys plants, algae, and fungi that are the food source for marine life, posing a serious threat to marine life. According to a survey conducted by the Fauna & Flora International (FFI), a wildlife and natural resources conservation organization, and Thant Myanmar, about 119 tons of plastic are entering the beaches of the Ayeyawady Delta every day. The upper Ayeyarwady region receives 58 tons of plastic pollution per day while the lower delta region receives 32 tons of plastic pollution and Yangon 29 tons. The plastic waste found includes soft plastic items including food packaging containers and single-use plastic shopping bags. Studies have also shown that the amount of plastic pollution is 17 times higher in the rainy season than in the summer. This is because the plastic waste that accumulates on riverbanks is washed away by the currents during the rainy season and then flows into the sea through rivers and creeks.
Microplastic particles have been found in the Bay of Bengal, which borders Myanmar. A 2018 study by the Fridjof Nansen research vessel found that plastic pollution in the Bay of Bengal reached 28,000 particles per square kilometer.
Plastic pollution is not only an environmental problem but also a global health problem for humans. It is also a health threat to humans, who catch and eat marine animals that mistake large amounts of plastic particles for food. Around 11.2 billion tons of plastic waste are thrown away around the world every year, of which about eight million tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans and seas, polluting the seabed and posing an even greater threat to marine life, according to researchers. According to studies by the Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and its partners, between 400,000 and one million people die each year from plastic and related waste.
Nutrition for humans
However, experts say that fish is an important source of protein for people’s daily protein needs. It is also said that the vitamin D contained in fish helps to protect against infections and improve immunity. Fish contains protein and fat that most consumers need, which can be found in fish rich in omega-3 unsaturated fats, small fish that can eat many scales, shells and bones. The head, intestines and spine, which make up a portion of the total fish ranging 30 to 70 percent, are considered to be of low value, but they are also known to contain high nutritional value.
According to FAO statistics, 3.1 billion people worldwide depend on fish for 20 percent of their total animal protein intake. In 1961, global per capita fish consumption was 9 kilograms, but today it has increased to 20 kilograms. Fish plays an important role in combating hunger and malnutrition, and fish nutrition can provide consumers with healthy fats, omega-3 unsaturated fats, calcium and minerals in addition to meat. Therefore, fish is a food that can be purchased and consumed at an affordable price for everyone in order to obtain the protein necessary for people’s physical health, mental health and intellectual development.
Many people are facing increasing incidences of diseases due to their different lifestyles. Experts have pointed out that it is necessary to consume fish to control such diseases and chronic diseases. According to the experts, while people are confined to their homes due to the outbreak of diseases, eating fish is beneficial for health (especially for improving immunity) to achieve a balanced nutrition from food. And, there are also educational articles urging people to eat fish. Thus, it is necessary to take serious measures to control plastic pollution in order to preserve aquatic animals and fish resources.