In June 2007, SEAFDEC was informed on the endorsement by the 132nd Session of the FAO Council nominating SEAFDEC as the recipient of the Margarita Lizárraga Medal Award for the biennium 2006-2007. This award is given to SEAFDEC for its efforts in promoting the adoption of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) in the ASEAN Region. The Medal will be presented to SEAFDEC by the Director-General of FAO as part of the proceedings of the 34th Session of the Conference in November 2007.
Since the adoption of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries in 1995, SEAFDEC has implemented various activities to promote responsible fisheries in Southeast Asia. Starting with the regionalization of the global code into regional contexts and production of Regional Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries in Southeast Asia from 1998 to 2006 (covering responsible fishing operations, responsible aquaculture, responsible fisheries management, and responsible fisheries post-harvest practices and trade), this was followed by translation of the guidelines to national languages, and provision of HRD activities to support the implementation of responsible fisheries in the region. In addition, the principle of responsible fisheries has also been embedded in the SEAFDEC programs of activities from formulation until their implementation.
The Margarita Lizárraga Medal Award was established during the FAO Conference in 1997 in memory of Dr. Margarita Lizárraga, FAO Senior Fishery Liaison Officer, for her decisive role in promoting the CCRF and her productive work in the field of fisheries for nearly forty years particularly in developing countries. SEAFDEC Secretary-General Dr. Siri Ekamaharaj accompanied by SEAFDEC Special Advisor Dr. Yasuhisa Kato will receive the Medal Award on behalf of SEAFDEC and ASEAN Member Countries, from the FAO Director-General in Rome, Italy.
SEAFDEC, after receiving the Medal Award for the biennium 2006-2007, will now be part of the roll of Margarita Lizárraga Medal Awardees. The previous winners of the Medal Award were:
2005: The Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP)
Selected as the recipient of the Award for the biennium 2004-2005, AIDCP is an international agreement whose objective is to reduce dolphin mortality in the tuna purse-seine fishery in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and to ensure the sustainability of tuna stocks and associated species in the ecosystem. The Parties to the Agreement are Bolivia, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, the European Union, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, the United States, Vanuatu and Venezuela. The AIDCP has been an unqualified success and has diligently applied the relevant principles set forth in the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, in particular those aspects relating to the precautionary approach and the utilization of fishing gear and techniques which minimize the catch of non-target species and allowed for the enormous reduction in dolphin mortality that was achieved. AIDCP was also commended for its active involvement with the fishing industry and environmental non-governmental organizations, which constituted a successful and exemplary interaction among the various stakeholders.
2003: The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF)
The Medal Award for the biennium 2002-2003 was presented to the India-based ICSF, an International NGO working on issues that concern fishworkers all over the world. The medal was presented to ICSF in recognition of its comprehensive, sustainable and catalytic initiatives in support of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, through workshops, outreach and advocacy activities, as well as by mobilizing grassroots support and enhancing human capacity building, particularly in developing countries.
2001: The Canadian Responsible Fisheries Board and its Secretariat
The Canadian Responsible Fisheries Board and its Secretariat received the Medal Award for the biennium 2000-2001 for its unprecedented grassroot approach to the development of a national Code of Conduct based on the FAO Code of Conduct, which is resulting in responsible fisheries management and new partnerships between industry and the Government in the fisheries sector.
1999: National Fisheries Solidarity (NAFSO) of Sri Lanka
NAFSO received the Medal Award for the biennium 1998-1999 for its outstanding and practical initiative in promoting and disseminating the Code. In particular, this NGO has taken very practical steps to translate the Code into the Sinhala language, to print it and distribute it. In addition, to ensure the application of the Code, NAFSO organized a series of meetings in fishing communities thereby promoting a better understanding of various aspects of the Code among poor, small scale fishing communities. Without this work, it is highly likely that these largely illiterate fishing communities would not have had access to the Code.