A researcher checks instruments on the MV SEAFDEC 2. Pic: Aung Tun Win

MYANMAR has been invited to submit a proposal to the Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Centre (SEAFDEC) for a survey of marine resources in local waters next year.

It would be the second such survey conducted by the centre in Myanmar.

A study of 17 local fishing blocks was conducted from February 11 to March 11 this year by a team of marine experts aboard the MV SEAFDEC 2 research vessel.

According to team member U Myint Pe, the assistant director of the Fisheries Resources Conservation Unit under the Department of Fisheries, the catch during this year’s trip was lower than those during previous surveys conducted by the Myanmar government in the 1990s.

“Myanmar conducted research on fish resources in 1996 and 1998 using the catch from fishing vessels. Back then the catch was 96.12 kilogram an hour while with SEAFDEC it was 85.92 kilograms,” he said.

U Myint Pe said the amount of decline was small compared with other nations in the same period, indicating that Myanmar still possessed sufficient resources for commercial fishing.

The SEAFDEC study was conducted in three phases, each eight days long: in delta-region fishing grounds, in fishing grounds near shore and in deep-sea fishing areas.

“We found abundant populations of deep-sea squid at depths of 400 to 2000 metres,” U Myint Pe said. “We also found plenty of swordfish, which can fetch a good price on the European market.”

“SEAFDEC suggested that we focus on studying species with commercial potential if we do a survey next year,” he said.