Investment, insurance and risk management for aquaculture development.

The Bangkok Declaration and Strategy for Aquaculture Development Beyond 2000stressed that adequate investment in aquaculture is essential for its futuredevelopment. It identifies several constraints on this investment and makesrecommendations for addressing the issues involved. For example, it recognizesthe risk and uncertainty associated with returns from investment in aquacultureto be an important constraint on aquaculture investment. This is particularly sobecause insurance markets only provide very limited coverage for aquaculturists.Since 2000, research has been undertaken by the Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations (FAO) to address many of the issues raisedin the Bangkok Declaration. This process has not been straightforward becausemost of the objectives for investment in aquaculture set out in this declarationare indicative rather than operational. In addition, some constraints which arenot mentioned in the Bangkok Declaration have started to seriously impedeaquaculture development. Economic growth generally and the expansion ofaquaculture itself have resulted in increased scarcity of resources vital for the growth of aquaculture.