Two Fishing Gear Technologist from SEAFDEC Training Department (TD) participated in the “Regional Technical Meeting on Marine Debris, Abandoned, Lost or Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) in Southeast Asian Region” organized by SEAFDEC Marine Fishery Resources Development and Management Department (MFRDMD) from 21 to 23 January 2026 at Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

During the meeting, TD staff delivered two presentations entitled “Information Gathering to Estimate the Amount of ALDFG at Pilot Sites (Thailand)” by the Fishing Gear Technologist, Santiphong Putsa and “Development of Methods on Marking of Fishing Gears and Promotion on Marking of Fishing Gears” by Fishing Technology Section Head (FTSH), Nakaret Yasuk.

The meeting aims to share the current status experiences, policies, and ongoing initiatives of marine debris and ALDFG among ASEAN Member States, discuss and develop draft regional technical guideline for ALDFG management and countermeasures in Southeast Asia, and strengthen regional cooperation and partnerships to reduce marine debris and support sustainable fishery management.

The Regional Collaborative Research and Capacity Building for Monitoring and Reduction of Marine Debris from Fisheries in Southeast Asia project is supported by the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).