"We have to conserve our fishery resources not only for this generation but for the generations to come," Indonesian Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi said at the opening of the meeting.

He cited various studies which have warned that the world's fish stocks would be depleted by the middle of the century if no measures were taken and added that illegal fishing was mainly to blame for the unsustainable fishing.

"Much of the illegal fishing is done by international crime syndicates, and not by traditional fishermen," Numberi said.

Australian ambassador Bill Farmer said regional cooperation was needed to tackle the problem of dwindling fish stocks.

"We do face a common issue, the depletion of fishery stocks... many of us have concerns over the future of fisheries," Farmer said in his opening speech.

Farmer said the meeting and the conference next year would talks about ways to promote sustainable, responsible fishing in the region and added that "joint action is the best way for us to address this problem."

"We have to address unsustainable (fishing) practices, we have to address illegal practices," he said, adding he hoped regional cooperation would produce "practicable, workable solutions over time".

The conference is due to address priority areas, including assessment of fish stocks and the scope of over-fishing and illegal fishing in the region as well as finding best practices to reduce them.

The two-day meeting this week will assess priority areas for capacity building and the development of a regional monitoring, control and surveillance network.

Some 45 officials from Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam and several observer groups are taking part in the meeting.

earlier related report
Climate change affecting British marine environment: report
London (AFP) Nov 29 - Major shifts in the British marine environment are being partially driven by climate change, according to a report out Wednesday. Rising sea surface temperatures are affecting marine ecosystems and marine climate change will have important consequences for the biological diversity, cleanliness, safety and commercial productivity of British waters, the report said.

The findings were published in a first annual report by the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership, which provides decision-makers with evidence on the impact of marine climate change.

"The variety and distribution of marine species are being altered by climate change, although it is not the only factor," the report said.

"Cold-water species of plankton, fish and intertidal invertebrates are retreating northwards around the UK and the ranges of southern species are expanding.

"Fishing pressure remains the principal cause of changes in the abundance of most fish species, but climate has probably also played a role in some cases."

Populations of fish traditionally found in British waters, such as cod, will continue to decline but could be replaced by species usually found in warmer climes, it predicted.

Reacting to the report, climate change minister Ian Pearson said climate change was "the biggest environmental issue" faced by the world.

"There is a lot we still do not understand about the impact climate change will have on our oceans, but the report card gives us at a glance the latest scientific knowledge which will improve our understanding and our capacity to act," he added.

Prime Minister Tony Blair's government is expected to publish a long-awaited bill on tackling climate change within the next year.

The main opposition Conservatives have forced climate change up the domestic political agenda in the 11 months under new leader David Cameron, who has made green issues a priority for the party.

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