Fishing is a vital economic activity in Myanmar, particularly in the coastal regions and states. The fishery and livestock sectors are considered to be the most important after agriculture in meeting the protein needs of the population, enhancing food security, and providing employment and livelihoods in rural communities. In 2018, the livestock and fisheries sectors were estimated to account for a total of 8 per cent of annual GDP (Department of Planning 2018). Freshwater fisheries governance in Myanmar from the British colonial period onwards has focused consistently on revenue generation, resulting in a gradual reduction in small-scale fisher access to traditional fishing grounds and fuelling natural resource degradation and declines in fisheries’ production. In recent years this situation has triggered demands from small-scale fishers for more equitable access and sustainable resource use, through co-management.

Over the last ten years, freshwater fishery governance has steadily improved through structural changes and interactive processes. Through persistent lobbying, collaboration, engagement and trust-building by NGOs and CSOs, regional and state parliaments have promulgated freshwater fisheries laws in Rakhine, Mon, Bago, and Ayeyarwaddy regions that encapsulated pro-poor policies and created a legal basis for community fisheries co-management. Three interactive processes supported these reforms. Firstly, the civil society movement strengthened significantly, and in many areas, small-scale fishers demanded improved access to their traditional fishing grounds and recognition of their fishing rights. Secondly, the democratic transition created uncertainty for bureaucrats, policymakers, and the private sector who had previously controlled the fishery resource rents unchallenged. This opened the door for multi-stakeholder engagement initiatives and proactive engagement by small-scale fisher groups, associations and partnerships. Thirdly, the establishment of inter-state/ regional experience exchange platforms through the establishment of fishery partnerships, contributed to improvements in fishery laws and governance mechanisms. This supported the exchange of experiences between small-scale fishers but also introduced an element of competition amongst the different partnerships striving to achieve better policies and governance arrangements.

The fisheries sector in Myanmar can be categorised into three subsectors, each having separate legislation; freshwater fisheries (inland fisheries); marine fishery (off-shore and in-shore/coastal fisheries); and aquaculture.