30 September 2009 the fisheries and aquaculture sectors include the invitation extended by the Malaysian government to host the headquarters of international organizations such as the WorldFish Center and Asian Fishereis Society in Malaysia. These world-renowned organizations are expected to further encourage the growth of the fisheries industry in Malaysia through their various research and academic programs. • Last but not least, aggressive marketing, branding and seafood product promotions locally and overseas. Conclusions Despite having adequate national aquaculture plans and policies, Malaysia is still far from achieving the target of 600,000 t of aquaculture production by 2010. Problems and issues impeding growth of this food production sector such as land issues, disease and food safety, finances, technology and labor issues and the lack of efficient marketing strategies are common to many developing countries with a growing aquaculture industry and these issues have been previously highlighted and discussed in detail (Ng 2009). According to industry sources, there were only 13 active aquafeed mills in Malaysia in 2007 with a total aquafeed production of about 100,000 t. This level of feed production will not be able to support the anticipated expansion of the aquaculture industry in Malaysia. Projected commercial aquafeed requirements when the NAP3 aquaculture production targets are achieved is about 601,000 t (Table 1). Nevertheless, these are indeed exciting though challenging times for the aquaculture industry in Malaysia. Malaysian government policies favoring the growth of this industry will go a long way in helping the country achieve her targets of both national food security and to increase foreign exchange earnings through seafood exports. In this era of higher consumer awareness of food safety and quality issues, it is clear that effective government institutions are crucial for the responsible development of the local aquaculture industry and to make Malaysian seafood products globally competitive. Investment opportunities abound for both local and international companies in all sectors of the aquaculture industry in Malaysia. In the not too distant future and with concerted efforts by both the government and private sector stakeholders, Malaysia may yet emerge as a major aquaculture producer in the world. Acknowledgements The contribution of the Department of Fisheries Malaysia to the aquaculture production estimates is gratefully acknowledged. The editorial efforts of Dr. Zuridah Merican and photo contributions by Mr. Abdullah Rahim are acknowledged with thanks. Note 1Fish Nutrition Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia, email: wkng@ usm.my References DOF. 2009. Annual Fisheries Statistics 2007. Department of Fisheries Malaysia, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries, Putrajaya, (www.dof.gov.my) FAO. 2006a. State of world aquaculture 2006. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 500. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. 134 pp. FAO. 2006b. Regional review on aquaculture development, 3. Asia and the Pacific. FAO Fisheries Circular No. 1017/3. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. 97 pp. Khoo, E.W. and Z. Merican. 2009. Expanding marine fish culture in Malaysia. Aqua Culture Asia Pacific, March/April Issue: 12-21. MOA. 1999. Third National Agricultural Policy (1998-2010) – a summary. Ministry of Agriculture, Putrajaya, Malaysia, 18 pp. Mohd Farid, O. 2006. Recent report on coastal/ marine aquaculture status in Malaysia. In: Workshop Proceedings, The Future of Mariculture – A Regional Approach for Responsible Development of Mariculture in the Asia-Pacific Region, China, 2006, 34 pp. Ng, W.K. 2009. Aquaculture industry in Malaysia and national food security. Pages 25-42 in A.C. Soh and H.S. Yong, editors. Food Security Malaysia. Academy of Sciences, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Orachunwong, C., S. Thammasart and C. Lohawatanakul. 2006. Aquafeed for caged marine fish in some Asian countries. Pages 119-137 in W.K. Ng and C.K. Ng, editors. Asian Aquafeeds: Current developments in the aquaculture feed industry. Malaysian Fisheries Society Occasional Publication No. 13, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Subramaniam, K. 2008. Marine shrimp in Malaysia. An opportunity to return to black tiger shrimp cultlure. Aqua Culture Asia Pacific 4:12-13.
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