THE economic procuring of marine commodities from fisheries for the purposes of trade and consumption by Asean member states is instrumental to preserving food security in the region – fundamental to the livelihood of millions of people – given its increasing demand. The ever-growing depletion of marine resources threatens Asean’s marine industrial complex, exacerbating the region’s food insecurity. The Asia Foundation found that 64% of the fisheries’ resource base in Asean is at a medium to high risk of significant depletion.