The university has acted as convenor for 12 research institutions throughout the world which have been involved in compiling 'The State of the Tropics' report, which examines a range of indicators, including the environment, governance, life expectancy, health, poverty, gender equality and education.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is due to launch the report in Yangon on June 29, the university said in a June 10 news release, which highlighted new research that raises concerns about the environmental impact and sustainability of fishing in tropical waters.

The research is outlined in study titled 'Wild Marine Catch' taken from the 'The State of the Tropics' report, the news release said.

The study reveals that between 1950 and 2011 the global wild marine catch increased from 16 million to 79 million tonnes, and that the tropics accounted for about two million tonnes of the wild marine catch in 1950 (12 percent) but this had risen to 32 million tonnes (42 percent) in 2010.

The wild marine catch in Southeast Asia has risen from less than one million tonnes in 1950 to more than 18 million tonnes in 1980, with Indonesia accounting for most of the increase (up by 4.7 million tonnes), followed by China (up by 3 million tonnes), the Philippines (up by 2.2 million tonnes) and Vietnam (up by 2 million tonnes), the study found.

Between 1988 and 2010, the wild marine catch had increased by 450,000 tonnes a year, but the rate of increase in the tropics had fallen since 1996.

The study says the slower growth in the rate of expansion of fisheries reflects evidence that most commercially viable wild fisheries have been exploited and many of the world's fisheries are severely overfished.