FAO

A new DVD containing all FAO aquaculture publications prepared during the period 1999-2012 has been produced by the Aquaculture Service of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. More than six hundred publications related to aquaculture, including CD-ROMs, web-based products and newsletters have been published and distributed worldwide during that period, in both hard and electronic versions and in various FAO official languages. All these publications have been assembled on this DVD as Portable Document Format (PDF) files, in order to make them easily available, searchable and printable to all users. This application is readable in Windows, Linux and Mac environments. Users can easily search publications through the publication list or through a free text-based search engine which performs search on titles, abstracts, authors, keywords and year of publication. For further information and/or to request a copy of the DVD please contact: Mr Valerio Crespi

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FAO has awarded the Margarita Lizárraga Medal to La Organización del Sector Pesquero y Acuícola del Istmo Centroamericano ( OSPESCA ) in El Salvador. OSPESCA, a Regional Fishery Body, was selected in recognition of its significant contribution to sustainable fisheries and aquaculture development in the Central American countries* and considered a model intergovernmental organization, emulated in other regions for the catalytic effect of its achievements. OSPESCA's contribution to the application of the Code has been outstanding, practical, tangible and sustainable as well as motivating for other regions to follow. Ms Xinia Chavez Quiros, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica, accompanied by a delegation representing OSPESCA, was at FAO headquarters in Rome to receive the medal. In 1997 the FAO Conference instituted the Margarita Lizárraga Medal to be awarded every two years to a person or organization that has served with distinction in the application of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. The Medal pays tribute to Ms Margarita Lizárraga, Senior Fishery Officer, for her decisive role in promotion the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and her productive work in the field of fisheries for almost forty years, especially in developing countries. * Members of OSPESCA are Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama. The Dominican Republic has Associated State status.

Tuna is one of the most valuable fish commodities in the world. To help develop fisheries and aquaculture, the Ecuadorian Chamber of Manufacturers and Tuna Processors (CEIPA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FAO. The agreement specifically aims to promote food safety, contribute to innovation and technology, and build a more positive image of the sector in the country. Through the MoU, which will last four years, CEIPA and FAO will organize conferences and seminars with a view to strengthening consumer confidence and fostering fish consumption. CEIPA represents 18 companies of the tuna value chain in Ecuador and works to improve the working conditions of companies in this sector.

A summary of knowledge on the process of aquaculture site selection and carrying capacity estimates within an ecosystem approach to aquaculture (EAA) is now available online. "Site selection and carrying capacities for inland and coastal aquaculture" contains the proceedings of the FAO Expert Workshop on Site Selection and Carrying Capacities for Inland and Coastal Aquaculture held at the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, from 6 to 8 December 2010. It includes seven global reviews and ten regional reviews on site selection and carrying capacity encompassing inland aquaculture and coastal aquaculture presented at the workshop. Four with capacity categories appropriate for different types of aquaculture - physical, production, ecological and social - were agreed. Discussion also covered the range and capability of modelling tools, including spatial tools, available for addressing these capacities. The prioritization and sequence for addressing site selection and the different categories of carrying capacity were considered in detail in terms of both regional or national priorities and site-specific considerations. The workshop produced two major outcomes: (i) a comprehensive record of the workshop proceedings (this publication); and (ii) a set of guidelines for addressing site selection and carrying capacity in the context of the framework of the EAA, including summaries of the key findings and recommendations for aquaculture site selection and carrying capacity with an EAA perspective. Recommendations were made for promotion of these concepts and approaches by FAO. This publication is organized in two parts: the workshop report and first global review and the full document (available on a CD–ROM accompanying the report).

The National Aquaculture Sector Overview (NASO) map collection aims to assist FAO Members to inventory and monitor aquaculture, using Google Earth and Google Maps technology. The collection has the potential to be used for a number of purposes, such as monitoring the status of and trends in aquaculture development and addressing site selection and zoning issues. This user manual, available as a bilingual document in English/French, is meant to facilitate the completion of the Microsoft Excel form needed to create the NASO maps. The manual is intended for all FAO Members that report aquaculture statistics to FAO and to inventory and monitor aquaculture in their respective countries and territories. The NASO map collection is being developed by the Aquaculture Branch in collaboration with the Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics and Information Branch of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. LINK: to document

With the expected increase in human population and resulting competition for access to land and clean water, there is a growing need to transfer land-based and coastal aquaculture production systems farther offshore to increase the availability of fish and fishery products for human consumption. Mariculture, in particular offshore, offers significant opportunities for sustainable food production and development of many coastal communities, especially in regions where the availability of land, near-shore space and freshwater are limited. A new FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, "A global assessment of potential for offshore mariculture development from a spatial perspective", provides, for the first time, measures of the status and potential for offshore mariculture development from a spatial perspective that are comprehensive of all maritime countries and comparable among them. It also identifies countries that do not yet practise mariculture but have a high offshore potential. The underlying purpose of this document is to stimulate interest in detailed assessments of offshore mariculture potential at the national level. An annex examines remote sensing for the sustainable development of offshore mariculture.

The essential guide to understanding the role of spatial analysis in the sustainable development and management of fisheries and aquaculture is now available in an easy-to-understand publication that emphasizes the fundamental skills and processes associated with geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing. The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, "Advances in geographic information systems and remote sensing for fisheries and aquaculture", outlines the required spatial data and computer hardware and software as well as considerations necessary to implementing a GIS. It describes current issues, status and applications of GIS and remote sensing to aquaculture, inland fisheries and marine fisheries to illustrate the capabilities of these technologies. It addresses emerging thematic issues with a spatial context in fisheries and aquaculture in the near future and ways to overcome challenges in GIS work. This publication is organized in two parts: the first is a summary version for administrators and managers, while the second contains the entire document intended for professionals in technical fields and academics. The full document is available on the CD–ROM that accompanies the summary version of the publication

The FAO Fishing Vessels Finder (FVF), a one-stop site to search for detailed information on individual fishing vessels, is now available. You can search the FVF, a data warehouse developed by FAO, from a variety of available public sources. The FVF currently covers information from the five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations* and other authoritative sources**. Aside from being an archive of current and historical vessel records, the FVF also maps information from multiple sources. So, for example, you can see how many authorizations one specific vessel had in October 2010. The FVF is still evolving with a view to provide a direct support to national and regional fishing vessel registries and managements in the future. To this end, FAO is seeking interested partners to share vessel information through the FVF. FAO invites users to explore the FVF and to provide feedback. Inquiries, error reporting or interest in partnerships, can be addressed to: VRMF-Administrator@fao.org * Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) , Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) , Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) , International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) , Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) ** South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) , EU Fleet Register , International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) , Organización del Sector Pesquero y Acuícola del Istmo Centroamericano (OSPESCA) , Comisión Técnica Mixta del Frente Marítimo (CTMFM) , Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) , Comission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) , United Nations General Assembly Resolution 61/105 (UNGA)

May 2013, Rome – A series of ambitious and innovative steps have been taken this month by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean ( GFCM ) of the FAO on the occasion of its thirty-seventh annual session, held in Split, Croatia. Confirming its leading role in the promotion of the management, conservation and sustainable use of living marine resources in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, the GFCM has just approved a number of historic conservation and management measures to guarantee the sustainable exploitation of key fish stocks. For the first time in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, a multi-annual sub-regional management plan for a shared fishery has been adopted. This plan addresses the management of small pelagic species, namely sardine and anchovy, in the Adriatic Sea, with a view to minimizing the threat of overfishing and stock decline and encouraging the sustainable exploitation of these important target species while maintaining stable yields. In the Black Sea area, the GFCM has adopted binding provisions to guarantee the protection of juvenile turbots until they reach the reproductive size, therefore contributing to the renewal of this population. This measure also foresees standards for turbot fisheries aimed at reducing by-catch of cetaceans. The GFCM members have also agreed upon significant actions to strengthen the control and monitoring of fishing effort and fishing capacity through the adoption of guidelines to guarantee the enforcement of GFCM decisions and to strengthen governance in the management of fisheries through the establishment of protected areas. Recognizing the key role to be played by aquaculture towards food security and economic growth, the GFCM has renewed its commitment to foster the sustainable development of aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea through the establishment of the first multi-stakeholder platform involving all players in the sector. Finally, this year’s session was marked by substantial steps forward to support the reform process, launched in 2009 with the aim to modernize the institutional framework and ensure a more efficient functioning of the GFCM. Capitalizing on the efforts of all GFCM member States, this process should lay the foundations of enhanced sub-regional cooperation and bring a special focus to the long-term sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

30 May 2013, Rome - Surges in jellyfish populations may be one reason for a drop in fish stocks observed in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, according to a new report published by FAO.

The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department has just launched the Aquaculture Feed and Fertilizer Resources Information System (AFFRIS). AFFRIS provides information on globally important aquaculture feed, feed ingredients, fertilizers and nutrient resources. Associated guidelines describe how to use this information in order to optimize on-farm feeding and feed management strategies, including nutritional profiles of commercially-important selected aquaculture species. AFFRIS includes: . Aquaculture feed resource database to include the nutrient composition, amino acid and fatty acid profile and mineral contents of globally important feed and feed ingredients; and information on toxicity and ant-nutritional factors inhibiting their use . Aquaculture species profile including their nutritional requirements, food and feeding habits, feed formulation and production, common husbandry practices and their nutritional deficiency signs and syndromes . Frequently Asked Questions about the feed and nutrition of commercially-important aquaculture species . Images of aquaculture species with special reference to nutrition, feeding and feed management . Related publications . Useful links of aquaculture and feed related organizations, networks and similar information systems The rich variety of information contained in AFFRIS can help countries maximize their use of locally available feed and fertilizer resources, thus reducing their dependence upon imported fertilizers, feed ingredient sources and ready-made compound aquafeeds. For further information: Mohammad Hasan

Development of community-based milkfish farming in Tonga will be given a boost through a project under the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme.

Small-scale fisheries contribute to poverty alleviation, food and nutrition security, and economic development in the Caribbean region. A new FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Report, describes a meeting held in Jamaica last December which looked at how guidelines for small-scale fisheries can compliment existing international instruments like the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF).

After the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, FAO helped with the preparation of a post-tsunami master plan for fisheries infrastructure rehabilitation, contributing to reconstructing and developing the inshore marine fisheries sector. A new FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Report, Developing fish landing centres: experiences and lessons from Sri Lanka, describes this work who goal was to improve the livelihoods of fishers and fishing communities in those tsunami-affected areas in Sri Lanka.

A recent study highlighted the benefits of implementing the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Focusing on five ecological indicators to quantify the ecosystem effects of fishing, the analysis found that compliance with the Code increases the sustainability of fisheries regardless of the region. It also warns of the negative ecological effects when such international instruments are not honoured. The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and its related International Plans of Action and Strategies are voluntary instruments widely recognized by governments and NGOs as the global standard for the sustainable development and management of fisheries and aquaculture, and as a basis for reviewing and adopting national fisheries legislation. Since its adoption in 1995, the Code has served as the key pillar of FAO’s mandate and mission for fisheries and aquaculture. The independent scientific study, published in the journal “Global Environmental Change”, also includes a minimum compliance threshold above which the Code of Conduct would be effective in increasing the ecological sustainability of exploited aquatic ecosystems. These positive results underpin the importance of the work of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department in assisting developing countries to adopt responsible fisheries and aquaculture practices in line with the Code.

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3 May 2013, Rome - In a major breakthrough, researchers at the University of Arizona have identified the causative agent behind a mysterious disease that has been decimating shrimp farms in Asia.

Meeting documents