FAO

Àrni M. Mathiesen, Assistant Director-General of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, reveals the efforts being made to harness ties between scientists, industry and policy-makers to guarantee the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture towards 2050. Read interview in International Innovation magazine

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Looking at how our oceans are a veritable repository of food resources yet facing challenges regarding the best sustainable use of those resources, FAO today wrapped-up a symposium on 'Alleviating hunger & poverty: making a difference with fish'.

Taking place during the final week of Expo 2012 in Yeosu, South Korea under the theme of "The Living Ocean and Coasts" and hosted by FAO and the Organizing Committee of Expo 2012, the two-day meeting of internationally-recognized leaders discussed how our oceans can contribute to solving the world food crisis.

Speakers set the stage by highlighting the positive benefits of fish for nutrition security - particularly for young children and pregnant women. Global fisheries leaders focused on governing fisheries to alleviate hunger. Providing innovative plans and perspectives, they covered a wide range of dimensions related to:
- the role of fish in food and nutrition security, in poverty reduction and in wealth creation
- how to best use technology for meeting increasing food demands
- development and food & nutrition security in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors
- strategies for raising awareness of the many contributions of fisheries and aquaculture.

Attended by some 300 participants, the discussions confirmed that fish can make a difference: fisheries and aquaculture have a vital role to play in securing global well-being and livelihoods - especially for small-island states as well as for the millions of small-scale fishers dependent on them.

Panelists also emphasized that continued and future growth must be accompanied by sound, responsible and sustainable development across the board and with a wide range of actors to ensure that our next generations can reap the riches and benefits of fisheries and aquaculture resources.

Follow what's happening during the 30th session of COFI by reading the daily highlights: Curtain raiser Highlights for Day 1 - 9 July 2012 Highlights for Day 2 - 10 July 2012 Highlights for Day 3 - 11 July 2012 Highlights for Day 4 - 12 July 2012 Highlights for Day 5 & Summary - 13 July 2012

In addition to striving to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, the global community is also grappling with other pressing and complex challenges such as the widespread economic crisis and the effects of climate change. It is in this context that this edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture highlights the vital role of fisheries and aquaculture in both food and nutrition security as well as economic expansion. The sector remains a major supplier of high-quality animal protein and supports the livelihoods and well-being of more than ten percent of the world’s population. International trade in fish has reached new peaks as overall production has continued to rise. Yet, as the document underlines, an array of problems – ranging from the need for more effective governance to that of ensuring environmental sustainability – threatens to undermine the sector’s valuable contribution to alleviating hunger and reducing poverty. Using the latest available statistics on fisheries and aquaculture, this edition presents a global analysis of the sector’s status and trends. It also examines broader related issues such as gender, emergency preparedness and the ecosystem approach to fisheries and aquaculture. Selected highlights, from ecolabelling and certification to the effects of fisheries management policies on fishing safety, provide insights on specific topics. Finally, the document looks at the opportunities and difficulties for capture fisheries in the coming decades.

A First Meeting of Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean was held in Rome, Italy during the weeklong 30th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries. Chaired by Mr. Alejandro Flores Nava, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Officer, the participating Regional Fishery Bodies included: CCPS, RAA, COPESCAALC, CIAT/IATTC, OSPESCA, CRFM, OLDEPESCA, INFOPESCA and COPACO/WECAFC. At this first meeting information on various programmes of work was shared and opportunities for increasing collaboration were discussed. It was agreed that aquaculture and fisheries statistical data collection and analysis and information exchange and dissemination would be a first area of attention during 2012-2013. A first collaborative effort should take place in June 2013 in Chile, initiated by the Aquaculture Network for the Americas (RAA).More information can be obtained from the secretariats of the participating RFBs: CPPS (Comisión Permanente del Pacífico Sur) RAA (Red de Acuicultura de las Américas) COPESCAALC(Comisión de Pesca Continental y Acuicultura para América Latina y el Caribe) COPACO/WECAFC Comisión de Pesca del Atlántico Centro Occidental), a> CIAT/IATTC (Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical) OSPESCA (Organización del Sector Pesquero y Acuícola de Centroamérica) CRFM (Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism) OLDEPESCA (Organización Latinoamericana de Desarrollo Pesquero) CRFM (Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism) INFOPESCA (Centro para los Servicios de Información y Asesoramiento sobre la Comercialización de los Productos Pesqueros en América Latina y El Caribe)

OECD and FAO publish new Agricultural Outlook While international agricultural commodity markets appear to have entered calmer conditions after record highs last year, food commodity prices are anticipated to remain on a higher plateau over the next decade, underpinned by firm demand but a slowing growth in global production, according to the latest OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook .

FAO releases new State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report. Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture play a crucial role in food and nutrition security and in providing for the livelihoods of millions of people. FAO's latest flagship publication on the state of fisheries and aquaculture, launched at the opening of the 30th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, highlights the sector's vital contribution to the world's well-being and prosperity, a point reflected in the recent Rio+20 Outcome Document. [more...] .

Meeting documents Information for Delegates to Meetings at FAO Headquarters Webpage: http://www.fao.org/fishery/rsn/en

An FAO/ Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Pacific Islands Regional Consultation on the Development of Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) was held in Noumea, New Caledonia, on 12-14 June 2012. The workshop was convened to allow for the sharing of policies and practices in support of small-scale fisheries in the region and thereby to contribute to the small-scale fisheries guidelines (“SSF Guidelines”), currently under development by the FAO Secretariat ...

Report Web site

EIFAAC Symposium (Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute web site) Flyer Registration Abstract Form List of contributions

An online national fisheries statistical system for Timor-Leste was launched today at a ceremony presided over by Mr Marcos da Cruz, Secretary of State for Agriculture and Fisheries. The system – www.peskador.org – provides public access to a wide range of statistical and environmental information relating to fisheries in Timor-Leste. This is the first time that such a system has been implemented in Timor-Leste and it is expected to be an important tool contributing to enhanced fisheries management and sustainability of marine resources. The site is operated by the National Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture (NDFA) and was established with the support of the Spanish-funded Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and Southeast Asia (RFLP) which is implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Sturgeon hatcheries play an important role in the rehabilitation of the sturgeon stocks in the Caspian Sea and elsewhere. Since the demise of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1991, a large part of the experience, expertise and specifi c knowledge on sturgeon hatchery practices and management in the Caspian Sea Basin has disappeared, while research and knowledge on sturgeon and hatchery practices in other regions have advanced rapidly in the last few decades. Sturgeon restocking practices that resulted in limited success have caused a critical reassessment of the entire culture process, the strategies applied for conservation culture, the design of rehabilitation programmes, the design of hatcheries and the mode of their operation. This technical paper aims to increase global awareness and to guide and build capacity about the best practices currently available by providing senior and mid-level sturgeon hatchery staff with a practical tool for modern sturgeon hatchery practices and management. The technical technical guidelines it contains focus on hatchery practices that are aimed at reproduction and growth of fry and fi ngerlings for restocking objectives. The technical guidelines address a wide range of issues, including: hatchery design and location; collection and transportation of wild broodstock; selection and maintenance of broodstock; tagging of sturgeon; water quality and supply; feeding and feed quality; selection of broodstock for controlled reproduction; spawning and gamete processing; rearing of larvae and juveniles in tanks; rearing of juveniles in ponds; release of fi ngerlings; sanitary and hygiene measures; hatchery documentation; hatchery maintenance and repair; staff and labour issues; monitoring and research; social and environmental responsibility; international regulations and conventions on sturgeons; and implementation and updating of these technical guidelines. This technical paper provides specifi c technical guidelines, justifi cations for these technical guidelines and suggestions to support their implementation. The guidance provided is based on the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (1995) and contributes to the implementation of the Ramsar Declaration on Global Sturgeon Conservation (2006). As such, the technical guidelines in this paper are part of the capacity-building and awarenessraising efforts of the partners involved in their preparation in order to increase the success of sturgeon hatchery practices for release purposes. These partners include: FAO; World Sturgeon Conservation Society; International Union for Conservation of Nature; Caspian Environment Programme; United Nations Development Programme; 6th International Symposium on Sturgeon; World Bank; Institute of Hydroecology; and Central Asia and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, June 16, 2012 Over 70 countries, civil society groups, private firms and international organizations have declared their support for the new Global Partnership for Oceans (GPO), signaling their commitment to work together around coordinated goals to restore the world’s oceans to health and productivity. Among those throwing their public support behind a 'Declaration for Healthy and Production Oceans to Help Reduce Poverty' at the Rio+20 conference are 14 private firms and associations including some of the largest seafood purchasing companies in the world, representing over $6 billion per year in seafood sales, as well as one of the world’s largest cruise lines. In total so far, 10 nations, 26 civil society groups, 14 private sector firms and associations, eight research institutions, five UN agencies and conventions, seven regional and multi-lateral organizations and six private foundations are supporting the Declaration. Further support is expected in the run-up to the formal Rio+20 Conference. The Global Partnership for Oceans is a new and diverse coalition of public, private, civil society, research and multilateral interests working together for healthy and productive oceans. It was first announced in February 2012 by World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick at the World Oceans Summit and has been gathering growing support. ... click here to read the full press release

The Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010 brought together a wide-range of experts and important stakeholders and reviewed the present status and trends in aquaculture development, evaluated the progress made in the implementation of the 2000 Bangkok Declaration and Strategy, addressed emerging issues relevant to aquaculture development, assessed opportunities and challenges for future aquaculture development and built consensus on advancing aquaculture as a global, sustainable and competitive food production sector. This volume, a yet another joint effort of FAO and NACA, brings you the outcome of the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010, the much needed clear and comprehensive technical information on how aquaculture could be mobilized to alleviate global poverty and improve food and nutrition security in the coming decades.

These International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards were developed through a participatory process involving fisheries experts, fishery managers from governments, the fishing industry, academia and non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations. The guidelines are designed to provide guidance on management factors ranging from an appropriate regulatory framework to the components of a good data collection programme, and include the identification of key management considerations and measures necessary to ensure the conservation of target and non-target species, as well as affected habitats. These guidelines are voluntary and constitute an instrument of reference to help States and RFMO/As in formulating and implementing appropriate measures for the management of bycatch and reduction of discards in all fisheries and regions of the world.

The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department is developing guidelines for small-scale fisheries - this week representatives in New Caledonia will run a regional workshop on the issue. FAO wants to work with fishing communities and organizations to create guidelines that will promote sustainable small-scale fisheries. Nicole Franz, FAO fisheries analyst, spoke with Brian Abbott of the Australian Broadcast Company. Listen to the interview

FAO's Development Law Service is the Organization's focal point for the legal aspects of development. A unique centre of international expertise and research, the Service is committed to promoting the design of workable and appropriate legal frameworks, such as the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

Find out more about the scope and work of the Development Law Service.

31 policies from 22 countries and regions nominated. The list of nominees for this year's Future Policy Award is complete: 31 outstanding policies from 22 countries and regions are in the running for the best policy worldwide to protect oceans and coasts. The Future Policy Award celebrates policies that create better living conditions for current and future generations. It is granted by the World Future Council, an international policy research organisation that provides decision makers with effective policy solutions. Each year the World Future Council chooses one topic on which policy progress is particularly urgent. In 2012, the award is dedicated to exemplary coastal and ocean policies. The nominated polices range from national ocean policies, marine protected area programmes and integrated coastal zone management plans to policies regulating fisheries, trade in marine products, marine litter and land-sea interactions.