FAO

The last decade has seen a rapid expansion in the farming of several mud crab species in China, the Philippines and Viet Nam in particular. A new FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, Mud crab aquaculture - A practical manual, provides an introduction to all aspects of mud crab aquaculture. It contains a useful reference source for existing farmers, researchers and extension officers active in the industry and comprehensive baseline information for those in countries or companies interested in investing in this aquaculture sector. This first-ever FAO aquaculture manual on this genus covers everything from basic biology and aquaculture production,through stock packaging and readying for market.

A recent FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Proceedings, Aquaculture in desert and arid lands: Developments and constraints, is now available online. Based on a FAO technical workshop, it highlights that aquaculture has great potential for expansion not only in marine offshore areas, but also in desert and arid lands (covering 20 percent of the world land mass) with surface and/or subsurface water resources. Underground water certainly represents an opportunity for poor farming communities living in arid and isolated areas. Applying water-saving strategies, including use of run-off water and integration of aquaculture with agriculture practices, has demonstrated the good performance of fish/vegetable co-culture systems even in very arid and remote areas.

FAO Sub-regional Office for Central Asia (SEC) - Ankara, Turkey ( CACFish-Secretariat@fao.org ) Information to participants Photo of participants Meeting documents

In the Codex Alimentarius Commission, there are several standards establishing the maximum levels of histamine for different fish and fishery products. FAO/WHO are currently involved in a review of the public health risk of histamine from fish and fishery products from a more general perspective, taking into account existing sampling plans, different maximum levels in products and risk reductions achieved by these at the national level. FAO/WHO want to ensure that all available and relevant information and data are at their disposal and are issuing an international call for data to raise awareness about data needs and invite all interested parties to provide both organizations with any relevant information/data, particularly that which may not be readily available in the public domain.For more information, click here - deadline is 31 December 2011.

With data series extending for 60 years, including catch data for almost 1850 species items, and reflecting geo-political, historical and natural events, the FAO capture fisheries production database provides a service to the community interested in fishery information. In the last 15 years, over 600 articles from refereed journals have cited the database. The species included in the database have grown significantly in the last decade and an analysis of annual reporting has shown more timely data submissions, although the number of non-reporting countries remained stable throughout the years. An evaluation of data quality found over half developing countries reporting inadequately but also one-fourth of reports by developed countries were not satisfactory. A recent article in Marine Policy, a journal published by Elsevier, provides meta information on historical developments, data sources and coverage, and advice on what should be kept in mind when using the database for trend studies. Consult Marine Policy online here.

A Japanese summary of SOFIA, the flagship publication of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, is now available online.

Information | Note d'information | Nota informativa Meeting documents

Draft document in the works provides guidance and advice to governments. FAO and the International Labor Organization have released the first draft of a guidance document that aims to help policymakers and government authorities tackle the thorny issue of child labor in fisheries.

Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission Inaugurated The Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission (CACFish) was officially inaugurated at a meeting opened by FAO’s Assistant Director-General for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Árni M. Mathiesen. Concluding a preparatory process which started in November 2008, the Members of the Commission, in collaboration with Observers, endorsed the Rules of Procedures, Financial Regulations, 5-Year Regional Work Programme, Logo and a range of technical advice and recommendations. Since early 2011, the Commission, a statutory body of the FAO, has been active in promoting the development, conservation, rational management and best utilization of living aquatic resources and the sustainable development of aquaculture in its member countries. CACFish fills a gap in the global map of regional fishery bodies, aiming to ensure that the fish stocks in inland waters of Central Asia and the Caucasus are properly managed to benefit current and future generations. Technical advice endorsed by the meeting for region wide implementation includes: •Guidelines for Sturgeon Hatchery practices and management for release; •Recommendations of the Regional Study on the “Feasibility of Restocking and Culture-based Fisheries in Central Asia”; •Better Management Practices for Carp Production in Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia; and •Conclusions and Recommendations of the Regional Workshop on Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics, Information, and Trends: Improving Data Collection, Analyses and Dissemination. Mr Mathiesen opened the Session and stressed FAO’s commitment to continued support in the Region. In reviewing the history of CACFish he congratulated the Members at this historic moment and wished the new Regional Fishery Body a bright future in carrying out its duties, which are of paramount importance for future generations. In his acceptance speech, the Chairperson of the Commission, Mr Nihad Pakdel (Turkey) called upon the observer states to speed-up their national acceptance processes for membership of the Commission. He expressed his desire to bring on board all Central Asian and Caucasus countries and that he would make every possible effort towards this, as only genuine regional collaboration can alleviate the crisis in the region’s fisheries. The Members thanked the Government of Turkey for its generous contribution to the establishment process of the Commission. The chairmanship, supported by vice-chairs from Kyrgyzstan and Armenia, stressed the importance of finalizing the regional strategy on responsible introductions and transfers of fish species, as well as the significance of the ongoing work on fisheries co-management and sustainable aquaculture in the region. They emphasized that priority should be given to further capacity building on fisheries and aquaculture in the region, which is largely composed of former Soviet States. Ongoing national and regional level projects of FAO, in close cooperation with the Governments of Turkey and Finland, are providing technical advice and guidance to the Commission; a number of projects and programmes are under development to assist individual member countries and potential donors are being approached. The Secretariat of the Commission is provided by FAO's Sub-regional Office for Central Asia in Ankara, Turkey. The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Commission was established by the meeting. Ms Svetlana Balkhova (Tajikistan) was elected chairperson. The first session of the TAC is scheduled to take place in Ukraine in September 2012. Meeting documents in Russian and English

The objectives of the workshop are: to support the Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) development process by providing inputs and advice, both with regard to good policies and practices in the North Africa and Middle East region and in respect to overall principles and contents; to start addressing implementation issues. The development of the Guidelines should become an integral part of ongoing governance and development processes in support of small-scale fisheries. The workshop aims to promote this integration and cross-linkages between the Guidelines and regional policy and action.

ONLINE Registration and Meeting documents

Trout farming is an ideal option for the sustainable use of water resources in mountainous regions, it can help to ensure employment and steady incomes and generate benefits from other associated activities. A new FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, Small-scale rainbow trout farming, provides a basic guide to starting and successfully practicing small-scale rainbow trout farming. The paper summarizes all essential technical information and includes a glossary and illustrations.

The FAO Code of Conduct is highly regarded and used as main framework for fisheries policy development and planning at regional level in the Caribbean. This is seen in important recent initiatives (e.g. Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy and the St. Lucia Declaration on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing). The Caribbean states and regional organizations (including CRFM, OSPESCA, WECAFC, OECS) have made major efforts in the implementation and monitoring of the Code, many of which were successful and deserve wide recognition and follow-up. The Regional Policy and Planning Workshop on the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries in the Caribbean, Achieving Improved Fisheries Management and Utilization in the Wider Caribbean Region, held in Barbados 6-9 December 2011, discussed the constraints encountered when applying the Code in the Caribbean region and identified solutions that would enable stakeholders to further mainstream their policies, strategies and management plans with the Code.The workshop paid particular attention to increasing awareness and capacity in the region on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF), International Plan of Action for the conservation and management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks) and the ongoing work on the Voluntary Guidelines on securing sustainable Small-scale fisheries.Ideas and recommendations discussed include: •The absence of proper legal frameworks should not delay efforts to promote the implementation of the Code. •Linkages and collaboration should be improved between the fisheries sector and other sectors in terms of implementation of certain aspects of the Code, such as the integration of fisheries into coastal zone management. •Fisherfolk organizations, in particular those of small-scale fishers should be strengthened in order to become true partners in the implementation of the Code and responsible fisheries management in general. •The Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF), including adaptive management concepts, should be incorporated in the management of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. •NPOAs-Sharks should be developed in Caribbean countries that catch substantial quantities of sharks in their fisheries and that all Caribbean countries improve their data collection on shark catches and landings.•The role of national and international NGO’s (e.g. TNC, WWF, IUCN, CARIBSAVE, CERMES, CNFO) in the implementation of the Code should be increased through better use of their relationships with fisherfolk communities and media, as well as involving these organizations in awareness raising and capacity building efforts in the region. •CLME, ACP Fish II and other projects and programmes active in the region should adopt the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries in their activities and ensure that policies, strategies, plans and legal frameworks developed with support of these projects adhere to the principles of the Code. The workshop was attended by 11 Caribbean countries and 17 organizations and was co-organized by FAO, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management of Barbados Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) and the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC). For more information contact: WECAFC-Secretariat@fao.org

Report Meeting documents

i-Marine, a new information and data infrastructure initiative to support the sustainable exploitation of aquatic resources, kicked off last month in Italy . Bringing together partners from a wide variety of sectors and scientific disciplines, i-Marine provides an information platform and services aimed at spurring new forms of partnerships and innovative solutions to address common issues: how to better inform policy-makers with science-based knowledge to implement the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries and conservation of living marine resources where the ecosystem approach relies on a set of knowledge and data sources much broader than that used in conventional and fishery management and conservation. FAO, as a founder of the i-Marine consortium which is funded by the European Union, leads the iMarine Board, a Governing body acting as interface between the user community and the information technology.

Innovative partnership to promote sustainable fisheries management in the high seas. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) last week approved a broad-scale, innovative approach to address the depletion of high-seas fish stocks and biodiversity conservation. The new programme aims to promote efficient and sustainable management of fisheries resources and biodiversity conservation in marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ), commonly called the high seas.

Small-scale aquaculture producers in developing countries are facing new opportunities and challenges related to market liberalization, globalization and increasingly tight quality and safety requirements for their products - making it harder to access markets. Collective action through participation in farmers' organizations can provide an effective mechanism to assist small-scale producers overcome these challenges and contribute to and influence modern market chains and trade. A recent FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, Aquaculture farmer organizations and cluster management - Concepts and experiences, presents factors associated with successful farmers' organizations and guiding principles for supporting aquaculture farmers' organizations in developing countries.

Aquaculture to provide more than half of world consumption. Aquaculture is the world's fastest-growing source of animal protein and currently provides nearly half of all fish consumed globally, according to a report published here by FAO. The report World Aquaculture 2010 found that global production of fish from aquaculture grew more than 60 percent between 2000 and 2008, from 32.4 million tonnes to 52.5 million tonnes. It also forecasts that by 2012 more than 50 percent of the world's food fish consumption will come from aquaculture. "With stagnating global capture fishery production and an increasing population, aquaculture is perceived as having the greatest potential to produce more fish in the future to meet the growing demand for safe and quality aquatic food," the report said.

Meeting documents

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of FAO has released the first global interactive map on Aquaculture production of aquatic animals for human consumption for 2009 as part of the National Aquaculture Sector Overview (NASO) map collection. The collection geographically illustrates where aquaculture is taking place. Key information features that accompany the administrative units or individual farms include: cultured species, technology used, culture systems, environments, farm characteristics and respective production quantities, and main issues (credit, diseases, environmental impact, etc.). The NASO collection now includes national statistics on aquaculture production for 2009 and efforts are underway to include statistics related to land and water use in aquaculture during 2012. It is being developed by the Aquaculture Service of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department in close collaboration with Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics and Information Service. New Google-based maps are also now available in the NASO map collection for Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy, Japan, Malta, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and Thailand showing where aquaculture is taking place.