FAO

Tuna and tuna-like species are a significant source of nutritious food and livelihoods. They include approximately 40 species occurring in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans and in the Mediterranean Sea. Over the years, FAO has formulated and implemented various global, regional and national projects and facilitated meetings (often externally funded) in support of the management of tuna fisheries and capture-based aquaculture. [from FAO Fisheries News RSS Feed]

Two decades of concerted efforts on agriculture intensification, irrigation and water system development, fertilizer plants, high quality seed plants, troops of agriculture trainers supported by FAO experts, village cooperatives, direct credits for farmers and fishers, village infrastructure, medical facilities and schools, has helped turn around Indonesia's agricultural sector. [from FAO Fisheries News RSS Feed]

During the recent FIRMS Steering Committee, held at FAO headquarters in Rome, participants considered how to widen the partnership’s scope and include a socio-economic dimension to the system - a scientific component in support to responsible decision-making. FIRMS currently covers over 1200 fishery stocks and now brings greater emphasis on management information, which enhances its commitment to contribute fishery indicators to the state of the environment and ecosystems in support of sustainable ...

FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes No. 7 is now available. This catalogue provides comprehensive and updated information on the identification, taxonomy, distribution, biology and ecology of the sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras of the North Atlantic (FAO Areas 21 and 27). The volume, prepared by the FAO FishFinder programme, is fully indexed and also includes sections on terminology and measurements including an extensive glossary, a list of species by FAO Statistical ...

The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture has recently published a review of the status of fisheries and aquaculture in Azerbaijan. This circular, which also includes a historial overview, aims to increase awareness among small-scale fishers and aquaculturists in Azerbaijan, as well as in the Central Asian region in general, on the status, regulations, policies, plans, challenges and opportunities of the sector. [from FAO Fisheries News RSS Feed]

The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department report of the FAO workshop on putting into practice the FAO technical guidelines on marine protected areas (MPAS) and fisheries is now available online. This document provides a summary of the presentations, discussions, conclusions and recommendations of the 2012 workshlp which was jointly organized by FAO, SEAFDEC and the BOBLME project. [from FAO Fisheries News RSS Feed]

A new study published by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, Elasmobranchs of the Mediterranean and Black Sea: status, ecology and biology, biographic analysis, provides general information on taxonomy, distribution, status, statistics,fisheries, bycatch, biologic and ecologic parameters on age and growth, food and feeding habits, reproductive biology and stock assessment of elasmobranchs in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. [from FAO Fisheries News RSS Feed]

Across South and Southeast Asia, the livelihoods of some 5.6 million coastal small-scale fishers are among the most insecure and vulnerable in the area. The Regional Fisheries Livelihood Programme for South and Southeast Asia (RFLP), funded by the Kingdom of Spain and implemented by FAO, sets out to strengthen capacity among participating small-scale fishing communities and their supporting institutions in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam.

A workshop to develop an action plan towards the creation of a Regional Information System for the South West Indian Ocean region agreed to: creating a prototype harmonized information system, a working methodology and a road map to present both the prototype together with sustainability assessment considerations to regional decision-makers in 2013.

Traditional and modern breeding techniques needed to increase food production in aquaculture Bangkok, Thailand, 28 Jan 2013 -- Fisheries experts from more than 13 countries opened the first of two consultations today that could herald new ways of reducing hunger and poverty by cataloguing and improving aquatic genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Report of the Fourth FAO Expert Advisory Panel for the assessment of proposals to amend Appendices I and II of CITES concerning commercially-exploited aquatic species is now available. The Panel, which met in December 2012, was convened in response to the agreement by the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) for an expert advisory panel for assessing relevant proposals to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ...

A new manual from the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Fuel savings for small fishing vessels, provides practical advice to fishing boat owners and crews, boat builders and boat designers and fisheries administrators on ways to reduce fuel costs. With a focus on small fishing boats, it also serves as a guide for those involved with fuel savings for small vessels used in support of aquaculture activities.

The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department has published an audit of inland capture fishery statistics in Africa. This review is part of an initiative to refocus on inland capture fisheries after several years of relative neglect and to assess the current status of inland fishery resources of the continent.

Sea cucumbers are exploited and traded in more than 70 countries worldwide. A new guide published by the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Commercially important sea cucumbers of the world, provides identification information on 58 species of sea cucumbers that are commonly exploited in artisanal and industrial fisheries around the world. Not all exploited species are included. [from FAO Fisheries News RSS Feed]

Small-scale fisheries, although they do not land as much produce as commercial or large-scale fisheries, bear far more socioeconomic importance. [from FAO Fisheries News RSS Feed]

The "Workshop to Validate the Review of Current Fisheries Management Performance and Conservation Measures in the Western Central Atlantic Region" was held in Jamaica on 8 December 2012. Preliminary findings point to concerns about the status of the legal processes in fisheries, particularly in the 16 countries that participated in the survey.

The hurricane season just ended and, with the trail of death and destruction carved out by Hurricane Sandy in October, has left many with a reminder of just how devastating natural disasters can be. Climate change is a compounding factor that regional fisheries managers cannot ignore. [from FAO Fisheries News RSS Feed]

Over 100 to gather for multi-agency fisheries meetings in Jamaica [from FAO Fisheries News RSS Feed]

Timor-Leste completes first national census of fishing boats [from FAO Fisheries News RSS Feed]

Climate change implications for fisheries of the Benguela current region [from FAO Fisheries News RSS Feed]