FAO Aquaculture Newsletter (FAN) 62 is out

The sixty-second issue of the FAO Aquaculture Newsletter (FAN) is now available online. This issue highlights FAO’s work on aquaculture around the world, particularly FAO's activities in response to COVID-19, including gender dimensions of COVID-19 and its impact on women in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Updates from around the world, including new developments in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, support to a recirculating aquaculture project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, establishment of demonstration sites in Morocco for marine cage farming, and creation of employment opportunities through sustainable aquaculture development activities targeted at youth in Côte d’Ivoire are also summarized.

The impacts of COVID-19 serve as a stark reminder of the need for aquaculture to be resilient to all types of shocks and to be prepared to manage future disasters, and two articles from the Latin America and Caribbean region outline FAO’s work in rebuilding a prawn hatchery in Dominica and supporting diversification and adaptation in Chile to the impacts of climate change. Relatedly, a thematic article focuses on adaptation of the seaweed sector in Zanzibar. The importance of communication of the positive aspects of aquaculture is examined in an article from the European region, underscoring the importance of social license and acceptability for the sustainable development of aquaculture. And while many of us are aware of the importance of fish to healthy diets, we also look at a success story of using fish in school feeding programmes, and how improved nutrition can have direct positive impacts on children’s education and quality of life. We take this opportunity to update readers on the continuing work towards the Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture and the Global Information System on Farmed Types of Aquatic Genetic Resources. This issue also informs the readers on what FAO is planning for the future, providing updates on the Global Conference on Aquaculture, as well as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture.

PDF: http://www.fao.org/3/cb1550en/cb1550en.pdf

Information: A. Stankus

The FAO Yearbook of fishery and aquaculture statistics is a compilation of statistical data on capture fisheries and aquaculture production, employment, commodities production and trade, apparent fish consumption and fishing fleets. It is structured into a booklet (containing summary tables, notes on major trends, concepts, classifications and a map of FAO major fishing areas) and a USB Card presenting the full yearbook package with all the key information and the complete set of statistical tables, available in electronic format at http://www.fao.org/fishery/static/Yearbook/YB2018_USBcard/index.htm.

A list of all Yearbook issues is available here.

Timely, reliable and comprehensive statistics are required for the effective monitoring and management of sustainable capture fisheries. To respond to this need, the Statistics and Information Branch of the FAO Fisheries Division has organized the online advanced course on Organization of Fisheries Statistics Systems (9-19 November 2020), in collaboration with the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), and through the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (IAMZ). Deadline for applications is 1 October 2020.

The course is targeted at fisheries managers, statisticians and researchers with responsibilities in fisheries data collection and the design, production and use of fisheries statistics in order to help them to design, plan and implement effective fisheries data collection programmes. The course covers topics going from the definition of the needs for statistics in support to fisheries management; the types of required data and collection systems; and the implementation of robust fisheries statistics and management information systems

The course will be offered online, in English, French and Spanish with simultaneous translation, with live streaming lectures, from FAO, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), Eurostat, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and other national institutions.

For more information about the course, including registration details, please refer at http://edu.iamz.ciheam.org/FisheriesStatistics/en/

Out Now: RSN Magazine No. 19/ July 2020

Chronicles from the secretariats. Regional fishery body secretariats network

This magazine is developed by the RSN contributions from secretariats of regional fisheries management organizations, regional fisheries advisory bodies, and related networks and partners, as well as colleagues from FAO and other agencies and organizations working on matters relevant to these bodies. The Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of FAO hosts and provides the RSN Secretariat services, the venue for biennial meetings, and has a day-to-day collaboration with the network on technical and operational issues. In this context, the Secretariat will continue working with its members, partners, and colleagues, to ensure, as much as possible, that voices and experiences from different regions are being considered.

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