Over 150 fisheries scientists, managers, policy-makers and fishers gathered in Rome to share and discuss ways to generate better information about the world’s fisheries and the fish stocks on which they depend.

Studying fish and the fisheries that exploit them is complex and challenging. ”Fish stocks are invisible to normal means of observation because they live underwater and are often highly mobile," observed Bill Karp, Director of the NOAA* Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center in the United States. "In recent decades many of the world’s fish stocks have been heavily fished or even overfished. Sustainable management of these stocks in an ecosystem context requires new and different types of information which often necessitates effective collaboration among government, academic and fishing sectors. Trust and respect among managers, policy-makers and fishers is essential to this process."

Using data and information from fishers while fishing and through collaborative research is considered to be a relatively untapped source of information about the world’s fish stocks and the consequences of human interactions with them. “The Rome meeting highlighted innovative approaches for capturing and using such information and emphasized the importance of involving fishers and other stakeholders in the collection of the data and in fisheries management and related policy making,” explains FAO Senior Fisheries Officer Gabriella Bianchi.

The conference provided a unique opportunity for resource managers, scientists and players from the fishing sector to share and discuss better ways to collect, use and interpret information about fisheries in the context of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.

During the closing session, several important findings were noted, including:

Changes in public policy requiring more comprehensive documentation of fishing activities and their impacts on ecosystems are powerful drivers of change. Effective solutions for implementing these policies require multiparty collaboration end empowerment of fishers.

Establishment of an environment for collaboration and participatory science and management that are built on a foundation of trust and respect is essential to successful fisheries management.

Social scientists should be encouraged to participate in these processes because they play an essential role in improving our understanding of interactions between humans and marine ecosystems, bring scientific method to understanding resources management economics, and bring professional insight that is useful in breaking down communications barriers.

For more information, contact info@fisherydependentdata.com



* National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Over 50 managers, policy-makers and scientists from the fisheries and biodiversity domains and from 17 countries recently gathered in Rome to explore potential roles in the iMarine partnership model to sustain collaborative e-Science in the field of fisheries and new funding opportunities to address societal challenges under the European Union's new funding programme, Horizon 2020.

The iMarine initiative, which has received funding from the European Union as part of its 7th Framework Programme, has successfully combined the expertise of computing science and fisheries data management, biology and ecology to develop a powerful infrastructure designed to support the ecosystem approach to fisheries management and the conservation of living marine resources.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing continues to be a threat to the effective conservation and management of fish stocks in the Wider Caribbean Region. IUU fishing is causing economic and social losses for the Caribbean countries and negatively impacts their food security.

The 2009 FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to Combat IUU Fishing has been designed to intensify global collaboration between fisheries and port authorities, coast guards and navies. The aim is to eliminate IUU fishing, through globally agreed minimum standards for concerted action, enabling better inspections and controls at the ports, on vessels and increasing flag State responsibility.

This week FAO, in collaboration with the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC), a FAO Regional Fisheries Body, is hosting a Regional Workshop to build capacity for implementation of the Port States Measures Agreement among the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Workshop, held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and is being attended by more than 80 officials from 25 countries.

In his opening remarks, Mr Barton Clarke, FAO Representative to Trinidad and Tobago, emphasized that the Agreement is particularly important for SIDS as it empowers them to exert greater control of their own waters and over shared stocks, increasing transparency of fishing operations.

Coastal fisheries resources of Caribbean SIDS are already under pressure and illegal fishing from foreign vessels is adding to this. Most target fish stocks in the region are already either fully exploited or over-exploited. Caribbean SIDS’ fisheries are carried out mostly by small-scale vessels in coastal near-shore areas, but industrial fleets from other countries fish further off-shore and on the high seas of the Western Central Atlantic - vast areas that are difficult to manage and monitor. These fisheries negatively affect the availability of fish to the small-scale fleets of the SIDS.

The workshop is organized within of the framework of a broader international FAO programme to strengthen capacity for the effective implementation of the Agreement.

WECAFC is comprised of thirty-three countries and the European Union. The Members’ commitment to responsible fisheries is high. The Session is expected to adopt a Resolution “on the implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement and the FAO Voluntary Guidelines on flag State performance in the region” which encourages Workshop follow-up by all Members.

The FAO Fisheries Statistics on capture and aquaculture were updated to cover the years 1950-2012. Users can consult these datasets, together with the one on commodities trade and production statistics (1976-2011), through FishStatJ stand-alone software and/or the online query panel.
Brief overviews on capture and aquaculture trends are also available.
Food Balance Sheet of fish and fishery products (1961-2010) and Fishery fleet and employment for selected countries and years can be reached  through FAO Yearbook of Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics. The 2012 version of this publication will be disseminated in June 2014.

The Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC), a body of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), convened in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, 26-28 March 2014 for its 15th biennial session. For the first time in its 40 years of existence the Commission adopted a range of management recommendations and resolutions.

The Commission expressed concern about the serious decline or disappearance in the last two decades of many of the spawning aggregations of grouper and snapper in the Caribbean. It recognized that immediate action is required to stop further reduction in spawning areas and depletion of these important stocks. The Commission therefore recommended a regional seasonal closure for all commercial and recreational fishing activities of Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus) in identified spawning areas for the period 1 December – 31 March, starting in December 2014.

Secondly, the Commission emphasized that in recent years, national efforts for the management and conservation of Queen Conch have increased in the region. This has led to encouraging developments such as better stock protection, improved understanding of the species ecology and management needs, and enhanced enforcement to combat illegal catch and trade. The Commission expressed its commitment to respond to CITES Conference Of Parties (COP) 16 Decision on “Regional cooperation on the management of and trade in the queen conch (Strombus gigas)”. The Commission further recommended that WECAFC, in close coordination with its partners, The Central America Fisheries and Aquaculture Organisation (OSPESCA), the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the Caribbean Fisheries Management Council (CFMC), the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Secretariat of the Specially Protected Area and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol, develop a regional plan for the management and conservation of Queen Conch, for final review and regional adoption by the WECAFC 16th session in 2016.

The Commission also issued recommendations on strengthening fisheries management planning in the WECAFC area and on the sustainability of fisheries using fish aggregating devices (FADs).

Finally, resolutions adopted by the Commission at its 15th session encourage region wide implementation of: 1) the CRFM “Castries, St Lucia, (2010) Declaration on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, 2) the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) Regional Strategy for the Control of Invasive Lionfish in the Wider Caribbean, 3) Voluntary Guidelines on Small-scale fisheries and tenure, 4) the Port State Measures Agreement and the FAO Voluntary Guidelines on flag State performance in the region”, and 5) the Strategic Action Programme for the sustainable management of the shared living marine resources of the Caribbean and north Brazil shelf large marine ecosystems (CLME+ SAP).

WECAFC is a regional fishery advisory body with thirty-three countries and the European Union as members. The Commission members have an interest to cooperate in responsible fisheries management and development in the Wider Caribbean Region. The 15th session was generously hosted by the Ministry of Food Production on behalf of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.

The WECAFC Secretariat can be reached: wecafc-secretariat@fao.org