This document contains the report of the session adopted by the Sub-Committee. They approved the draft terms of reference for an advisory working group on aquatic genetic resources and technologies and the draft evaluation framework assessing conformity of public and private certification schemes with the FAO technical guidelines on aquaculture certification.

This document contains the report of the session adopted by the Sub-Committee. They approved the draft terms of reference for an advisory working group on aquatic genetic resources and technologies and the draft evaluation framework assessing conformity of public and private certification schemes with the FAO technical guidelines on aquaculture certification.

This document contains the report of the session adopted by the Sub-Committee. They approved the draft terms of reference for an advisory working group on aquatic genetic resources and technologies and the draft evaluation framework assessing conformity of public and private certification schemes with the FAO technical guidelines on aquaculture certification.

This is the story of Britain's commercial fishermen, who have sailed out into the ravages of the surrounding seas to bring back the fish to feed their country for centuries. Theirs is one of history's most dangerous jobs and whole communities have been affected by disasters from which a number of the town's men may not have returned: in 1872 some 129 fishermen were lost in one night alone. Loss of life in the industry was caused by a number of factors: extreme weather conditions, lack of emergency support and, perhaps most crucially, most couldn't swim. Today commercial fishing is still one of the most perilous occupations in the country, claiming the lives of the fishermen and consuming those of the families left behind. Thus it is clear how poignant this history is to the occupation.

FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries No 4, Supplement 3. The purpose of these guidelines is to aid stakeholders and fisheries managers in the development of national and regional plans of action for the management of fishing capacities, in order to align fishing capacity with the sustainable use of fish stocks.

Through its standards and guidelines, Codex Alimentarius provides countries with tools to manage food safety issues such as histamine in fish. Together with guidance on good practices, different histamine limits have been established by Codex as indicators of decomposition and as indicators of hygiene and handling. However, many of these limits were established in a pre-risk assessment era and their scientific basis is unclear. At the request of Codex, FAO and WHO convened an expert meeting at the FAO headquarters in Rome from 23 - 27 July 2012 to address the public health risks of histamine and other biogenic amines from fish and fishery products. This report summarizes the outcome of that meeting.

Native Americans along the coasts of southern New England and Long Island have had close ties to whales for thousands of years. They made a living from the sea and saw in the world's largest beings special power and meaning. After English settlement in the early seventeenth century, the region's natural bounty of these creatures drew Natives and colonists alike to develop whale hunting on an industrial scale. By the nineteenth century, New England dominated the world in whaling, and Native Americans contributed substantially to whaleship crews.

In Living with Whales, Nancy Shoemaker reconstructs the history of Native whaling in New England through a diversity of primary documents: explorers' descriptions of their "first encounters," indentures, deeds, merchants' accounts, Indian overseer reports, crew lists, memoirs, obituaries, and excerpts from journals kept by Native whalemen on their voyages. These materials span the centuries-long rise and fall of the American whalefishery and give insight into the far-reaching impact of whaling on Native North American communities. One chapter even follows a Pequot Native to New Zealand, where many of his Maori descendants still reside today.

Whaling has left behind a legacy of ambivalent emotions. In oral histories included in this volume, descendants of Wampanoag and Shinnecock whalemen reflect on how whales, whaling, and the ocean were vital to the survival of coastal Native communities in the Northeast, but at great cost to human life, family life, whales, and the ocean environment.

The first meeting of the CFMC/WECAFC/OSPESCA/CRFM Working Groupon Spawning Aggregations, was held in Miami, United States of America,from 29 to 31 October 2013. The meeting brought together experts working on spawning aggregations of fish from all over Western Central Atlanticregion. The Working Group noted with concern the ongoing declines in stocks of many aggregating species and particularly groupers and snappersin the Wider Caribbean Region, the reduced numbers of aggregations and the relatively smaller size of remaining aggregations. The Working Groupalso verified that the status of Nassau grouper, Goliath grouper (and several other species) stocks in the Wider Caribbean region should be considered "overexploited", and that some stocks can even be regarded as "depleted". The meeting issued a "Declaration of Miami", which included a recommendation to the fifteenth session of WECAFC on the establishment of a regional closed season for Nassau Grouper fisheries in the WECAFC area to protect spawning aggregations of this species.

Following the introduction of the 200-mile extended economic zone (EEZ), many developing countries suddenly found they had large fish resources, which - wisely managed and exploited - could generate wealth and income of immense benefit. However, one constraint to this was that many countries, for historic reasons, lacked the expertise to manage fisheries on this scale. Despite the need for information, few economists and especially development economists teaching in universities and colleges were able to incorporate fisheries economics into their courses owing to the lack of readily accessible material. As a result, many rising economists were failing to recognize the global importance of fishers as an economic resource capable of generating substantial wealth and income to many countries. Economics of Fisheries Development provides an accessible exploration of this area of economics, introducing development economists to some of the problems of developing fisheries in areas of the world where fisheries now present great growth prospects. The case studies used throughout the book are nearly entirely drawn from developing countries.

The fishing industry has always been important to Britain. From the deepsea trawlers to the traditional craft that sailed around the coast, the harbours of the West Coast, Irish Sea and Bristol Channel were once full of craft, large and small, which employed men and women in their thousands. The third volume of Mike Smylie's Fishing Industry Through Time covers from the Solway Firth all the way to Hartland Point in Devon. Fishing was not just about the boats involved but also the people and Mike Smylie gives an insight into the lives of those who worked the boats, who repaired the nets and who gutted and sold the fish. From the mighty trawling port of Fleetwood to salmon fishing on the River Dee, from herring to prawns and cockles, he gives us a rare insight into an almost-lost industry that once employed huge numbers.

This document contains the report of the Sixth Meeting of the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) Working Group on Fisheries Management (WGFM), which was held on Doha, the State of Qatar from 5 to 8 November 2012. The WGFM addressed and made decisions on matters concerning relevant follow-up to fifth meeting of the RECOFI WGFM and to the Sixth Session of RECOFI that was held in Rome, Italy, during the period from 10 to 12 May 2012. The status of the implementation of the fisheries management recommendation on minimum data reporting in recommendation RECOFI6/2011/1 that entered into force on 1 January 2012 was discussed. The report on the RECOFI Workshop on Social and Economic Aspects of Fisheries in the RECOFI Region as well as the progress on the work of the Task Group for this activity was presented and discussed.

This technical paper reviews the knowledge accumulated in reservoirs in three very different tropical systems: northern India and Pakistan in the Indus and Ganges systems, Lake Nasser in the Nile River Basin and Lake Volta in the Volta River Basin. Data and information on hydrological, biophysical and limnological features, primary production, fish and fisheries were compiled from grey and published literature providing a baseline against which to describe and analyze the ecological changes that have taken place since impoundment. It discusses changes in fish catch in relation to climatic variations, ecological succession and fishing effort and proposes what next steps should be in order to develop indicators describing the different ecological and economic processes influencing fisheries catches and to organize monitoring systems around those indicators.

The Committee on Fisheries (COFI), a subsidiary body of the FAO Council, presently constitutes the only global inter-governmental forum where major international fisheries and aquaculture problems and issues are examined and recommendations are addressed to governments, regional fishery bodies, NGOs, fishworkers, FAO and the international community. COFI has also been used as a forum for the negotiation of global agreements and non-binding instruments. During its Thirtieth Session the Committee recommended increased support for countries in data collection and quality control, expressed strong support for the standards and norms of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and its related instruments, and agreed on the development of best practice guidelines for traceability. It requested FAO to develop a conformity assessment framework for aquaculture certification guidelines, address the issue of hydrocarbon deposits in the oceans and assess possible threats arising from their development. The Committee called for continuous consultation with all stakeholders in the development of the International Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries and agreed on the need to develop related implementation strategies. The Committee also agreed that illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing continues to be a persistent and pressing problem adversely impacting on sustainable fisheries and food security. It further agreed that FAO should focus on challenges relevant to its core mandate and must join efforts with partners in better coordination. It therefore urged FAO to ensure that fisheries and aquaculture priorities were reflected under the Strategic Objectives.

El Codigo de practicas para el pescado y los productos pesqueros esta dirigido a todos aquellos que se ocupan de la manipulacion, la produccion, el almacenamiento, la distribucion, la exportacion, la importacion y la venta de pescado y productos pesqueros. El Codigo ayudara a obtener productos inocuos y sanos que puedan venderse en los mercados nacionales e internacionales y cumplan con los requisitos de las normas del Codex."

These guidelines have been produced to supplement the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the International Plan of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity (IPOA-Capacity). Because overcapacity is a key factor contributing to the decline of many of the world's fisheries, the IPOA-Capacity encourages States to manage fishing capacity so that it is commensurate with sustainable use of their fish stocks. The guidelines are intended to help stakeholders, fisheries managers and policy-makers in the development and implementation of National and Regional Plans of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity. The guidelines outline the key concepts and techniques involved in monitoring, measuring and assessing capacity, and they provide information about the design and effects of different management programmes on fishing capacity. Given that the subject of managing fishing capacity is evolving, the guidelines are intended to be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances or to new information. In addition, in order to present the capacity management process in all its complexity and diversity, the wording and structure of these guidelines do not follow strictly the language and the structure of the Code, but any differences in the terminology employed should not be understood as intending reinterpretation of the Code.

The Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) has been adopted by the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) as the appropriate and practical way to fully implement the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, including the ecological, social and economic elements of sustainability, thus addressing the main pillars of Sustainable Development. Special attention is also placed on governance as key to realizing human and environmental sustainability goals. The "EAF Toolbox" has been designed to guide users through four main EAF management planning and implementation steps.

Over the past several decades, shrimp has transformed from a luxury food to a kitchen staple. While shrimp-loving consumers have benefited from the lower cost of shrimp, domestic shrimp fishers have suffered, particularly in Louisiana. Most of the shrimp that we eat today is imported from shrimp farms in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. The flood of imported shrimp has sent dockside prices plummeting, and rising fuel costs have destroyed the profit margin for shrimp fishing as a domestic industry.

In Buoyancy on the Bayou, Jill Ann Harrison portrays the struggles that Louisiana shrimp fishers endure to remain afloat in an industry beset by globalization. Her in-depth interviews with more than fifty individuals working in or associated with shrimp fishing in a small town in Louisiana offer a portrait of shrimp fishers' lives just before the BP oil spill in 2010, which helps us better understand what has happened since the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Harrison shows that shrimp fishers go through a careful calculation of noneconomic costs and benefits as they grapple to figure out what their next move will be. Many willingly forgo opportunities in other industries to fulfill what they perceive as their cultural calling. Others reluctantly leave fishing behind for more lucrative work, but they mourn the loss of a livelihood upon which community and family structures are built. In this gripping account of the struggle to survive amid the waves of globalization, Harrison focuses her analysis at the intersection of livelihood, family, and community and casts a bright light upon the cultural importance of the work that we do.

From the Galapagos to the depths of Patagonia and up along the stark desert coast of Chile, Listening to Sea Lions empathic ethnography carries the reader directly into the heart of the ocean world of Latino coastal people. Sea lions are the fellow denizens in nature who share the perpetual changes and are seen as metaphoric selves. Meltzoff uses storytelling rather than explicit theory to help explain local struggles and survival strategies wrought by extreme El Nino events and shifting political climates. Embedded within the six multi-sited ethnographies are global themes in coastal communities, from boom-and-bust fisheries to the rivalries among fisheries, tourism, conservation interests. The overall picture is sea-change and impermanence as a local way of life by the ocean.

This publication commences by tracing the development of port State measures as a fisheries management tool through a review of a number of internationally important instruments. This is followed by a discussion of the process for the conclusion of the 2009 FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. The structure, examination and analysis of the Agreement are then addressed. Policy, legal and operational checklists for the implementation of the Agreement are presented, followed by a review of capacity development and requirements of developing countries in relation to port State measures. Concerns and challenges to the implementation of the Agreement are highlighted prior to the conclusions.

This document is the report of the meeting held in Rome in February 2012. The report includes an overview of the presentations and discussions held during the Workshop, and it presents the conclusions and recommendations agreed upon by participants.

On 20 April 2010 the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig was destroyed by an explosion and fire, and the oil well began releasing oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill caused significant economic harm to the Gulf fishing industry because of fishery closures and consumer concerns related to the safety of Gulf seafood. Intermediate and long-term concerns are related to impacts on marine populations and degradation of fisheries habitat necessary for spawning, development of early life stages and growth. This book presents information related to damages caused by the oil spill to Gulf fisheries and wildlife and efforts to mitigate these damages. Many uncertainties exist because of the complexity and scale of Gulf fisheries and ecosystems that have been affected by the oil spill. Direct and indirect damages to fisheries and the Gulf environment are still being assessed and these efforts are likely to continue for years to come.

Small-scale aquaculture producers in developing countries are facing new opportunities and challenges related to market liberalization, globalization and increasingly stringent quality and safety requirements for their products, making it harder for them to access markets. Collective action through participation in farmers' organization (FOs) can provide an effective mechanism to assist small-scale producers overcome these challenges ad contribute to and influence modern market chains and trade. This publication presents factors associated with successful FOs and guiding principles for development organizations that wish to support aquaculture FOs in developing countries.

Le present document contient le rapport de la Consultation technique tenue a Rome (Italie) en decembre 2010. La consultation technique avait ete chargee par le Comite des peches de la FAO, a sa vingt-huitieme session (2009) d'elaborer des directives internationales.Egalement publie en anglais, en arabe, en chinois, en espagnol et en russe."

Whaling has become one of the most controversial environmental issues. It is not that all whale species are at the brink of extinction, but that whales have become important symbols to both pro- and anti-whaling factions and can easily be appropriated as the common heritage of humankind. This book, the first of its kind, is therefore not about whales and whaling per se but about how people communicate about whales and whaling. It contributes to a better understanding and discussion of controversial environmental issues: Why and how are issues selected? How is knowledge on these issues produced and distributed by organizations and activists? And why do affluent countries like Japan and Norway still support whaling, which is of insignificant economic importance? Basing his analysis on fieldwork in Japan and Norway and at the International Whaling Commission, the author argues how an image of a "superwhale" has been constructed and how this image has replaced meat and oil as the important whale commodity. He concludes that the whaling issue provides an arena where NGOs and authorities on each side can unite, swapping political legitimacy and building personal relations that can be useful on issues where relations are less harmonious.

El presente documento contiene el informe del 29 periodo de sesiones del Comite de Pesca. El Comite examino las cuestiones de caracter internacional y el programa de trabajo de la FAO en materia de pesca y acuicultura. El Comite aprobo las Directrices para el ecoetiquetado del pescado y los productos pesqueros de la pesca de captura continental, respaldo la funcion de la FAO y sus esfuerzos por mejorar la integracion del desarrollo y la ordenacion de la pesca y la acuicultura, la conservacion de la biodiversidad y la proteccion del medio ambiente, y reafirmo a la FAO como la fuente principal de conocimientos cientificos y asesoramiento sobre las cuestiones relacionadas con la pesca y la acuicultura en el ambito mundial. Publicado tambien en arabe, chino, frances y ingles."