Small-scale fisheries are a major source of food and employment around the world. Yet, many small-scale fishers work in conditions that are neither safe nor secure. Millions of them are poor, and often they are socially and politically marginalized. Macro-economic and institutional mechanisms are essential to address these poverty and vulnerability problems; however, interventions at the local community level are also necessary. This requires deep understanding of what poverty means to the fishers, their families and communities; how they cope with it; and the challenges they face to increase resiliency and improve their lives for the better. This book provides a global perspective, situating small-scale fisheries within the broad academic discourse on poverty, fisheries management and development. In-depth case studies from fifteen countries in Latin America, Europe, South and Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, demonstrate the enormously complex ecological, economic, social, cultural and political contexts of this sector. Conclusions for policy-making, formulated as a joint statement by the authors, argue that fisheries development, poverty alleviation, and resource management must be integrated within a comprehensive governance approach that also looks beyond fisheries. The scientific editors, Svein Jentoft and Arne Eide, are both with the Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, University of Tromso, Norway.

Greenland's Inuit have for generations depended upon the hunting and sharing of whales to fulfill their needs. Yet their ability to continue their tradition in an ecologically responsible and sustainable manner is threatened by those opposed to the killing of whales. Contributions deal with various aspects of the whale hunt and the economic, social, cultural, historical, nutritional, and spiritual importance and significance of whales and whaling to Greenlandic Inuit. Chapters by: Moses Olsen; R. Petersen, E. Lemke, And F. O. Kapel; P. Hems, O. Hertz, and F. O. Kapel; Robert Petersen; Fin B. Larsen; Janne Jervin, Jens Dahl, Peder Helms, and Robert Petersen; Svend E. Larsen and Klaus G. Hansen; Erling Josefsen; Richard A. Caulfield;

This technical paper is a basic guide to carp pond polyculture practicable in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. It provides an overview on the guiding principles, aspects and tasks, and presents the most applicable production techniques and patterns of carp polyculture. The manual aims to help identify resources and contribute to the successful planning and realization of fish production by those fish pond owners and operators who need to strengthen and improve their knowledge on the subject.

This report provides a summary of the presentations, panel statements and working group discussions of the Bangkok Global Conference on Small-Scale Fisheries in 2008. The conference identified several critical ways forward in securing sustainable small-scale fisheries that integrate social, cultural and economic development, address resource access and use rights issues guided by human rights principles, and recognize the rights of indigenous peoples. Ce rapport fournit un resume des presentations, des declarations des groupes speciaux et des debats des groupes de travail de la Conference mondiale sur la peche artisanale qui s'est tenue a Bangkok en 2008. La conference a identifie plusieurs approches essentielles pour assurer une peche artisanale durable, integrant le developpement social, culturel et economique, traitant les questions liees aux droits d'acces et d'utilisation des ressources en suivant les principes des droits de l'homme, et reconnaissant les droits des populations autochtones.El presente informe ofrece un resumen de las presentaciones, las declaraciones en los paneles y los debates de los grupos de trabajo de la Conferencia Mundial celebrada en Bangkok en el 2008. La conferencia senalo varios medios fundamentales para conseguir una pesca en pequena escala sostenible que integren el desarrollo social, cultural y economico, afronten las cuestiones del acceso a los recursos y los derechos de uso con arreglo a los principios de derechos humanos, y reconozcan los derechos de los pueblos indigenas."

The Scientific Advisory Committee of the GFCM, in its twelfth session reviewed the activities and results obtained by its subsidiary bodies along with the proposals of the Coordinating Meeting of the Sub-Committees, as well as the achievements by the FAO regional projects in support of the GFCM activities. It further discussed several important topics including recreational fisheries, improvement of gear selectivity and reduction of bycatch, the impact of climate change, the impact of alien species on fisheries and other issues such as the exploitation of red corals, the status of elasmobranch species and the follow-up on fisheries-restricted areas.Le comite scientifique consultatif de la CGPM a examine les activites et les resultats obtenus par ses organes subsidiaires, la reunion de coordination des Sous-Comites ainsi que les realisations des projets regionaux de la FAO qui soutiennent les activites de la CGPM. Il a en outre discute de plusieurs sujets importants tels que la peche recreative, l'amelioration de la selectivite des engins et reduction des prises accessoires, l'impact du changement climatique, l'impact des especes non indigenes sur les pecheries et d'autres questions telles que l'exploitation du corail rouge, la situation des especes d'elasmobranches et le suivi des zones de peche a acces reglemente."

In moving towards, or adopting, rights-based management, how quota will be allocated is one of the earliest operational decision that fisheries administrators face and it is inevitably controversial. This report, consisting of 23 studies, describes how the initial allocations of transferable fishing (effort) or fish (catch) quotas have been done by a variety of fisheries management regimes. The studies include two from the European Union (the United Kingdom and the Netherlands), one from Iceland and three descriptions from the Maritimes of Canada. Of the Canadian studies, that for herring provides an historical account of the introduction of quotas in the management procedures of the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic (ICNAF), the precursor of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). Three studies are presented for fisheries along the eastern seaboard of the United States, though that for red snapper describes a fishery in which the actual implementation of the programme was thwarted by the imposition of the moratorium on individual transferable quotas (ITQs). The account for South Africa describes a difficult process in transition for a specific fishery. Nine accounts are included from Australia, two of which describe fisheries managed by the Commonwealth Government through the Australian Offshore Constitutional Settlement (the Northern Prawn Fishery and the fishery for southern bluefin tuna). The other six accounts of Australian experiences describe lobster fisheries in Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania and fisheries for abalone in Western Australia and Tasmania. Two accounts describe more traditional finfish fisheries, that of the Southeast Trawl Fishery and the trap and line fisheries in New South Wales. An omnibus account is given for the allocation process of quotas in New Zealand. In the Western Pacific, accounts are given for the Pacific halibut and sablefish fisheries in Alaska, the variety of fisheries in British Columbia including these last two species and the fishery for Patagonian toothfish in Chile.

The effective management of shared fish stocks stands as one of the great challenges towards achieving long-term sustainable fisheries. These resources account for as much as one-third of world marine capture fishery harvests. This paper explores the legal and economic aspects of the management of each of the several different categories of shared stocks, namely transboundary, highly migratory, straddling and discrete high seas stocks. The economics of the issue point to the conclusion that, with few exceptions, effective cooperation between and among states is a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable resource management.

This CD-ROM contains the electronic version of the FAO Species Identification Sheets for Fishery Purposes for the Eastern Central Atlantic (Fishing Areas 34 and part of 47) published in 7 volumes in 1981. The Identification Sheets are aimed at establishing an annotated illustrated inventory of aquatic species of interest to fisheries; they cover the species of the major marine resource groups exploited in the Eastern Central Atlantic. The marine resource groups included are the bony fishes, chimaeras, sharks, batoid fishes, crustacean, molluscs and sea turtles. The sheets provide fishery workers with a tool for the correct identification of the species occurring in their area. Navigation between and within volumes is facilitated through the use of bookmarks. [Adobe (R)Reader (R) required]

Over the last few decades, natural and human-induced disasters have become more frequent and increasingly destructive. Populations depending on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods have become more and more vulnerable and have been seriously affected by loss of life and property. This document gives an overview of the FAO's work with regard to such disasters in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, together with the lessons learned and experience gained on how to improve disaster response, preparedness and prevention in these sectors. One of the main purposes of this document is to support policy-and decision-makers involved in disaster response and disaster risk management by increasing their effectiveness in addressing the needs of fishers and coastal communities in relation to disasters.

Fish genetic resources (FiGR) comprise all finfish and aquatic invertebrate genetic material that has actual or potential value for capture fisheries and aquaculture. In capture fisheries more species are becoming endangered and more stocks overexploited. Management of FiGR can help maintain and rebuild these fisheries. Deep-sea fisheries and modern genetic technologies are emerging areas that require attention. Improved information is necessary for improved policies, but at present it is incomplete, scattered and unstandardized. Although tremendous progress has been made in the genetic improvement, genetic stock identification and genomics of aquatic species, further work is needed to: i) assess the status of FiGR in capture fisheries and aquaculture; ii) improve the capacities of scientists, technical persons, governments and industry; iii) improve facilities for characterizing FiGR; iv) develop genetically improved farmed types of aquatic species; v) develop appropriate policy instruments on use and conservation of FiGR; vi) improve general awareness and levels of knowledge about FiGR; and vii) prioritize species, geographic areas and production systems on which to expend resources for conservation and use of FiGR.

The purpose of the workshop, organized in collaboration with tuna agencies and programs, was to develop quantitative methods to determine the desired magnitude of or desired change to fishing capacity on the basis of the status of stocks. The outcome of the workshop will be relevant for the work of these organizations and their member countries, rendering technical assistance to fisheries managers in undertaking decisions on the management of tuna fishing capacity. This document includes the report and papers presented at the workshop. It also contains a statement prepared by the participants and presented at the Meeting of Tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations held in Kobe, Japan, in January 2007.

The pearl oyster industry is a growing multibillion dollar sector of molluscan aquaculture. The end product of pearl farming, the pearl, is unique to this sector. Pearl production is entirely based upon health. The pearl itself is a product of the oyster's immune defences as a response to soft-tissue irritation. Today, most disease problems are caused by opportunistic pathogens taking advantage of oysters weakened by the stress of handling, including pearl surgery and sub-optimal growing conditions. Further development of the industry will inevitably lead to increased risk of disease introduction, spread or emergence. Against such an unwanted future, health management is the critical line of defence. This publication provides guidance on the management of pearl oyster health and reviews pearl oyster mortalities and disease problems that will be useful for designing programmes aimed at reducing the risks from diseases. Part One consists of pearl oyster health - the current interest in it and an overview of the cultured marine pearl industry. Part Two examines pearl oyster health management: husbandry and handling, hatchery production, diseases, field collections of samples, laboratory protocols, national strategies... Certain countries in the pearl oyster producing regions have acquired a great deal of experience in health management of cultured species. Experiences from Australia, the Cook Islands, Japan, French Polynesia, the Philippines, China, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea are included in Part 3 which also contains a general review of pearl oyster mortalities and disease problems.

The purpose of this study is to provide a snapshot of recreational fisheries legal frameworks within the Mediterranean with a view to promoting homogeneous and comprehensive recreational fisheries management in the Mediterranean. The study reviews the existing laws and regulations concerning recreational fisheries adopted by Mediterranean countries. It provides first an overview of relevant international initiatives regarding the management of recreational fisheries and a summary of marine recreational fisheries within the Mediterranean basin. The core of the study focuses on a comparative analysis of the main management measures adopted by States, including: (i) access regimes to fisheries resources: (ii) conservation measures: (iii) special recreational fisheries regulations: and (iv) monitoring, control and surveillance of recreational fisheries.

The recent incursion of a serious disease, epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS), in the Chobe-Zambezi River - and now confirmed in Botswana, Namibia and Zambia - revealed biosecurity weakness in the southern African region. The Workshop on the Development of an Aquatic Framework for Southern Africa was convened by FAO, as part of its continuing assistance to the region. The objectives were to understand the current situation, to prepare a regional framework and to identify capacity building needs to address aquatic biosecurity concerns which present potential risks to communities that depend on fisheries and aquaculture for food and livelihood.

The Pacific Islands region consists of 14 independent countries and 8 territories located in the western and central Pacific Ocean. The region's fishery resources can be broadly split into two main categories: oceanic (offshore) and coastal (inshore). Oceanic or offshore resources include tunas, billfish and allied species. They are characterized by an open-water pelagic habitat and potentially extensive individual movements. Coastal or inshore resources include a wide range of finfish and invertebrates. They are characterized by their shallow-water habitats or demersal life-styles and restriction of individual movements to coastal areas. This paper discusses these two resource categories. Information is provided on the major types of fishing, the important species, the status of those resources and the fisheries management that occurs.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the trade in fish and fishery products in the Mediterranean basin. With reference to the fisheries sector, it appears that the influence of market forces on the management of fisheries (and vice-versa) is increasing. After an overview of recent trends in fishery production, the study focuses on the exchange of fishery products, based on data from UN-Comtrade and FAO and Eurostat data. The core of the study comprises an analysis of the fish trade between the two sides of the Mediterranean basin, the EU and the non-EU countries. At the European level, the trade in fish products between the northern and the southern Mediterranean is of particular importance when considering recent in production and consumption, as well as the legal framework covering both the production and trade sides of the fishery sector. The cross-sectoral analysis of fishery production and trade provides a number of conclusions and lessons for the future of fishery management.

Field work recently carried out in five sub-Saharan Africa (Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Tanzania and Uganda) indicates that post-harvest fish losses in small-scale fisheries occur at all stages in the fish supply chain from capture to consumer. This technical paper, as support to the framework of the regional post-harvest loss assessment (PHLA) programme in small-scale fisheries in Africa aimed at improving the utilization, safety and quality of fishery products, presents the findings, lessons learned and key achievements of the field studies. The paper underlines the need for governments and development agencies to ensure that changes in post-harvest fisheries-related policy and practices take stock of the loss assessment tools, information generated and experience of the programme and recommends that fish loss assessments should be incorporated into national data collection systems and used to regularly inform policy.

The Panel was convened in response to the agreement by the twenty-fifth session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries on the terms of the reference for an Expert advisory panel for assessment of proposal to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and to the endorsement of the 26th Session of the COFI. This Report includes the assessment of each of the six proposal made by the Panel. Available in French and Spanish.

La Consultation d'experts a examine les directives pour l'etiquetage ecologique du poisson et des produits des peches de capture marines (Revision 1) adoptees par le COFI a sa vingt-huitieme session et publiees par la FAO en 2009, Le rapport de la Consultation d'experts sur les directives de la FAO pour l'etiquetage ecologique pour la peche de capture (2008), Le rapport de la Consultation d'experts sur l'elaboration de directives internationales pour l'etiquetage ecologique du poisson est des produits des peches de capture continentales (2006) ainsi qu'un document de reference prepare par un consultant de la FAO, qui resumait les principaux points des documents mentionnes ci-dessus. La Consultation d'experts a examine et perfectionne le projet de directives pour l'etiquetage ecologique du poisson et des produits des peches de capture continentales a soumettre a la vingt-neuvieme session du COFI. Le projet de directives suit de pres la structure, le langage et l'approche conceptuelle des directives revisees pour l'etiquetage ecologique du poisson et des produits des peches de capture marines. Egalement publie en anglais, en arabe, en chinois, en espagnol et en russe.

Este manual ofrece una sintesis de las metodologias actuales de cultivo intensivo de moluscos bivalvos en criadero, reuniendo tanto las semejanzas como las diferencias de las estrategias empleadas en diferentes zonas climaticas para el cultivo de almejas, ostras y vieiras. El texto tambien describe todos los aspectos del proceso de cultivo, ademas de las consideraciones basicas a la hora de elegir un emplazamiento para el criadero y de disenar unas instalaciones adecuadas. Se ofrece informacion sobre el manejo de larvas en telecaptacion, una vez acabada la fase en criadero, asi como el manejo de la semilla tanto en los viveros en tierra como en las unidades de produccion en el mar. Este documento pretende servir de ayuda tanto a los tecnicos que empiezan en este campo como a los empresarios que buscan oportunidades de inversion en el cultivo de bivalvos."

This paper reviews the current management of tuna fisheries by the five tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), which focus on the management of target species in the light of international standards and modern expectations for fisheries management. The paper demonstrates that the scientific advice for the management of tuna stocks is not generally followed, at least not on a timely basis. The underlying issues that account for the failure of RFMOs to meet global standards and expectations are discussed and rights-based management systems are advanced as a means of addressing some of the management shortcomings.

Maritime historian Mike Smylie takes the reader on a wonderfully comprehensive journey through the history of fishing in and around Morecambe Bay in this first book to be devoted to fishing in the locale. It spans a wide area covering places such as Barrow, Ulverston, Grange-over-Sands, Morecambe, Glasson and Fleetwood. Focusing on an area that was brought to national attention after the tragic deaths of twenty-one cockle pickers there in 2004, it covers a wide variety of topics - from salmon and shrimps to Lancashire nobbies and fishing on horseback - ensuring there is something of interest to everyone. Featuring over 170 photographs, many of which have been locally sourced, this book is packed full of interesting facts, such as the use of horses to drag trawl-nets through shallow waters - a practice unique to the British coast. Recounting the history of the fisheries by boat, horse and hand, Fishing around Morecambe Bay is sure to appeal to both fishing industry enthusiasts and those with an interest in the history of the local area.

Bottom trawling is a diversified fishing method which uses numerous types of gear designs, sizes, rigging and operational methods. Therefore, impact on the bottom habitat will differ among the various bottom trawl fisheries and also to a large extent depend on the bottom conditions in the area fished. This document describes the basic principles that can be used to reduce the impact of trawling, some of which are already developed as practical solutions and implemented in commercial fisheries. Overall, however, there are presently few examples of low bottom-impact trawl gears in use in commercial fisheries. These basic mitigation measures aim at reducing pressure on the bottom of various trawl components and minimizing the impacted area while trawling.

This document contains the report of the fifth meeting of the Working Group on Aquaculture (WGA) of the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) held in Doha, Qatar. The Meeting discussed national and regional follow-up actions to the two WGA technical workshops on aquatic animal health and on sustainable marine case aquaculture development.The WGA finalized its proposed programme of work for the next intersessional period based also on the recommendations from its previous technical workshop.

Despite the fact that tremendous effort and many resources have been invested in improving the performance of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the crisis in the EU fisheries management systems worsens year by year. This crisis has prevailed almost since the CFP was first implemented in 1983. The analytical framework applied in this book is based on four perspectives - political, ideational, institutional/organizational, and socio-economical - used in the following manner: the analyses of the political decision-making processes provide an understanding of the complicated and complex political processes * the analyses of ideational perspectives focus on "new modes of governance" arising from general reforms in EU governance and public administration * the institutional/organizational analyses focus on the fisheries management system as an institution, explaining the complex, multifaceted, and often contradictory objectives that the fisheries management system operates within and interacts with * the socio-economic analyses link the fisheries management system to fishing practices and the fishing communities by identifying the main factors that determine fishing behavior. The purpose is to examine how well the management schemes fit the practical reality within the social systems and the individual fishermen that are managed.