Within its carefully negotiated mandate and the framework of the 1982 Convention the Conference negotiated, in a comprehensive manner, conservation and management arrangements for straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks. Despite marked differences in approach between the two principal groups in the Conference (i.e., coastal States and DWFNs), there was strong commitment by States to achieve transparent, long-term and internationally acceptable results. There was also a keen appreciation by States of the limited timeframe set by the UNGA within which results needed to achieved.

The work of the Conference was guided skilfully by the Chairman and the Bureau. The Chairman's dedication and determination to securing an internationally acceptable mechanism for the conservation and management of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks underpinned the progress made during each session of the Conference and in the intersessional periods.

The significance of the Conference and its Agreement adopted by consensus on 4 August 1995 was not only that it affected an estimated 10 percent, or more, of the total world fish catches taken on the high seas. Rather the Agreement's significance is more fundamental in that it affects the inter-relatedness of fishing in zones of national jurisdiction and on the high seas when straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks are being targeted. International cooperation in respect of the exploitation of these stocks is essential so that conservation and management regimes adopted for the two jurisdictional areas (i.e., EEZs and the high seas) have a high degree of complementarity.

The Agreement adopted by the Conference is not entirely satisfactory for all States, IGOs and NGOs that participated in the Conference, but such is the nature of consensus decision making. For some States, IGOs and NGOs, the Agreement is seen as yielding too little, too late. For other States and industry groups the outcome goes further than they wanted. Nonetheless, it is recognized that if implemented effectively and fully, the conservation and management arrangements and mechanisms accepted by the Conference, and as contained in the Agreement, represent a significant step forward to achieving a greater degree of rationality in the exploitation of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks, and of ensuring that these stocks are harvested in a sustainable manner, as called for in Chapter 17 of Agenda 21.