It is difficult to assess precisely, and in an objective manner, the impact that the MCS technical assistance provided by FAO has had on fisheries conservation and management in recipient States. However, fisheries resources in the EEZs of many developed and developing States are poorly managed: resources continue to be overfished, national and foreign fleets operate without effective licensing and reporting requirements, fishing effort and output is not controlled, and MCS measures are ineffective and sometimes thwarted by lack of clear definition and support at the political level. Consequently, the additional benefits that were anticipated by States in the 1970s from the introduction of a new regime for the international governance of the world's oceans, as embodied in the 1982 Convention, have not been realized fully.

FAO regards the provision of MCS technical assistance to national fisheries administrations and or regional fisheries organizations as being an essential component of capacity building and institutional strengthening so that in the longer run developing States will be better placed to more effectively conserve and manage their fisheries resources. However, capacity building is a slow process, often requiring many years of consistent and costly application before policies and programmes are established firmly and the benefits of assistance provided become apparent.

Given (i) the state of most of the world's fisheries, and (ii) the level of MCS activities in many developing States, it would seem, from observation, that substantial short-term impacts were not realized from the MCS technical assistance provided since 1980 by FAO. However, it should be recognized that there are some MCS systems in place that have been influenced by FAO assistance, and that there are good prospects for these systems to be strengthened further. In the longer term, acknowledging that national capacity building and institutional enhancement is a slow process, it might be anticipated that FAO's past technical assistance will impact fisheries conservation and management more significantly.

It is being increasingly realized that the best prospects for strengthening the MCS capacity of developing States lies in regional cooperation. Indeed, given the scarcity of resources with which to support national MCS programmes and the variable results achieved from these programmes, developing States with common fisheries and fishing interests have demonstrated that significant progress towards enhancing fisheries conservation and management can be made through regional MCS initiatives. Developing States are therefore being urged to assess and address MCS both in terms of national programmes and through regional, cooperative networks.