1. The Committee on Fisheries (COFI) held its Twenty-sixth Session in Rome from 7 to 11 March 2005.
2. The Session was attended by 117 Members of the Committee, by observers from three other FAO Member Nations, the Holy See, and one non-Member Nations of FAO, by representatives from six specialized agencies of the United Nations and by observers from 51 intergovernmental (IGOs) and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
3. A list of delegates and observers is attached as Appendix B.
4. The Session was called to order by the outgoing Chairperson Mr Jerónimo Ramos Saenz Pardo (Mexico). He recalled the outcome of the last session and stated that the Twenty-sixth Session of COFI was a special meeting to celebrate a decade of implementation of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries that was adopted in 1995.
