FAO.
Report of the twenty-fifth session of the Committee on Fisheries. Rome, 24–28 February 2003.
FAO Fisheries Report. No. 702. Rome, FAO. 2003. 88p.
ABSTRACT
The Twenty-fifth Session of the Committee on Fisheries was held in Rome, Italy, from 24 to 28 February 2003. The Session was characterized by high representation, active participation and significant outcomes on substantive issues. The Committee approved a Strategy for Improving Information on Status and Trends of Capture Fisheries and recommended its further approval by the FAO Council. The Committee further recommended that monitoring of the implementation of the Strategy constitute an integral component of monitoring the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. The Committee reaffirmed the need for global implementation of measures against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and recommended that IUU fishing be included in the Agenda of the Thirty-second Session of the FAO Conference with a view to calling attention of Members to this issue. The Committee recognized the crucial importance of the Code of Conduct and its related International Plans of Action (IPOAs) in promoting long-term sustainable development of fisheries and encouraged Members to establish and implement National Plans of Action to put into effect the IPOAs on Capacity, IUU Fishing, Sharks and Seabirds. The Committee agreed that the Director-General of FAO should enter into consultation with the United Nations Secretary-General with a view to defining practical modalities for the implementation of the (Part VII) trust fund, to facilitate the implementation of the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement by developing States Parties, in particular the least developed among them and small island States. The Committee highlighted the importance of aquaculture and small-scale fisheries as means to increase fishery production to generate income and foreign exchange to alleviate poverty, to increase food security and to provide for diversification of employement. The Committtee identified key priority areas of work for the FAO Fisheries Department during the biennium 2004–2005 and the areas of work for its Sub-Committees on Fish Trade and Aquaculture. The Committee agreed to the convening of a number of technical/expert consultations on specific areas of fisheries, including review of progress on promoting the implementation of IPOA–IUU and IPOA-Capacity, on port States measures to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing, on sea turtles interactions and conservation, on subsidies and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) related issues for commercially-exploited aquatic species.
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