The Expert Consultation was held in Rome (Italy) from 9 to 12 March 2004, hosted by FAO, with funding from the Government of Japan.
Preparation for the meeting was overseen by an Organizing Committee of FAO staff comprising: Gabriella Bianchi and Kevern Cochrane (FIRM), Cassandra de Young (FIPP) and Wilfried Thiele (FIIT). The meeting was attended by 11 experts from seven countries, covering expertise related to sea turtle biology and conservation, fishing gear technology, fisheries management and socio-economics. The Agenda for the meeting, as shown in Appendix A, was adopted by the Expert Consultation. The list of experts and other participants in the meeting is shown in Appendix B. Prior to the meeting; each expert was asked to prepare a document on key issues relevant to the Expert Consultation (Appendix C) and published as a supplement to this meeting Report.
The meeting was called to order by Mr Ichiro Nomura, Assistant Director-General, Fisheries Department. The text of his statement is reproduced in Appendix D.
