COFI/2003/5





COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES

Twenty-fifth Session

Rome, Italy, 24-28 February 2003

DECISIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EIGHTH SESSION OF THE COFI SUB-COMMITTEE ON FISH TRADE

SUMMARY

This document contains the highlights of the topics discussed at the Eighth Session of the Sub-Committee on Fish Trade and makes reference to its main recommendations. The full report is available as document COFI/2003/Inf.10. The Committee is invited to consider the recommendations of the Sub-Committee, particularly those contained in paragraphs 12 through 20.

INTRODUCTION

1. The Eighth Session of the Sub-Committee on Fish Trade of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) was held in Bremen, Germany, from 12 to 16 February 2002 at the invitation of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany1. The report of the Session is available as document COFI/2003/Inf.Y.

MATTERS FOR INFORMATION OF THE COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES

Status and important recent events concerning international trade in fishery products

2. During the Sub-Committee's debates, the delegations:

  • noted that the decline in fish production that had occurred in 1997 and 1998, mainly due to decreased catches of small pelagics caused by "El Niño", recovered back to 1996 levels in 1999 and 2000. Global imports of fishery products continued to increase exceeding US$ 60 000 million in the year 2000. Preliminary figures for exports in 2000 were US$ 52 200 million (para. 9)*.
  • noted that fish products for food aid declined over the years in line with the overall decline in food aid and underlined the importance of maintaining the role of fish in food aid and encouraged FAO to promote such use where feasible (para. 10).
  • expressed appreciation for the achievements of the Fish INFOnetwork and recent developments such as the creation of EUROFISH, the establishment of an INFOPECHE office in Namibia to cover the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, the relocation and reorganization of INFOSAMAK in Morocco, and the proposed expansion of INFOYU at the national level (para. 11).

    An analysis of the CITES Listing Criteria as applied to commercially-exploited aquatic species

    3. The Sub-Committee:

  • discussed the concerns of some Members about problems in the de-listing process and the need for timely decisions to be made on both listing and delisting (para. 17).
  • held the view that FAO and the mandated regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) were the appropriate international bodies on fisheries and fisheries management (para. 18).
  • underlined the importance of CITES Article XIV regarding the relationship between CITES and UNCLOS and its implementation agreement (para. 18).
  • discussed the role of CITES in relation to resources exploited by fisheries. The view was expressed that a CITES listing should be limited to exceptional cases only and when all relevant bodies associated with the management of the species in question agreed that a listing would be advantageous. Some countries expressed support for the role of CITES in fisheries management, stating that it could not replace traditional fisheries management (para. 18).

    4. The observer from the CITES Secretariat expressed appreciation for the contribution of FAO to the re-evaluation of the CITES listing criteria and for the fresh perspectives that the involvement of FAO had brought to the process. He emphasized that the CITES Secretariat welcomed cooperation with FAO and that CITES would like to see on-going and closer cooperation with the Organization (para. 19).

    Inter-regional fish trade, experiences with provisions of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and informal trade barriers

    5. The Sub-Committee underlined:

  • the importance of free, fair and transparent/sustainable fish trade (para. 25).
  • that many of the problems highlighted were linked to application of regulations and to lack of trade facilitation rather than to informal trade barriers as such (para. 27).

    Traceability of products from fisheries and aquaculture

    6. Delegates underlined that any work undertaken by FAO on traceability of products from fisheries and aquaculture should be within the framework of the WTO agreements and with a view to avoid trade barriers and to ensure government involvement. This work should be considered the basis for a broad-based technical consultation on labelling and traceability issues in general, including eco-labelling (para. 33).

    Safety, quality and fish trade

    7. The Sub-Committee expressed satisfaction and support for the work of FAO in capacity-building through training and technical assistance for developing countries, the contributions to the Codex work on microbiological risk assessment and the development of a web-based system for the timely dissemination of relevant information on fish safety and quality, including information on fish quality and safety requirements in each member country (para. 41).

    Fishmeal

    8. The Sub-Committee strongly endorsed the results of the study undertaken by the Secretariat2 that there is no epidemiological evidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) being transmitted to ruminants or other animals by fishmeal and that there is likewise no evidence for the transmission to humans of the Creuzfeld Jacob Disease (vCJD) caused by prions using fish or fish products as vectors (para. 43).

    Enhancing the operations of the COFI Sub-Committee on Fish Trade

    9. Delegates insisted that the FAO Secretariat ensure the effective coordination between the Committee on Fisheries Sub-Committee on Fish Trade and the Sub-Committee on Aquaculture in accordance with their respective terms of reference (para. 50).

    Any other matters

    10. The delegation of the People's Republic of China requested that at future meetings of the Sub-Committee, Chinese interpretation should be provided and that documentation should also be translated into Chinese. The Secretariat noted this request (para. 53).

    11. The Sub-Committee acknowledged the usefulness of the Industry Workshop held on 13 February 2002 and noted the high quality of the presentation. It requested that a similar workshop be held in conjunction with the Ninth Session of the Sub-Committee. It further requested better advanced information on future workshops and that a summary of the results be presented in plenary (para. 56).

    MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

    An analysis of the CITES Listing Criteria as applied to commercially-exploited aquatic species

    12. The Sub-Committee:

  • endorsed on behalf of COFI the report from the FAO Second Technical Consultation3 and agreed that the report should be conveyed to the CITES Secretariat as the formal FAO input to the CITES review process4 (para. 16).
  • agreed that the recommendations from the FAO Technical Consultation must be seen as a package, including the proposals on changes to the criteria, the emphasis on using the best scientific information available and the need for a strengthened scientific evaluation process and evaluating proposals on a case by case basis (para. 16).

    Developing a workplan for exploring CITES issues with respect to international fish trade

    13. The Sub-Committee:

  • agreed that many of the implications of a CITES listing had not been explored in detail and that there was a need for FAO to initiate such investigations in relation to exploited aquatic species (para. 21).
  • elaborated detailed recommendations on a proposed workplan and process for scientific evaluation of relevant CITES listing proposals5 (para. 22).

    14. A summary of work undertaken by the Secretariat in implementing these recommendations concerning CITES is given in Appendix 1.

    Impact of Uruguay Round Agreements on international fish trade - information collection and impact studies

    15. The Sub-Committee requested FAO to continue its studies on the effects of international trade agreements on fish trade developments in both developed and developing countries. Given the complexity of the matter as well as constraints imposed by limited funding, the studies should be forward-looking and relevant for the new multilateral trade negotiations (para. 25).

    Traceability of products from fisheries and aquaculture

    16. The Sub-Committee:

  • noted the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Ministerial Conference on the issue of labelling and asked for FAO's engagement in this area, including labelling by environmental criteria (para. 32).
  • requested FAO to provide technical assistance and guidance to members in the forthcoming WTO multilateral trade negotiations in their work on the various dimensions of labelling, including those for commercial purposes, consumer protection, product quality and environment-related issues (para. 32).
  • recommended that the next session of COFI should include an Agenda item on eco-labelling and traceability issues in general with a view to invigorate the workplan in FAO on this issue (para. 33).

    Feasibility and practicability of harmonizing catch documentation used by regional fishery bodies in relation to trade

    17. Many delegations felt that the outcome of the Expert Consultation6 was a step in the right direction for the harmonization of catch documentation for trade purposes, but there was a need for further work. It was decided that the matter of catch documentation for trade purposes be referred to COFI for further consideration (paras. 37, 38).

    Fishmeal

    18. Delegates requested FAO to continue monitoring scientific developments on this subject and to report regularly to member countries (para. 43).

    19. The delegation of the United States of America highlighted the importance of surveillance programmes for Salmonella in fishmeal and requested FAO to conduct a survey to that effect (para. 46).

    Enhancing the operations of the COFI Sub-Committee on Fish Trade

    20. The Sub-Committee agreed that a vision paper should be prepared which, on the basis of the relevant provisions of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, the FAO Strategic Framework and the discussion at the Twenty-fourth Session of COFI, would underscore the Sub-Committee's major function of providing pertinent contributions to the implementation of the WTO Doha Ministerial Conference (para. 49).

    Date and place of the Ninth Session of the Sub-Committee

    21. The Sub-Committee received two offers for hosting its Ninth Session: one from the City of Bremen and one from the government of Brazil. The Secretariat was requested to make a detailed evaluation of the feasibility of both options, including the financial implications (see Appendix 2) and present these to COFI for decision (para. 59).

    SUGGESTED ACTIONS BY THE COMMITTEE

    22. The Committee is invited to endorse the report of its Sub-Committee on Fish Trade and provide guidance with regard to the above mentioned issues, particularly in paragraphs 12 through 21.

    Appendix 1

    PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EIGHTH SESSION OF THE COFI SUB-COMMITTEE ON FISH TRADE CONCERNING CITES

    I. AN ANALYSIS OF THE CITES LISTING CRITERIA AS APPLIED TO
    COMMERCIALLY-EXPLOITED AQUATIC SPECIES

    1. As requested, the FAO Secretariat sent the report from the Second Consultation to the CITES Secretariat as the formal FAO input, emphasizing that the recommendations from the FAO Technical Consultation must be seen as a package, including the proposals on changes to the criteria and on using the best scientific information available as well as the need for a strengthened scientific evaluation process and that the evaluating proposals be on a case by case basis.

    II. DEVELOPING A WORKPLAN FOR EXPLORING CITES ISSUES WITH
    RESPECT TO INTERNATIONAL FISH TRADE

    2. The FAO Secretariat developed a proposal for implementation of the recommendations from COFI-FT on developing a workplan and drafting an MOU. Copies of the document are available at the Session Documentation Desk. The proposals envisage two expert consultations. The first would deal with matters related to the "look-alike" clause (CITES Article II, Paragraph 2b), split-listing (Annex 3 of Res. Conf. 9.24), aquaculture, and the socio-economic, administrative and monitoring implications of listing and down-listing. The second consultation would deal with the legal implications of listing, including relationship to the UNCLOS, and the applications of the phrase "introduction from the sea" in the definition of trade in Article I. The proposal also included provision for direct discussions with the CITES Secretariat and the elaboration of a draft MOU.

    3. The cost of implementing the full proposals was US$ 110 000 and, as stated by the FAO Secretariat at COFI-FT, this would have to be obtained from extra-budgetary sources if the proposal was to be implemented. The proposals and budget were discussed with a number of potential donors but as of the end of August 2002, a total of only US$20 000 was raised from two donor countries. This meant that neither of the Expert Consultations could be held prior to the Twenty-fifth Session of COFI.

    4. The funds raised are being used to implement aspects of the proposal. Papers on case studies on the implications of listing commercially-exploited aquatic species are being prepared by consultants as working papers for the first expert consultation described above. This could be held in 2003 if the necessary extra-budgetary funding is obtained. In addition, representatives from the FAO Secretariat travelled to CITES headquarters in Geneva to discuss the elements of a possible MOU and other matters of general interest. Discussions with the CITES Secretariat will continue in the period leading up to COFI-2003, but progress will depend on decisions made by CITES COP-12 in November 2003, where the matter of CITES-FAO relations is scheduled to be discussed.

    5. COFI-FT also requested that the FAO Secretariat consider ways in which it can facilitate the provision of fisheries expertise to CITES Parties for COP-12. In response to this, in July 2002, the FAO Secretariat sent a letter to all the Regional Fisheries Organisations registered with FAO drawing their attention to the proposals made to COP-12 for listing or delisting marine species on the CITES Appendices, and referring them to the details of the proposals as provided on the CITES website. In that letter, the Organisations were encouraged to study those proposals relevant to their mandates and to respond directly to CITES as appropriate.

    1 the Sub-Committee acknowledged the hospitality of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.

    * The paragraphs refer to the report of the Session.

    2 Report of the Twenty-fourth Session of COFI, paragraph 44.

    3 Report of the Twenty-fourth Session of COFI, paragraph 70.

    4 The CITES Secretariat has been informed of the action taken by the Sub-Committee on Fish Trade.

    5 Report of the Twenty-fourth Session of COFI, paragraph 68.

    6 The Expert Consultation, recommended by the Committee at its Twenty-fourth Session (report of the Twenty-fourth Session of COFI paragraph 51), was convened by the Chairperson of the Second Meeting of Regional Fishery Bodies in cooperation with FAO and was held at the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (I-ATTC) headquarters in La Jolla, United States, in January 2002.