1. The Commission for Inland Fisheries of Latin America held its Seventh Session from 16 to 20 January 1995 in the Conference Room of Hotel Las Americas in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, by kind invitation of the Government of Bolivia.
2. The Session was attended by delegates from 13 member countries of COPESCAL and by an observer from the United Kingdom. The list of participants appears in Appendix A to this report.
3. The inaugural ceremony was chaired by Bolivia's Minister for Economic Development, Mr. Jaime Villalobos Sanjinés. It was also attended by Mr. Edgar Talavera Solíz, the Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Fernando Landívar Bowles, the Undersecretary of Forestry and Fishery Development, Dr. Beatriz Sáez Bravo, the Chair person of COPESCAL, national fishery sector authorities, fishery officers from the Santa Cruz de la Sierra Department, a representation of Bolivian fishermen, Dr. Robin Welcomme, Chief, FAO Inland Waters and Aquaculture Service, and Mr. Gerson Gomes, FAO Representative a.i in Bolivia.
4. The Secretary of Agriculture opened the Session by expressing his pleasure at the presence in Bolivia of the delegates to the Seventh Session of COPESCAL, and he wished them a pleasant stay in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
5. The FAO Representative a.i. in Bolivia welcomed the participants and expressed the interest of FAO in organizing meetings such as this one which contribute to the economic and social development of the countries, and provide a forum to analyze nutritional problems and look for solutions to combat rural poverty. He encouraged the participants to discuss how to make better use of inland fishery resources, to support aquaculture development and to protect the aquatic environment, all of which would lead to higher fish consumption levels and increased well-being for the rural population. Finally, he emphasized that the FAO Representation in Bolivia was prepared to help make the Session a success.
6. Dr. Robin Welcomme, on behalf of the Director-General of FAO, Dr. Jacques Diouf, expressed the appreciation of FAO and of the participants to the Bolivian Government for their interest in and support of COPESCAL's work and especially for their warm welcome and the excellent preparations for the Seventh Session of the Commission.
7. On briefly referring to the topics that would be analyzed during the course of the session, Dr. Welcomme emphasized the importance of inland fisheries and aquaculture in contributing to food security and to the mitigation of poverty in Latin America's rural population. He also pointed out the need to use and conserve the biodiversity of living aquatic resources, to study and look for solutions to the economic and social problems in inland fisheries and aquaculture, to set up fisheries research priorities and to improve the fisheries legislation in countries of the Region, all with the coordinated work of the COPESCAL member countries. He also referred to FAO's efforts to help the countries overcome the constraints of fisheries and aquaculture development. In this context he mentioned some of the Organization's programs for promoting fisheries development, such as the Technical Cooperation Networks in Aquaculture and Fisheries sponsored by the FAO Regional Office in Santiago, Chile.
8. At the official opening of the Session, Dr. Jaime Villalobos Sanjinés, welcomed the participants on behalf of the President of the Republic, Mr. Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada. He then expressed the satisfaction of the Bolivian Government in hosting this session of COPESCAL and its high esteem for FAO's contribution to the country and particularly for COPESCAL's useful work in the region.
9. The Minister for Economic Development briefly described the Government's efforts to channel funds and look for different ways to aid national aquaculture and fisheries development. He mentioned some of the most acute problems that affect the development of these areas in Bolivia, among which he emphasized the progressive environmental deterioration of the Piraí river; the excessive fishing in some zones and the underutilization of fishery resources in areas with potential for greater exploitation. He stated that Bolivia supports the work that FAO is undertaking in the preparation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. He reported on the Government's measures to establish fishery companies on the Pacific coast and on other ongoing efforts to satisfy the needs of Bolivia's poorest sectors. The Minister declared the Session to be open and wished the participants success in their deliberations.
10. The delegate from Peru, Dr. Beatriz Sáez Bravo, National Director of Aquaculture, Ministry of Fisheries, presided over the Session. The Commission adopted the Agenda that appears in Appendix B to this report. The list of documents for the session appears in Appendix C.
11. The Commission Secretariat presented the document COPESCAL/VII/95/2 which briefly describes the measures adopted by FAO during the inter-sessional period, in compliance with the recommendations from the Sixth Session. Despite the Organization's financial limitations during this period, most of the recommendations from the Sixth Session were followed. The Secretariat mentioned the main activities undertaken in the period, such as sessions of the working parties, studies of various technical problems, workshops, symposia, and other technical-related events. The Secretariat referred to the reports generated by these activities, which were widely distributed among the member countries and some of them were delivered personally to the delegates at this session. He also indicated that several recommendations from the Sixth Session were met through the aquaculture and fisheries technical cooperation networks sponsored by the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (FAO/RLC) and by regional projects that were carried out in the region during the period analyzed.
12. The Secretariat also referred to Document COPESCAL/VII/95/3, which contains a report of other activities undertaken by the FAO in Latin America and the Caribbean which complement or are of interest to COPESCAL's work.
13. The Commission expressed its satisfaction with the work undertaken by the Secretariat during the inter-sessional period. Several delegates reported that the fisheries authorities in their respective countries had changed and the Secretariat requested their help in updating the list of national correspondents. The updated list appears as Appendix D to this report.
14. All the delegations reported changes and restructuring in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors of their respective countries in the last 3 years. They also commented on recently implemented fisheries and aquaculture research and development projects and they acknowledged the influence that COPESCAL and its subsidiary bodies have had on the achievements made in their respective countries.
15. The Secretary of the Commission presented a summary of the main conclusions and recommendations of the Fourth Session of the Working Party, held in Cartagena, Colombia, from 25 to 29 May 1992. The summary appears in Document COPESCAL/VII/95/3. As decided in the Sixth Session of COPESCAL, the Working Party focused on examining the reduction of post harvest losses of inland fisheries and aquaculture products in Latin America, with particular emphasis on quality assurance, for the marketing and conservation of the products.
16. The Commission approved the plan of activities proposed by the Working Party, part of which has been completed during the time that has passed since the Fourth Session of the Working Party was held. The problems related to the marketing of inland fisheries and aquaculture product marketing were recommended as a major topic for discussion by the Fifth Session of the Working Party. The delegate from Paraguay ratified his country's offer to host this session, which, according to the Secretariat, is programmed for the first quarter of 1996.
17. The Commission discussed the report from the Sixth Session of the Working Party on Fishery Resources (Montevideo, Uruguay, 10–13 May 1993) and approved the recommendations and the work plan for the next session. Particular concern was shown for the increasingly harmful effects of the pollution and environmental degradation of aquatic resources. In this context, the Commission recommended that the Seventh Session of the Working Party consider the effect of pollution on fishery resources of the Region as a priority topic. It also recommended that a group of experts be designated to gather and prepare technical documentation about the subject. In order to speed up this process, the following topics for consideration by the experts were recommended:
Pollution of the aquatic environment: pollutants (organic load) (DBO); nutrients (N,P); dissolved or suspended solids; pesticides; petroleum wastes; etc.); sources, transport and distribution of pollutants and levels of pollution.
Effects of aquatic pollution on fisheries resources; identification of environmental impacts (analytical methods, estimation of loads and prediction of levels of pollutants in water, sediments and fish tissues); characterization of polluted waters; experiences with the degradation of fishery resources caused by aquatic pollution (for example, mass mortalities of fish and economic losses in fishing communities).
Control and management of fisheries resources degradation problems: identification of acceptable limits of pollutant concentrations; water quality criteria; legislation for the protection of living aquatic resources and public health; institutions and their activities in the area of living aquatic resources protection.
18. The Secretariat reported that FAO had allocated funds to hire two experts from the region, whose mission will be to obtain the above-mentioned information in the COPESCAL countries, and who will prepare a technical paper on the subject. This document will be analyzed by the experts and later the Working Party on Fishery Resources will use it as the basic document for its Seventh Session.
19. It was recommended that the member countries provide the following information to the Secretariat:
names of qualified specialists interested in forming part of the group of experts;
names and addresses of national institutions and experts that are concerned about the environmental impact on fisheries resources;
sources of information, data banks, cooperative scientific networks related to the subject;
names of experts who can be hired as consultants;
type of information required and suggestions for preparing a work plan of activities for the group of experts.
20. The delegate from Bolivia offered his country as host for the Seventh Session of the Working Party on Fishery Resources.
21. The report of the Fifth Session of the Working Party on Aquaculture (Cartagena, Colombia, 12 – 16 July 1993) is presented in Document COPESCAL/VII/95/6.
22. The event was held together with a session of the regional project AQUILA II (GCP/RLA/102/ITA), where the results of the national aquaculture sub-sectoral studies were discussed, as well as the regional synthesis prepared for the project and the report for Latin America, of an International Study on Research in Fisheries and Aquaculture (SIFR). The main topics of discussion in the Fifth Session of the Working Party were these documents.
23. The Secretariat also commented that there was extensive discussion about the region's new macroeconomic scenario and the consequences for the development of aquaculture arising from current trends in privatization, decentralization and the progressive decline of state intervention, with special reference to the role of the State in this process.
24. The national aquaculture and research priorities subsector reports presented by the AQUILA II project were discussed. These documents showed limitations and potentials for the different types of aquaculture (from subsistence to industrial), which gave rise to a series of recommendations on strategies and plans of action.
25. The Commission approved the plan of activities proposed by the Working Party on Aquaculture and expressed its concern over the termination of the regional project AQUILA II, whose activities were regarded as very productive for the region.
26. Many delegates emphasized the importance of continuing to improve the existing methodology for territorial management as a function of aquaculture development. The delegate from Chile mentioned that thanks to the territorial management of the coastal zone, priorities for the use of that zone had been established in this country. These uses are, in order of priority: national security, investments in port facilities, reserved areas, fishery communities, tourism and sports, and aquaculture.
27. The Session expressed interest in using the experiences of other countries in territorial management for the development of possible assistance programs among countries of the Region.
28. Some delegates referred to certain problems between countries shared hydrographic basins, which could be solved through territorial management.
29. Several delegates reported on the activities undertaken in their countries relative to the privatization of fry producing plants, in accordance with the recommendations of the Fifth Session of the Working Party.
30. The Commission recommended that profit analysis and financial sensitivity studies be prepared for the main types of cultured species. It also recommended the preparation of strategies to promote seed production by the private sector.
31. The Secretariat presented the topics summarized in the documents COPESCAL/VI/95/4 and 5, relative to the conservation and the use of biodiversity and the situation of aquatic species introductions in Latin America. The debate which followed the presentation focused on the content of these documents.
a) Biotechnology
32. At this time, biotechnology in the form of genetically altered organisms is not very common in Latin America. Nevertheless, there is interest in using this technology to improve aquaculture yields. Of particular interest are the interventions to improve breeding and disease resistance, without producing negative effects on other aspects of the life cycle.
33. The delegates expressed concern for the risks involved in introducing genetically modified species into the environment. In this respect, and particularly in light of the private sector's growing participation in aquaculture activities that were previously in the public domain, the Commission recommended that governments intensify their efforts to prevent risks to wild species, resulting from the release or the escape of genetically altered species into the natural environment. It was emphasized that state control should be practiced through the formulation of resolutions that refer mostly to private sector activities. Such resolutions have been added to Chile's and Peru's fisheries legislation, and these could serve as models for other countries in the Region.
b) Selective breeding
34. According to some definitions, selective breeding is included in biotechnology, but it is a natural way of producing particularly interesting characteristics for aquaculture. Hybridization trials have been carried out to improve current tilapia and colossoma lines. In the case of colossomas, the hybrids between Colossoma and Piaractus are fertile, with the risk that they could colonize the natural environment. There is also concern that tilapia hybrids, such as red tilapia, could break down into their original species, giving rise to the unintentional introduction of four new species.
c) Introduction of exotic species
35. The introduction of new species and movements of native species continue in the continent. The Commission recommended the rigorous application and the addition to national legislation of the Code of Practice as adopted by the Fifth Session of the Commission to reduce the risks from aquatic species introductions. It also expressed the need to continue gathering data about introductions and to add this information to FAO's data bank. The lack of information about the impact of introductions in Latin America was confirmed, and the Commission asked the Working Party on Fishery Resources to consider this topic as a priority matter.
d) The impact of fisheries
36. The commission warned that fishing could influence the specific composition of exploited fish communities. A decrease in captures of the bigger-sized and migratory species was cited. This decrease is not only due to overfishing, but also to environmental degradation and to other lesser known affects such as diseases. To correct these situations, proper management systems must be applied to each fishery. Protection of the aquatic environment at the basin level should be encouraged as well.
37. On introducing the topic of the economic and social aspects of inland fisheries and aquaculture in Latin America and the Caribbean, summarized in the document COPESCAL/VII/95/6, the Secretariat referred to the substantial lack of socio-economic studies focusing on the sector. This situation is detrimental to the formulation of adequate regulatory policies and guidelines. The possibility of undertaking sustainable development becomes more difficult when faced with the economic and social trends that currently influence fisheries and aquaculture.
38. The Commission stated that knowledge about the economic and social aspects of inland fisheries and aquaculture had to be improved. It was agreed that the aim was to provide the appropriate technical content to the processes of policy formulation and to the formulation and performance of regulatory measures, and to the productive decisions made by fishermen and aquaculturists. It was agreed that an institutional framework with technical instruments and adequate socio-economic knowledge could improve the sector's economic and social situation and lead to sustainable development.
39. Some delegates emphasized the role of growing demand in relation to those factors that currently influence the development of fisheries and aquaculture. The rise in local and international demand significantly increases fisheries growth. The inevitable intensity and speed of that pressure contrasts with the difficulties in establishing and applying the necessary regulations to protect the inland fisheries resources and the environment.
40. Several delegates pointed out that there are no specific studies on the effect of the intense pressure of demand on the economic and social aspects of the fisheries and that the preparation of such studies would be useful for countries of the Region.
41. The delegates also emphasized the difficulties that arise in relation to the application of regulations in different areas or water bodies where there are shared fisheries resources. These difficulties include the lack of sufficient funds and the existence of legal, institutional, cultural and human obstacles that arise when trying to bring the different interests together. A series of case studies which would define and in particular resolve such conflicts would be useful to the member countries.
42. The Commission discussed from different angles the important question of fisheries access. It was reported that most countries of the Region have fisheries regulations. Nevertheless, several delegates reported difficulties in applying such regulations. leaving aside the cases of limited enforcement due to the lack of technical or material means, it was apparent that the application of regulations required greater or lesser effort and was more or less difficult, depending on historical, social, economic and geographic peculiarities and on the type of fishery resource and environment. Better possibilities for applying the regulations were observed in places where the development of these factors had facilitated the organization and concentration of the fishermen. In those fisheries where this process had taken place, the application of the regulations was weakened substantially by the scattered geographic location of the fishermen and by the resulting difficulties in stimulating them to organize. The Commission agreed that a greater knowledge of the various forms of traditional legal or de facto access was needed, in order to sharpen the focus on fisheries sustainability.
43. The probable impact that international economic treaties such as the MERCOSUR could have on fisheries and aquaculture was reported. It was suggested that the resulting economic and social effects fell within COPESCAL's scope and should be analyzed.
44. The Commission concluded that it was necessary to improve the economic and social knowledge about fisheries (commercial and sport) and aquaculture. It stated that COPESCAL and its Working Parties are proper fora for the discussion of all these aspects in the region.
45. The Commission recommended that FAO should take the proper measures for the performance of the following activities, whose results would come together in the respective Working Parties:
to introduce an analysis of relevant questions relating to the economic and social aspects of inland fisheries and aquaculture in the agenda of the following sessions of the Commission;
to begin identifying economists, sociologists and anthropologists with experience in the analysis of inland fisheries and aquaculture and other related specialities in countries of the region;
to prepare a study on the consequences of the increased local and international demand for fish on the economic and social factors of inland fisheries and aquaculture in selected Latin American countries;
to prepare a study on the fisheries and aquaculture marketing systems commonly used in selected Latin American countries and a definition of the focus of the pilot project;
to prepare case studies in selected countries on the difficulties of applying regulations under uncertain legal conditions that affect shared fisheries resources, identifying possible technical solutions;
to begin studying the prevailing access systems in selected Latin American countries, placing special emphasis on traditional systems of access to the resources, which are the result of historical processes of fisheries communities development;
to analyze the probable economic and social impact of the Mercosur on inland fisheries and aquaculture in countries of the Region.
46. The Commission reviewed Document COPESCAL/VII/94/7, which provided a progress report for the Chapter on aquaculture within the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. The delegates made a number of observations regarding the wording of some articles of the Code, of importance for the current situation of aquaculture in Latin America. The Commission considered that the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries had not received sufficient distribution in the region for the proper reception of comments on the proposed draft. Consequently, it was recommended that the draft Code be widely distributed among technical institutions in the Region.
47. The Secretariat presented the preliminary project of the Code of Hygienic Practice for Aquaculture Products, which was one of the Codes prepared by the Commission on Codex Alimentarius of the Joint FAO/WHO Committee on fish and Fishery Products.
48. The preparation of this preliminary project began in 1990 as the result of a FAO Fisheries Department initiative. The document covers the entire range of topics related to hygienic practices in aquaculture.
49. The Secretariat also reported that during the 21st Session of the Codex Committee on fish and Fishery Products held in Bergen (Norway) it was decided that, like all the other Codes of Practice, a discussion of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system would need to be included. As planned, this would be completed in 1995 and the corrected version of the Code would be presented at the 22nd Session of the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products, to be held in Bergen in May 1996. The corrected version is expected to be recommended to the Codex Commission for adoption.
50. The Commission noted that the document mentioned veterinarians as the professionals who are involved in the sector, which is not really the case in many countries. Therefore, it was recommended that reference be made to specialists in the pathology of aquatic organisms, which includes veterinarians and other specialists.
51. The delegates found some vagueness in the glossary of terms included in the document. It was noted, for example, that the definition of “aquaculture” was not the same one officially adopted by FAO, nor was the definition of “fishes”. The mention of large taxonomic groups was confusing as well. On this point, it was noted that if the wording was not clarified, there would be doubts about whether the code could apply also to shellfish or other groups. The Commission recommended the revision and correction of the terminology used in the document prior to its presentation for adoption.
52. With reference to the adoption of the HACCP methodology, the delegates indicated that the document mentioned the critical control points, but not the presentation of quality seals, which, in their opinion was very important for the commercialization of fishery products.
53. The Secretariat presented a summary of the document on research priorities for inland fisheries and aquaculture, a topic that was analyzed in the Fifth Session of the COPESCAL Working Party on Aquaculture (Cartagena, Colombia, July 1993). This document is the FAO contribution to the Study on International Fisheries Research (SIFR) with reference to aquaculture.
54. It was reported that the study was supported by the Regional Project AQUILA II, with the participation of the Fisheries Department and the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. The main aim of the Study has been to search for greater efficiency in the use of the technical and financial assistance received by countries from international donors.
55. The Plan of Action contained in the document summarized the current status of research for each of the major groups, habitats and degrees of intensification that characterize the different types of culture in Latin America and the Caribbean. It also identified the main research priorities for each of these areas.
56. Later on, the Secretariat presented a summary of priorities for inland fisheries resources research, referring to the report of the Sixth Session of the COPESCAL Working Party on Fishery Resources (Montevideo, Uruguay, May 1993) and to the draft of the report from the Technical Consultation on the Management of Fisheries in Reservoirs in the COPESCAL Region (Havana, Cuba, October 1994).
57. The delegates commented on information referring to their countries which was contained in the SIFR document, and these comments were duly noted by the Secretariat to be recommended for correction.
58. In order to complete the contributions from the different specialities, research on fisheries technology has to be included among the priorities. The Secretariat reported that this subject had not been considered by the Working Party on Fisheries Technology because its last session had been held prior to the start of SIFR.
59. Given the importance of the above, the Commission recommended that the Fifth Session of the Working Party on Fisheries Technology should include as an agenda topic the establishment of research priorities for fisheries technology.
60. The Commission adopted the reports referring to research priorities and the plans of action proposed and endorsed their use as a conceptual framework for the activities that might be arranged with the donor community. It also accepted the strategies suggested in the document presented by the Secretariat, for attaining technical and financial assistance from these donors.
61. The Secretariat introduced Document COPESCAL/VII/95/10, which contains a descriptive and comparative analysis of the legislation relative to inland fisheries in COPESCAL member countries.
62. Some delegates suggested changes to the document presented by the Secretariat with reference to the legislation in their respective countries.
63. The Commission recommended FAO assistance in reviewing the legislation relative to inland fisheries and aquaculture in those member countries that request it.
64. The Session recognized the importance of the independent regulation of aquaculture since this activity has characteristics that are different from extractive fishing. Also, it recommended the establishment of independent agencies within the fisheries administration that could take over the management of fisheries activities in inland waters.
65. The importance of signing agreements between countries that have resources in common in shared watersheds was recognized and the establishment of such agreements was recommended.
66. The Commission recommended that a seminar be held to prepare guidelines for the formulation of legislation relative to inland fisheries. The delegate from Nicaragua proposed his country as a possible venue for this event.
67. The Secretariat introduced Document COPESCAL/VII/95/11, containing a description of COPESCAL's structure and functions and possible ways of increasing the effectiveness of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies. The document also reflected the positive assessment of the governments about the important work that COPESCAL carries out, as well as other FAO regional fishery bodies.
68. The Commission's achievements and deficiencies were presented in the introduction to the topic and the Session was invited to suggest appropriate measures for providing additional support to the Commission's activities. The delegates also were requested to analyze if changes in COPESCAL's status should be recommended in order to transform it into an agency with more authority to apply its recommendations and to manage financial resources with more autonomy.
69. After the debate that followed the introduction of the topic, it was concluded that the difficulties which impeded greater effectiveness of the Commission's work were mainly financial ones. Therefore, before proposing changes that would give it a more autonomous status, the Commission should identify cooperative mechanisms that would provide extrabudgetary funds to expand the volume of activities. It was recommended that the Commission remain under Article VI of the FAO Constitution, making maximum use of its positive aspects and the tradition of useful work forged by the Commission during its lifetime.
70. In order to raise the effectiveness of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies, it was recommended that the Secretariat arrange greater cooperation with the regional projects involving fisheries and aquaculture sectors in the Region. The Program for fisheries development in Central America and Panama (PRADEPESCA) and the project on fisheries management in the Amazon basin were mentioned as examples.
71. The Session recommended intensifying the role of the Commission by undertaking joint activities with regional Latin American and Caribbean fisheries organizations, as well as with companies involved with aquatic resources, such as hydroelectric plants, and with national academic and research institutions. It was also suggested that together with the efforts made by the Secretariat, the National Correspondents should actively identify national institutions with potential to undertake joint activities with COPESCAL.
72. The Commission expressed concern for the extended time periods between sessions, its own as well as those of its subsidiary bodies, and recommended that FAO do everything possible to maintain the existing schedule of sessions of once every two years.
73. An improvement in the mechanisms of information exchange was recommended as well. The Secretariat reported that the quarterly Newsletters published by the Technical Cooperation Networks in Aquaculture and Fisheries could be used by the COPESCAL members as vehicles for the exchange of technical information. More material for publication in the Newsletters was requested. The Newsletters not only provide sources of information, but they also encourage readers to request information about any fishery or aquaculture topic.
74. A delegate expressed his regret at not having received the documents for the Session before leaving his country and it was agreed that for future sessions, the Secretariat would send the documentation well before the session date. It was recommended that the session documents be sent to the member countries through the National Correspondents.
75. The Session recommended that the role of the National Correspondents be strengthened, by more frequent communication with the Secretariat and among themselves.
76. Although the Commission agreed to maintain the current structure of the working parties, it recommended that the Commission and its subsidiary bodies give more attention to the topics of aquatic pollution and environmental protection, as well as the economic and social aspects of inland fisheries and aquaculture.
77. The Secretariat submitted to the Commission the draft report of the Technical Consultation held in Havana, Cuba, 24–28 October 1994, adding that this document would become finalized in the first months of 1995.
78. The delegation from Bolivia presented information about the productivity of Andean lakes together with restocking data, since they could not participate in the meeting held in Cuba.
79. It was recommended that this information be presented to the editor for inclusion in the report's final version, with an explanatory note and the pertinent annotations.
80. The Commission noted the different recommendations, and, in particular, the recommendations about socio-economic studies of fisheries in reservoirs.
81. The Session appreciated the Secretariat's presentation of information about a project for supporting fisheries management in the Amazon basin that would become effective soon. The project will last three years and will benefit all the countries in the Amazon basin (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela).
82. Since this project is about to begin, the Commission recommended that the COPESCAL Sub-commission for the Amazon Basin be reactivated. The aims of this Sub-commission were related to those of the project, and it could provide closer cooperation between COPESCAL and the Amazon project.
83. The Commission also recommended that a technical consultation would help to orient the project's management in its initial phase. Representatives of fishery institutions in the beneficiary countries, project personnel and FAO/COPESCAL officials should participate in this consultation.
84. The delegates from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Peru made presentations on different aspects of the development of inland fisheries and aquaculture in their respective countries, which gave rise to an interesting exchange of experiences on different technical subjects.
85. By kind invitation of the Bolivian authorities, the participants in the Session attended a cultural event and luncheon on Friday January 20 at the Santa Cruz de la Sierra Hunting and Fishing Club, a lovely site in the country, located some 15 km north of the city.
86. The Commission unanimously elected the Republic of Bolivia as Chairman. It elected the Republic of Brazil as first Vice-Chairman and the Republics of Costa Rica and Chile as second and third Vice-Chairmen, respectively.
87. The Commission recommended that the Eighth Session be held in January 1997. The delegate from Brazil proposed his country as the host for this session, subject to the official ratification of the Brazilian government. The delegates from Ecuador and Venezuela also proposed their countries as alternative hosts for the Eighth Session, subject to ratification by their governments.
88. The Commission adopted this report on 20 January 1995.
