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The fisheries sector in the Republic of Uzbekistan (or Uzbekistan), composed of inland capture fisheries and aquaculture sectors, has a potentially important role in the development of the rural economy of the country. However, in recent years the sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) was less than 0.1 percent. In spite of vast water resources available for fisheries-sector development (ponds, reservoirs, lakes, rivers, irrigation canals), fish production declined significantly from 27 200 tonnes in 1991, the year of independence of Uzbekistan from the former Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics, to 7 200 tonnes in 2006. Imports of fish and fish products decreased as well. As a consequence, per capita consumption of fish and fish products decreased to less than 500 g in 2006, which means a reduction of over 90 percent in comparison with the 5–6 kg per capita consumption of fish in the late 1980s. In July 2007 the Government of Uzbekistan, through its Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan, requested assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under its Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP), for the sustainable development and management of the fisheries sector in the country. FAO approved the project “Development of strategic partnerships in support of responsible fisheries and aquaculture development in Uzbekistan”, TCP/UZB/3103 (D), in August 2007. This FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular has two main aims. First, it intends to inform those interested in inland capture fisheries and aquaculture in Uzbekistan about the current situation with regard to fishery resources and their utilization in the country. Second, it attempts to provide the results of a participatory policy and strategy framework development process, which might be of use also for other countries in transition in the Central Asian region. The two documents presented in this Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular are considered final versions and cleared as such by the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan. They are also available in the Russian language from the ministry. The document entitled “Review of the current status of inland capture fisheries and aquaculture in the Republic of Uzbekistan” is presented in Part I of this circular. The document entitled the “Conception of aquaculture and capture fisheries development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 2008–2016” is contained in Part II.