Sub-Committee on Fish Trade

19th Session
Bergen, Norway – from 11 to 15 September 2023

Established:
Established by the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) at its Sixteenth Session (1985) in accordance with Rule XXX-10 of the General Rules of the Organization and Rule VII of the COFI Rules of Procedure.

Membership:
Open to all Member Nations of the Organization. Non-Member states of the Organization that are members of the United Nations, or any of its Specialized Agencies or the International Atomic Energy Agency, may be admitted by the Council of the Organization to membership in the Sub-Committee.

First Session:
October 1986

Main Functions:
The terms of reference of the Sub-Committee as decided by COFI are the following: The Sub-Committee shall provide a forum for consultations on technical and economic aspects of international trade in fish and fishery products including pertinent aspects of production and consumption. In particular, the work of the Sub Committee will include:

  1. periodic reviews on the situation and outlook of principal fishery commodity markets covering all factors influencing them;
  2. on the basis of special studies, discussion of specific fish trade problems and possible solutions;
  3. discussion of suitable measures to promote international trade in fish and fishery products and formulation of recommendations to improve the participation of developing countries in this trade, including trade-related services;
  4. in conjunction with the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, formulation of recommendations for the promotion of international quality standards and the harmonization of quality control and inspection procedures and regulations;
  5. consultation and formulation of recommendations for economically viable fishery commodity development, including processing methods, the upgrading of products and production of final products in developing countries.