(Agenda item 5; Documents CWP-20/2(A-B))
Report of the CWP-ISM, 21-22 March 2002, Rome, Italy
10. An intersessional meeting of the secretariats of CWP agencies was held at FAO on 21-22 March 2002 and the report was published (see CWP-20/2(A)). The CWP-ISM meeting reviewed:
the Partnership Agreements for participation in FIGIS-FIRMS,
the Proposed IPOA on Status and Trends reporting,
the advocacy role of the CWP,
the recommendations of CWP-19, in particular important current and future statistical issues were generally discussed, including
trade discrepancies
Elasmobranch data
integrated catch data files
ISSCFV
ISSCAAP
description of national statistical methodologies
CWP Handbook of Fisheries Statistical Standards
status of catch discrepancy detection exercises
coordination of statistical programmes on socio-economic indicators
aquaculture
CWP newsletter
trade nomenclatures
vessel information and vessel identifiers
data collection standards
catch and trade certification
Report of the FIGIS-FIRMS Methodological Workshop, 1-5 July 2002, Rome Italy
11. CWP reviewed the Report of the Workshop (Document CWP-20/2(B)) which had agreed on the importance of:
the international context of FIGIS-FIRMS;
participation and strategic issues;
definitions, conceptual design, and development of standards (including metadata); and
the results of valuable working group sessions on standardized inventories and the harmonization of information structures.
12. Participants agreed the value of intersessional meetings to address issues relating to progress on recommendations and in preparing the agenda for principal CWP meetings.
13. In the ensuing discussion, FAO informed the meeting of further development of the metadata issue the results of which are now available on the web site, called the FIMES (Fisheries Metadata Element Set) (http://www.fao.org/fi/figis/devcon/index.html). The meeting also learned that the OECD has been working on the metadata standards issue.
14. SEAFDEC noted the high proportion of world catch attributable to developing country fisheries and, in particular, the importance and significance of small-scale fisheries, inland fisheries and aquaculture and stressed the importance of promoting the adoption of statistical standards in these countries through FIGIS.
15. CWP noted that working definitions of data standards which are utilized must take into account related standards already established (e.g. accepted standards for fishing vessels adopted by IMO).
