The FAO/Government of Indonesia Workshop on Development of a Management Plan for Tomini Bay Fisheries, held in July 2003, addressed fisheries management and the development of a fisheries management plan. Tomini Bay is a semi-enclosed sea exploited by fishers from the three bordering provinces of Central Sulawesi, Gorontalo and North Sulawesi. Various institutional and technical constraints hinder the sustainable development of fisheries in the Bay, among them the absence of a fisheries management body. Lack of staff in extension services has handicapped the dissemination of information in fishing techniques, fishery management, post-harvest technology and marketing. Concerted efforts are needed to enable the governments of the three provinces to work closely together to ensure sustainable fisheries development and management of the entire Bay. Tomini Bay fishery resources are still generally considered to be underexploited, although annual catches have increased dramatically over the past ten years. Resources include large pelagic fishes (yellowfin tuna, skipjack and tuna-like fishes such as bullet and frigate mackerels, and kawakawa), small pelagic fishes (predominantly scads, scombroid mackerels and trevallies), demersal fish (including groupers and red snappers), crustaceans and molluscs. Fishing fleets operating in the Bay are mostly non-motorized vessels. Motorized vessels, both inboard and outboard, are mostly used for pelagic fishing and include seiners, gillnetters and liftnetters. Aquaculture in Tomini Bay is still almost completely undeveloped. The workshop provided a starting point for addressing responsible fisheries issues and laying the groundwork for a fisheries management plan. Consultation with all stakeholders – including local fishers as well as the larger fishing and processing interest groups – was listed as the major priority.