The nature of fisheries information

Various types of information serve different roles in supporting fisheries research and management. Fisheries information:

• is broad and multi-disciplinary. Its breadth shows the variety of disciplines involved, the wealth of languages and the range of voices;
• has depth in terms of time and perspective. The pool of available information should be deeper than the most recent or the most accessible. Older information is valuable and in fact, is often essential to effective fisheries management;
• involves various scales from very local to global. The local needs to be integrated with the global as fisheries resources are usually shared across space and time;
• comes from a complex mix of sources. Information produced by different sources and disciplines may at times be contradictory.

Information that is essential for responsible fisheries, such as fishery management plans, policy guidelines, scientific and technical institutional publications can be difficult to find without knowledge of the originating agency. The costs involved in the production and distribution of this information is often prohibitive for many developing country institutions.

Digital publishing and dissemination offer new opportunities, particularly in places with reliable and affordable internet access. FAO has produced Guidelines on Digital Publishing aimed at smaller fisheries institutions with limited resources. The Guidelines provide advice on the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies and the practicalities of establishing and maintaining a digital publishing and dissemination system.

In an attempt to improve access to this information FAO is also supporting development of the Aquatic Commons. The Aquatic Commons is a thematic digital repository managed by the International Association of Aquatic and Marine Science Libraries and Information Centers (IAMSLIC). It serves to facilitate the exchange of aquatic science research and management information and to offer repository services where local, stable IT support is lacking. This includes the many fisheries organizations and institutions that have web site publishing but do not have a repository that can be harvested. The Aquatic Commons initiative was welcomed by the FAO Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research at its sixth session in 2006.

Information constraints in developing countries and actions needed

In order to highlight the many issues involved in information and knowledge sharing in the context of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, FAO has elaborated Technical Guidelines, paying particular attention to the needs of developing countries. A section devoted to small-scale fisheries and aquaculture recognizes the special situation and information needs of the sub-sector.

Urgent action is needed to enable all stakeholders to have access and contribute to the flow of information to achieve responsible fisheries management.

Constraint	Actions Needed
Lack of awareness of and access to global information resources.	Existing library networks offer an efficient and cost-effective means to share information and expertise; They enhance access to the global information resources required for fisheries and aquaculture management.
Inadequate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and information skills.	Assistance is required by developing country fisheries institutions to ensure adequate and appropriate ICT infrastructure and human capacity development to become equal partners in information networks.
Poor opportunities to publish and disseminate the results of research, resulting in duplication and waste of scarce resources.	Programmes to strengthen institutions and research capacity should include the funding and mandate to support the publication, dissemination and sharing of research.
Difficult to discover and obtain fisheries management information and to share the lessons learned by those in similar situations. Lack of access to historical and baseline information; Information lost to future generations.	Fisheries organizations and institutions should ensure long-term, open access to the results of their research and management for the benefit of the global community and future generations. Shared thematic digital repositories such as the Aquatic Commons offer a solution.
Lack of information about the socio-economic and cultural aspects of small-scale fisheries communities remains a major obstacle to informed decision- and policy-making.	Countries should identify and address information gaps, noting in particular the need for better socio-economic data.
Available information is not relevant in terms of its affordability, timeliness and presentation in languages and contexts that users can relate to, understand and benefit from.	Information providers should ensure delivery of information in appropriate formats and language to meet context-specific needs.
Information that is scattered between various government agencies, scientific and academic institutions, and industry is not readily available to small-scale fishing communities, inhibiting their full and effective participation in managing fisheries.	The transfer or sharing of information resources and skills from the institutions of centralized management to smaller, geographically and socially diverse groups should be an integral part of decentralized and participatory management arrangements.