Four background documents available for download below confirm that there are many opportunities to use GIS and remote sensing to improve the sustainability of aquaculture and inland fisheries by addressing fundamental issues. These studies conclude that the main constraint on the more widespread use of GIS and remote sensing appears to be a shortage of awareness of their benefits and a lack of access to experience on how they can be deployed. Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing in Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture (FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 318) was produced in response to the perception that a larger audience can be reached only by the wide distribution of technical material. One concrete step in this direction is that this document is now on line. A additional much larger step was the creation of GISFish.

• Kapetsky, J.M. and Aguilar-Manjarrez, J. 2005. Geographical Information Systems in aquaculture development and management from 1985 to 2002: an assessment. Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on GIS in Fisheries and Spatial Analyses, University of Sussex, England. September 3-6, 2002. Fishery GIS Research Group, Saitama, Japan.
• Kapetsky, J.M. and Jose Aguilar-Manjarrez. 2002. GIS for the development and management of coastal aquaculture: present applications and new opportunities Short communication. Aquaculture Europe 2002-"Seafarming - Today and Tomorrow. Trieste, Italy, October 16-19. European Aquaculture Society Special Publication No. 32: 55-60.
• Kapetsky, J.M. 2002. An assessment of the use of GIS and remote sensing in aquaculture and inland fisheries 1985 to 2002. A Report Produced for the FAO Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service while under contract from 15 May to 30 September, 2002. 32p.
• Kapetsky, J.M. 2002. Databases to characterize GIS and Remote Sensing endeavours in aquaculture and inland fisheries from 1985 to 2002. A Report Produced for the FAO Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service while under contract from 15 May to 30 September, 2002 13p.