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Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission (CACFish)

About CACFish
Mandate
History
Legal framework
Area of competence
Membership
Species and stocks coverage
Languages
Structure
Publications
Meetings
Web sources
Contact

About CACFish

HIGHLIGHTS

5th Meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee of CACFish, Virtual Meeting, 21-22 July 2020

Sixth Session of the Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission (CACFish), Izmir, Turkey, 15-18 October 2018

CACFish - Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) - Fourth meeting, Georgia, Tbilisi, 28 November 2017 - 30 November 2017

Working documents of the Fifth Session of the Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission (CACfish), Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 10-12 October 2016 - Report

Working documents of the Third Session of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of CACfish, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 16-18 February 2015

Introduction

The Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission (CACFish) is a Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO), established under the article XIV of the FAO Constitution in 2009. The Agreement empowers the Commission to impose binding management and conservation measures in theconvention area, that is the inland waters of States of Central Asia and the Caucasus.. The Commission applies the precautionary approach and the ecosystem approach to fisheries conservation and management decisions and takes into account the best scientific evidence available. The Commission currently has one subsidiary body, namely Technical Advisory Committee, which was established in December 2011.

Mandate The objectives of CACFish are to promote the development, conservation, rational management and best utilization of living aquatic resources, as well as the sustainable development of aquaculture in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

To achieve its objectives, CACFish has the following functions and responsibilities:

keep under review the state of living aquatic resources, including their abundance and the level of their exploitation, as well as the state of the fisheries and aquaculture;
formulate and recommend appropriate measures for the conservation and rational management of living aquatic resources, and the implementation of these recommendations;
keep under review the economic and social aspects of the fishing and aquaculture industry and recommend any measures aimed at its development;
encourage, recommend, coordinate and, as appropriate, undertake activities relating to training and extension, research and development, including cooperative projects in the areas of fisheries and aquaculture;
assemble, publish or disseminate information regarding exploitable living aquatic resources and fisheries and aquaculture based on these resources;
promote programmes for aquaculture and fisheries enhancement;
promote women's participation in aquaculture and capture fisheries development;
transfer appropriate technologies and techniques for development of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture;
contribute to knowledge generation and raising the awareness about fisheries and aquaculture in the Central Asian and Caucasus region;
promote liaison and cooperation among and within governmental organizations and with nongovernmental organizations as appropriate;
carry out such other activities as may be necessary for the Commission to achieve its purpose as defined above.

History

Governments from the region requested FAO, in 2008 to support enhancement of regional fisheries cooperation through the establishment of a regional fisheries management organization or other arrangement in the region. In response, the FAO Sub-regional Office for Central Asia (SEC) technically assisted a first intergovernmental meeting (November 2008) on this subject in Dushanbe and hosted by the Government of Tajikistan. The Dushanbe Meeting received follow-up from three Regional Intergovernmental Meetings (Trabzon, Turkey, June 2009 and November 2010 and in Cholpon Ata, Kyrgyzstan June 2011) and two Steering Committee meetings (Ankara, Turkey, March 2009; and Istanbul, Turkey, February 2010). Each meeting was attended by 7 to 12 official delegations representing the following States: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, People’s Republic China, Georgia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

CACFish was established in 2009 under the provisions of Article XIV, paragraph 2, of the FAO Constitution, upon the approval of the CACFish Agreement by the FAO Council at its 137th Session (Resolution 1/137). The CACFish Agreement entered into force on 3 December 2010, after Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan ratified the founding agreement. At its Inaugural Session, held in Istanbul, Turkey from 19th to 21st December 2011, CACFish adopted the Rules of Procedure of the Commission, the Financial Regulations of the Commission, the administrative budget for the first financial period, the scheme and scale of contributions to the administrative budget, a Five-year Regional Work Programme (2011-2015) and the acronym and logo of the Commission.

Legal frameworkBasic texts of the Commission: the Russian versión is not available.

The Agreement on the Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission EN/ RU
Rules of Procedures EN
Financial Regulations EN

Area of competence

The inland waters and areas within the territorial boundaries of the States of Central Asia, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and of the Caucasus, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey and, with respect to inland fisheries, other waters within the trans-boundary water basins bordering the territories of the States of Central Asia and Caucasus.

CACFish area of competence - Inland waters

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The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers and boundaries. Dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement.

Membership

Members (5):: Armenia (3 December 2010), Azerbaijan (3 August 2013)., Kyrgyzstan (3 May 2010), Tajikistan (9 March 2010), Turkey. (19 December 2011)

Species and stocks coverage All living aquatic resources in the area covered by CACFish members. Legal framework

The Commission established within the framework of Article XIV, paragraph 2 of the FAO Constitution.

The Agreement on the Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission was approved at the Hundred and Thirty Seventh Session of the FAO Council in 2009.

The Agreement came into force on 3 December 2010, upon the receipt of the third instrument of acceptance.

Basic texts of the Commission

The Agreement on the Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission En / Ru
Rules of Procedures En / Ru
Financial Regulations En / Ru

LanguagesThe official language of CACFish is English. However, in accordance with the Rule XVII of Rules of Procedures of the Commission, the reports of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies are made available in English and Russian. Structure

The Commission

The Commission is the primary body, is composed of all its members and has the seat in Ankara, Turkey. The Commission meets on a biannual basis. Each Party designates one representative and one alternate (experts and advisers) to represent that Party in the sessions of the Commission. Each Party has one vote. Decisions of the Commission are taken by a majority of the votes cast.

Secretariat

The Secretariat of the Commission is provided by FAO. The FAO Director-General appoints a Secretary, who shall be administratively responsible to him.

Besides the administrative, budgetary and organizational responsibilities and functions, the Secretariat executes a 5-year Work Programme (2011-2015) of the Commission.

The CACFish Secretariat is based at the FAO Sub-Regional Office for Central Asia, Ankara, Turkey.

Subsidiary Bodies

The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), established in December 2011, is currently the only subsidiary body of CACFish. This Committee functions as a subsidiary body to provide technical and scientific advice to the Commission and its work.

The specific responsibilities and duties of TAC identified by the Rules of Procedures of the Commission are:

work towards the operationalization of the policies and decisions of the Commission,
formulate and provide technical and scientific advice to the Commission,
propose the work programme of the Commission with the assistance of the Secretariat,
provide independent technical and scientific advice and expert inputs to assist the Commission in implementing its work programme and in monitoring and evaluating such implementation,
provide technical oversight, monitoring and evaluation of projects and programme of work activities,
provide advice on the technical and scientific bases for decisions and recommendations on measures concerning general conservation and rational management of living aquatic resources, including the biological, social and economic aspects of fisheries and aquaculture management,
propose the establishment of subsidiary bodies to work on specific technical issues or to provide a specified output,
provide information on fisheries and aquaculture production and other data relevant to the functions of the Commission in such a way as to enable the Commission to achieve its objectives.

The Agreement grants the Commission to establish, in addition to TAC, temporary, special or standing committees and working groups to study, report, advise and recommend on matters pertaining to the purposes of the Commission and on specific technical problems.

Publications

(Note: lists include bilingual documents)