Through the adoption of the the FAO International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas, FAO was requested to carry out a number of supporting activities. Building on these requests, FAO has initiated a programme with the aim of assisting states, institutions, the fishing industry and RFMO/As in the implementation of the FAO International Guidelines.

The objective is to improve the current management systems through more and better information, as well as to better engagement and communication among stakeholders, and capacity-building.

The programme, endorsed by COFI in 2009, seeks to establish a knowledge baseline in relation to these fisheries and related ecosystems and contains four major components:

1. Tools to aid in the implementation of the FAO International Guidelines with the aim of developing  a notion of "good practice" in deep-sea fisheries, including:
   • Studies on the economics (including market linkages, socio-economics, etc.) of the industry
   • Best fishing practices for fleet management/vessel operation
   • Technical guidelines on effective collaboration between the industry and managers and scientists for the use and collection of data on deep-sea fisheries
   • Guidelines on impact mitigation measures and encounter protocols for VMEs
   • Species identification guides for commercial species, bycatch species and other species of interest
2. A database of high seas VMEs and related information that will serve to coordinate information on location, characteristics and relevant details of VMEs
3. The utilization of methodology and information gathered through the first two components, to demonstrate and pilot implementation activities for enhanced management of deep-sea fisheries in specific high seas areas in need of management support
4. Global coordination, information dissemination, monitoring, and awareness building, including:
   • global coordination foras
   • collection and publication of historical information
   • updating the worldwide review on deep-sea fisheries in the high seas
   • monitoring of the implementation of the guidelines and deep-sea fishing practices
   • publication of materials in multiple languages and website development.

Implementation has been initiated in collaboration with States, regional fisheries management organizations and organizations (RFMO/As), fishing industry groups and relevant non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations. Each component will be addressed from a global perspective, but with particular attention to areas where no RFMO exists. A collaborative funding approach is being taken for this four-year programme which requires extra-budgetary financial support.

An initial activity is exploration of the challenges encountered in implementing the FAO International Guidelines and practical solutions.