Skills and Knowledge for Discards and Bycatch
Key skills and knowledge required by those involved in discard and bycatch reduction and utilisation in relation to food loss and waste (FLW) include:
- Causes of discards and bycatch and impacts
- Fisheries management measures
- Tools to control discards and bycatch
- Legal requirements and legislation
- Food safety
- Maintaining fish quality
- Utilisation options
- Hygiene and sanitation
- Waste storage and disposal
Assessment and data collection are important in terms of knowledge. Bycatch and discards threat sustainable fisheries by inflicting unnecessary mortalities. Sound management of bycatch and reduction of discards in capture fisheries will lead to healthy ecosystems and sustainable fisheries, contributing to long-term global food security, and alleviation of poverty, especially for coastal communities and Small Island Developing States which heavily depend on fish as food, fisheries as the main source of employment, and fishing as a way of life. Accurate and timely assessment of bycatch and discards provide necessary data for making sound management decisions and effective mitigation measures.
Key Publications
A Third Assessment of Global Marine Fisheries Discards Included is publicly available discard data in the last 20 years to establish a baseline of a time series of global marine fisheries discards, which is essential for monitoring the status of discard management. | |
| International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards The Food and Agriculture Organization, in collaboration with member states have developed international guidelines to aid in implementing appropriate measures in regards to the management of bycatch and the reduction of discards in fisheries |
| Managing bycatch and reducing discards This FAO training video explores the issues and solutions to better manage bycatch and reduce discards in tropical shrimp fisheries. |
More Resources
More Resources
27 February 2024
31 October 2023
01 October 2023