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FAO. Report of the second session of the Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research. Rome, Italy, 6-9 December 1999 FAO Fisheries Report. No. 614. Rome, FAO. 2000. 73p. ABSTRACT The Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research (ACFR) held its
second session in Rome from 6-9 December 1999. The Committee examined its work
since the first session, undertook an appraisal of FAO's fisheries
research-related programmes and elaborated the Committee's work for the
intersessional period (1999-2000). The Committee noted the successful
intersessional period in particular, the results of the Meeting of FAO and
non-FAO regional fishery bodies and arrangements and the conduct of and
preparation of reports by the three Working Parties instructed at the first
session. The Committee acknowledged that the development of and adoption of the
three International Plans of Action (IPOA) on the Management of Fishing
Capacity, the Conservation and Management of Sharks and the Reduction of
Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries at the twenty-third Session
of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI), was a significant way to promote
collaborative action on important issues, and commended the positive role that
international scientific consultation and collaboration had played in the
development of these IPOAs. The Committee reviewed its role within FAO's
recently adopted Strategic Framework (2000-2015) and the Fisheries Department's
Medium-Term Perspectives (2000-2005) and underscored the need to extract and
consider the research priorities that stem from these. The Committee appreciated
the efforts of the Fisheries Department to report on research-related activities
and acknowledged the importance and quality of the work and the great extent of
the product. It reiterated that the Fisheries Department must prioritize its
work or the overall high standard for quality that it has received to date will
be jeopardized. The Committee emphasized the importance for FAO staff to
continue to function as high-level professionals by participating in
international meetings and to publish in peer-reviewed journals. The Committee
acknowledged the emphasis by staff to create tools to compile information time
series in support of a very wide range of analysis, including the preparation of
SOFIA, Resource Reviews and to provide the public with access to the global
fisheries database. It recommended that priority should be given to including
socio-economic data, including information on aquaculture and marine and
freshwater small-scale fisheries. The Committee encouraged the Fisheries
Department to continue to develop and widely disseminate tools to assist
less-developed countries in participating in statistical programmes. The
Committee recognized that the major advances in the technology for managing and
delivering information embraced by the Fisheries Department has been a very
positive step. However, it also noted that particular consideration should be
given to making sure the information is well suited to the needs of people in
less-developed countries concerned with small-scale fisheries and aquaculture.
The Committee suggested that the future role of ACFR should include the
identification of periodic specialized and technically oriented reviews and to
offer recommendations on ways that these should be concluded, including their
objectives, terms of reference and participants. The Committee identified a
number of key research areas, which merited emphasis. These include the
methodological, analytical and descriptive research into the nature and
applicability of fishing rights and the benefits that can be gained from their
application in fisheries management, the development of a framework for setting
of medium-term research priorities, in particular for small-scale marine and
freshwater capture fisheries and small-scale aquaculture in developing
countries, as well as the extension of studies on fleet trends including
methodological studies to smaller vessels focusing on a limited sample of
countries where better data is available. The Committee agreed to recommend to
the Director-General continuation of the activities of the three Working
Parties, including the revised and enhanced directions for the Working Party on
Implications of Globalization on Trade and Distribution of Benefits. In
particular, the Committee emphasized the importance of establishing an
International Plan of Action for Status and Trends Reporting in Fisheries as a
means to enhancing advice to the Director-General and COFI of the most
up-to-date and accurate view of the prospects for maintaining or enhancing fish
production. Finally, the Committee noted that the emphasis for the next session
would be on a review of its intersessional activities, a review of small-scale
fisheries including inland fisheries and aquaculture, review and finalization of
the draft International Plan of Action for Status and Trends Reporting for
Fisheries and contribution to Fisheries Department Research Programme and
Project priority setting. |
Blurb
The FAO Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research (ACFR) held its Second Session in Rome, from 6 to 9 December 1999. The Committee examined its work since the First Session, undertook an appraisal of FAO's fisheries research-related programmes and elaborated the Committee's work for the intersessional period (1999-2000). The Committee emphasized the importance of establishing an international Plan of Action for Status and Trends Reporting in Fisheries as a means for enhancing advice to the Director-General and the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the most up-to-date and accurate view of the prospects for maintaining or enhancing fish production.
