Committee on Fisheries

Committee on Fisheries, COFI37

Thirty-seventh session, 7-11 September 2026

FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy

The Committee on Fisheries (COFI), a subsidiary body of the FAO Council, was established by the FAO Conference in 1965.

It is the only global inter-governmental forum where FAO Members meet to consider the issues related to fisheries and aquaculture.

COFI is a unique body in that it provides periodic global recommendations and policy advice to governments, regional fishery bodies, civil society organizations, and actors from the private sector and international community.

The Committee has fostered the development and adoption of several binding agreements as well as non-binding instruments that have reshaped how the sector works in the interests of resource sustainability and biodiversity conservation.

The 37th Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI37) will convene from 7 to 11 September 2026 at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, in hybrid format. The session will discuss the newly released State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 2026 report, FAO's flagship biennial assessment of global stocks and sector trends. Members will also consider the outcomes of COFI's three Sub Committees (Fish Trade, Aquaculture, and Fisheries Management) and discuss key topics including progress in addressing illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; the role of FAO and Regional Fishery Bodies in supporting implementation of relevant international agreements; adaptation and mitigation of fisheries and aquaculture to climate change; and supporting small-scale fisheries and aquaculture.

Alongside the formal proceedings, COFI37 will feature a programme of side events and a Speaker's Corner, offering Members and observers additional space to share experience and dialogue on key and emerging issues. Additionally, a high-level event will be held to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Agreement on Port State Measures. The session will also see the presentation of the Margarita Lizárraga Medal, awarded biennially in recognition of outstanding contributions to the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.