Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA)

Established in 1971, the goal of ASFA is to promote and disseminate the world’s research on aquatic sciences, fisheries and aquaculture. To achieve this, each ASFA partner uses OpenASFA to create bibliographic records for their institution’s research and datasets. All records are indexed with terminology from standardized vocabularies, including the ASFA Thesaurus which is developed and maintained by ASFA partners in collaboration with AGROVOC. Both OpenASFA and the ASFA Thesaurus are freely searchable online.

ASFA Products

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OpenASFA
OpenASFA

OpenASFA is a bibliographic database containing detailed description of publications and datasets related to aquatic sciences, fisheries and aquaculture. OpenASFA is created and maintained by a network of partnering United Nations Agencies, international organizations and national institutions called ASFA Partners and is freely searchable through its FAO platform.

ASFA Thesaurus

The ASFA Thesaurus is used to index records on OpenASFA.  The thesaurus covers all topics within ASFA’s subject scope: science, technology, management, and conservation of marine, brackish water, and freshwater resources and environments, including their socio-economic and legal aspects. The Thesaurus is also used by a number of aquatic science institutions around the world and is free to browse, search and connect to online. 

Publications

2023

This document presents the report of the 2022 ASFA Advisory Board Meeting (ABM), which took place virtually from 12 to 14 September, with a final session on the ASFA business model taking place on 23 November.

2022

During 2020, the ASFA Secretariat supported the CECAF-PESCAO project by compiling an inventory of marine fisheries research produced in nine countries (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain). A search methodology was agreed with the CECAF project team, with support from the EAF-Nansen Programme to identify relevant marine fisheries research.

2022

Having celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021, ASFA is now looking to the future and how it can support the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As an international network focused on disseminating the world’s aquatic science, fisheries and aquaculture research, there are many ways in which ASFA can and does contribute to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

News & Stories

16/09/2024

The Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) network is set to hold its annual Advisory Board Meeting (ABM) online from September 16 to 18, 2024. This year's meeting is particularly noteworthy as it will focus on adopting new Terms of Reference that aim to modernize ASFA's governance an...

Marine litter
03/06/2024

OpenASFA has curated several collections on specific topics within the fields of aquatic sciences, fisheries and aquaculture. To coincide with Abandoned, Lost and Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) being AGROVOC’s concept of the month for June 2024, this news article presents the OpenASFA col...

07/07/2023

The ASFA thesaurus has been updated with the latest terminology relevant to aquatic science, fisheries and aquaculture. The July release of the ASFA thesaurus brings the total number of concepts to 5 131, available in up to 42 languages, thanks to the efforts of Agrovoc editors and A...

11/05/2023

For this article in the Reflections on the Water series, Silvina Perez (Instituto de Investigaciones Pesqueras, Uruguay, ASFA National Partner) interviews Juan Manuel Ordoqui - a student, activist, and winner of National Geographic's "Young Explorers 2021." Juan shares his thoughts, experiences, and opportunities around Marine Biodiversity. 

ASFA-AGROVOC Alignment
01/12/2022

Thanks to some very hard work from the ASFA vocabulary working group and AGROVOC team, the ASFA Secretariat is pleased to announce that the alignment of ASFA concepts to the AGROVOC thesaurus is now complete. This means the ASFA thesaurus is now available to browse or download, which you ...

Contact us

For enquiries on ASFA, please email: [email protected]

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