General information

Comprehensive global and regional statistics on capture fisheries and aquaculture require national fishery and aquaculture statistical programs to be coherent and consistent, and based on a common set of statistical standards which apply internationally recognized definitions, classifications and codes. The CWP Handbook of Fishery Statistics was created to serve as the basis for this integration.

The CWP Handbook documents the core business of CWP including the statistical concepts, classifications, data exchange protocols and codes which are recommended by CWP for use in capture fishery and aquaculture statistics globally. Much of this core business may be applied in a wider context, however users are advised to ensure the validity of such applications. The Handbook indicates the principles applied by the international agencies and no attempt has been made to include details of national systems, many of which, having been developed for specific national purposes, may differ from those employed internationally. There are also related pages on information sharing practices which outline principles, standards, protocols and practices needed to establish harmonized data collection, reporting and dissemination systems, and pages on regional references which set out CWP Members’ best practices in implementing CWP recommendations.

The intended users of this Handbook are CWP Members (refer background), national fishery and aquaculture statistics offices, national administrations and other fishery and aquaculture agencies. The Handbook is also intended to assist in the development of national standards as logical extensions of the international standards. Authorities considering introducing or revising national statistical systems are requested to ensure that the systems developed incorporate a high degree of compatibility with the international standards described in the Handbook.