COFI/2003/Inf.3

Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to welcome you to the Twenty-fifth Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI).

I note with great satisfaction the strong representation of Members, and inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations. This not only confirms the ever-increasing importance of fisheries in the world, but also the role of COFI as a global forum for addressing the many critical challenges confronting the sector.

Mr Chairman,

In this respect, I would like to congratulate your Committee for the direct acknowledgement expressed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002. The Johannesburg Plan expressly highlighted the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and its related International Plans of Action (IPOAs) as well as the Technical Guidelines for the implementation of the Code, which COFI has so actively crafted and promoted over the years.

Since your last session, a new Director for Fishery Policy and Planning, Mr. Jean-François Pulvénis de Séligny Maurel, has been appointed. He is well known to most of you due to his participation in several sessions of the Committee as the Head of the Delegation of his country, Venezuela. With his extensive background in fisheries, I know that Mr Pulvénis understands the problems of the sector and sympathizes with the aspirations of all Members. The other persons here on the podium – the Assistant Director-General, Mr Ichiro Nomura and his close associates of the Fisheries Department – need no introduction as they have been regular participants in your past sessions.

Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Your Committee has continuously affirmed that the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries is the basic global reference tool for the sustainable development and management of fisheries and aquaculture. I sincerely hope your deliberations will lead to the identification of mechanisms and strategies to overcome the common constraints that still hinder effective implementation of the Code and its related instruments. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and inappropriate control of fishing vessels seriously jeopardize the transition to responsible fisheries in many regions of the world. Your Committee may wish to exchange experiences on ways and means of achieving enhanced monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) of fishing operations, including the use of new technologies for vessel monitoring systems (VMS) that are cost effective and efficient.

Mr Chairman,

The Sub-Committee on Fish Trade, at its Eighth Session, reviewed important recent events and issues concerning international trade, and is seeking guidance from COFI particularly with regard to CITES and fish trade related issues, safety and quality, as well as the traceability of fish products. As in the past, we appreciate the valuable support and assistance of the Government of Germany in facilitating the work of the Sub-Committee.

COFI at its last Session wisely decided to establish a Sub-Committee on Aquaculture to provide a forum for consultation and discussion on this rapidly growing and vitally important food-producing sector. As a result of the kind hospitality of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the financial support of the Government of Italy, the First Session of the Sub-Committee on Aquaculture was held in Beijing in April 2002. FAO and the Sub-Committee would appreciate COFI’s seasoned counsel on how to fund activities to engage the priority areas identified at the First Session.

Over the past four years your Committee has been deeply concerned with the problem of fishery status and trends reporting. Indeed, vastly improved information is now required in order to monitor progress towards the time-bound goals for fisheries set in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation – namely: the restoration of depleted stocks, the application of the ecosystem approach in fisheries, the implementation of the IPOAs on fishing capacity and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and global reporting and assessment of marine environments.

Approval of the Draft Strategy for Improving Information on Status and Trends of Capture Fisheries by your Committee would greatly contribute towards the attainment of required information and hence towards the common goal of obtaining the fullest benefits from the world’s fisheries without compromising long-term sustainability.

Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,

All our efforts to assist Members develop and manage their fisheries and aquaculture are but part of a wider struggle to improve livelihoods in local communities. Your intention to debate on how to improve the role of small-scale fisheries for food security and poverty alleviation is an expression of your continuing concern for this very important sub-sector. Your comments and recommendations on this matter will be received with great interest.

In recent years the ecosystem approach has taken centre stage in international fisheries and is likely to be even more important in the years ahead. Your Committee addressed this issue during its last session, in planning for the Reykjavik Conference on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem. That Conference, organised in collaboration with the Government of Iceland and cosponsored by Norway, was held in October 2001. It culminated in the adoption of the Reykjavik Declaration on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem. The ecosystem approach to fisheries was again flagged at the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002. Your Committee may wish to suggest ways and means to promote the application of ecosystem approaches to the management of fisheries at national and regional levels.

The outcome of your deliberations on these major issues of concern in world fisheries will help frame your recommendations on the formulation of the FAO Programme of Work and Budget 2004-2005 for Major Programme 2.3 Fisheries, in the spirit of the Medium Term Plan 2004-2009.

Mr Chairman,

The achievement of our objectives in fisheries, and the fulfilment of our Members expectations depend upon the close integration of the Fisheries Department’s Regular Programme and Field Programme activities, as well as adequate financial and other support from international and national development organizations and agencies. Of particular importance in this regard are FishCode, the Fisheries Department’s global partnership programme for implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, and the Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme. These Trust Fund initiatives have received important contributions from the Governments of Japan, Norway, United Kingdom and the United States of America. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those Governments, organizations and agencies that have provided resources to fisheries activities and appeal strongly for increased contributions and support.

It is also important to highlight the need for human capacity building and institutional strengthening related to fisheries, an issue that has been stressed by your Sub-Committees on Fish Trade and Aquaculture and given prominence at the Fourth Session of the Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research (ACFR) in December 2002. Without training or access to facilities and skilled instructors and analysts, and without effective support for on-the-job experience, it would be virtually impossible to achieve improved and sustainable fisheries productivity and to meet the targets set in our Programme of Work and Budget and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. We appeal to governments, donors, partner agencies and organizations to support and collaborate with us as we strive to forge ahead in improving human resources in the fisheries sector.

Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Although your Committee obviously has a full agenda, I hope that delegates will also take time to participate in the series of side events that have been organized in parallel with the Session, and also to visit the exhibition that has been prepared in the Atrium.

In concluding, I wish to assure you that FAO greatly values your experienced advice and good counsel. I wish you a constructive and highly successful Session.

Thank you.