The annual International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA) meeting was held in Vigo, Spain on 6 October 2015. Given the congregation of industry members, the Coordinator of the ABNJ Deep Seas Project travelled to Vigo to lead a two hour planning meeting for a future, Project supported, Global Deep Sea Fishing Industry Symposium; and obtain a first-hand introduction to industry’s perspective on challenges being faced by industry and implementing the DSF guidelines in particular.

This Project “Sustainable Fisheries Management and Biodiversity Conservation of Deep-sea Living Marine Resources and Ecosystems in the ABNJ” is one of four projects making up the GEF-financed Program “ABNJ Global Sustainable Fisheries Management and Biodiversity Conservation in ABNJ”. It offers a unique opportunity for GEF, FAO, UNEP and its World Conservation Monitoring Centre, as well as the Project’s main partners – such as all deep-sea RFMO/As, Regional Sea Programmes, the CBD, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and others - to actively support the development, management and sustainability of DSF and associated biodiversity conservation in the ABNJ. FAO, UNEP and some of the partners already have a number of ongoing programs and activities dealing with issues related to DSF and biodiversity. Without the Project, however, the above-mentioned problems would continue to be addressed at a much slower pace and in a more piecemeal manner, with far more limited prospects of useful uptake and impact. There would be considerable additional risks to biodiversity as a result of the inevitably slower and fragmented approach. GEF is uniquely placed to orchestrate such a concerted and integrated project given its capacity for mobilizing substantial financial resources and technical knowledge. Moreover, the Project’s objectives and expected results are in complete alignment with GEF International Waters and Biodiversity focal areas.