Overcapacity is a key factor contributing to the decline in many of the world’s fisheries. The FAO International Plan of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity (IPOA-Capacity) encourages States to address this problem through capacity management in order to align fishing capacity with the sustainable use of their fish stocks.

The purpose of these Guidelines is to aid stakeholders and fisheries managers in the development of National and Regional Plans of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity.

The Guidelines provide information of the effects of different management programmes on capacity and outline the key concepts and techniques involved in monitoring, measuring and assessing capacity. The Guidelines also outline actions of States in conformance with the IPOA-Capacity.

FAO. Fisheries management. 3. Managing fishing capacity. FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries. No. 4, Suppl. 3. Rome, FAO. 2008. 104p.