Fishers on their boat with a catch from the Arabian sea.

Increasing demand for fish in the region, and particularly in the Gulf and Sea of Oman, means increased emphasis on the importance of managing fisheries in a sustainable manner. Only this can ensure this source of food and livelihood will be available for future generations. The member countries of the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) recognize, not only the responsibility that every country holds to manage fisheries in a sustainable manner, but also emphasizes the critical role of regional cooperation in an area where fish stocks are shared and where the actions of one country have an impact on the fish stocks and environment in another.

Trends in fisheries production in the RECOFI area show that production levels are no longer on the increase. What’s more, the risks of overfishing, climate change and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing calls for effective regional cooperation which is now very necessary to ensure sustainable fisheries production.

Additionally, ensuring that fisheries policies, laws, data collection and technical know-how are shared and complementary to each other, key effective regional cooperation.

From 8 to 10 December this year, the RECOFI working group on Fisheries Management will discuss  a number of important topics  including advancing  minimum data collection, the role of CITES in RECOFI, and the social and economic aspects of fisheries in the region.