The ICES Working Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour (WGFTFB) was given a global mandate in 2002 when FAO accepted an invitation from ICES to form a joint Working Group named ICES-FAO Working Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour (ICES-FAO WGFTFB).

The primary objective of this working group is the incorporation of fishing technology issues and expertise into management advice including, inter alia, the impacts of fishing on the environment (e.g. bycatch, unaccounted fishing mortality, habitat impacts, energy use, greenhouse gas emission) and the promotion of responsible fishing technologies and operation to the global community.

FAO has significantly contributed to the body of knowledge developed under this Working Group. Such exchanges have provided a stimulus among WGFTFB members and ICES to further strengthen the relationship and take advantage of synergies resulting from the global nature of FTFB. Accordingly, in the 2011 FAO-ICES exchange of letters, FAO agreed to co-chair the WGFTFB and host the annual meeting of WGFTFB every third year in the location chosen by FAO, starting in 2013.

So far, three FAO-sponsored meetings, with themed mini-symposia have been implemented: Symposium on Impacts of Fishing on the Environment (Thailand, 2013), Symposium on Technology Development and Sustainable Fisheries (Mexico, 2016), and Symposium on Responsible Fishing Technology for Healthy Ecosystems and Clean Environment (China, 2019).

Reports produced by the Working Group and of previous meetings can be found here.