"Fully revised and updated"--Back cover.

The regional dimension is key to international fisheries management policy, as demonstrated by the rapid expansion of the family of regional fisheries bodies (RFBs). There are some 50 RFBs worldwide. Most provide only advice to their members, and are hence referred to in this work as regional fisheries advisory bodies (RFABs). Regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) have mandates to adopt legally binding conservation and management measures based on the best scientific evidence. Global instruments and normative processes have to be implemented and translated into actions at the country and regional levels, as appropriate. In this regard, regionalization of fisheries and aquaculture governance can provide opportunities not only to address common concerns, create synergies and mainstream the global objectives of relevant UN bodies, but also to broaden outreach on the global fisheries agenda to regional partners that may not be directly concerned with fisheries, as well as to the general public. The present study provides an overview of the activities and developments of RFMOs and RFABs from 2000 to 2017. It is based on a compilation of data and information for 46 RFMOs and RFABs.

The conservation, sustainable use and development of aquatic genetic resources (AqGR) is critical to the future supply of fish. The State of the World’s Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is the first ever global assessment of these resources, with the scope of this first Report being limited to cultured AqGR and their wild relatives, within national jurisdiction. The Report draws on 92 reports from FAO member countries and five specially commissioned thematic background studies. The reporting countries are responsible for 96 percent of global aquaculture production. The Report sets the context with a review of the state of world’s aquaculture and fisheries and includes overviews of the uses and exchanges of AqGR, the drivers and trends impacting AqGR and the extent of ex situ and in situ conservation efforts. The Report also investigates the roles of stakeholders in AqGR and the levels of activity in research, education, training and extension, and reviews national policies and the levels of regional and international cooperation on AqGR. Finally, needs and challenges are assessed in the context of the findings from the data collected from the countries. The Report represents a snapshot of the present status of AqGR and forms a valuable technical reference document, particularly where it presents standardized key terminology and concepts.

This document provides a review, commentary and tabulations of the main trends that have occurred in exploitation of fisheries resources since the 1970s, largely as they are reflected in the FAO database on fishery landings, supplemented with selected information from the fishery literature. Reviews were prepared separately for the 15 main areas into which FAO divides the world's oceans for statistical purposes. They are then compared from a global perspective to reveal relative trends by species and areas, which are highlighted. Several special topics are reviewed, including tuna and tuna-like species, whales and dolphins, and environmental issues in fisheries.

Transshipment is a widespread practice in marine capture fisheries, that has recently been associated with a possible risk of introducing catches derived from illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing into the supply chain. This in-depth study was carried out in order to shed more light on the practice and make recommendations to inform future discussions on the development of international guidelines for the regulation, monitoring and control of transshipment. The report presents a background to the study, its approach and methodology, the key findings including possible elements of the guidelines, and discusses the main issues from the perspective of the risk of transshipment in supporting IUU fishing.