The second session of the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission was attended by delegates from Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, the Republic of Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, the United Republic of Tanzania and Yemen. Representatives of The World Conservation Union (IUCN), the Swedish Board of Fisheries, the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Project (SWIOFP), the Regional Seas Program of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI), New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) also attended the session as observers. The Commission noted the work undertaken since the first session, considered the report of the Scientific Committee, agreed on a set of recommendations, approved the establishment of Working Group on Fisheries Data and Statistics, and agreed to link with the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Project (SWIOFP) through a Committee to be established within the Commission. The Commission will hold a regional conference on "Sustainable fisheries development and its contribution to the Millennium Development Goals" within two years; the key topics of the Conference were decided. The Commission agreed to renew its efforts to engage on-going national and regional monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) activities and assist with a regional directory of MCS personnel. It elected a Bureau composed of Seychelles, Madagascar and Mozambique to steer the Commission intersessionally and at the third session which will take place in Seychelles in 2007.--Publisher's description.

The Indian Ocean Fishery Commission held its eleventh session on February 17, 1999 at FAO Headquarters in Rome. The Commission expressed satisfaction with the steps taken by the subsidiary bodies to strengthen their structures and functions and concluded that with these changes, there was no justification for the existence of the Commission. The Commission agreed unanimously to recommend to the FAO Council to abolish the Indian Ocean Fishery Commission.--Publisher's description.