The session agreed on a vision statement and on a characterization of small-scale fisheries as well as on a research agenda of five main themes. It elaborated preliminary drafts of two separate technical documents on the contribution, role and importance of small-scale fisheries and research agenda for small-scale fisheries and requested that the documents be submitted, after finalization by the Secretariat, to the ACFR at its next session

This publication contains the report of the Working Group's second session, held in Thailand in November 2003, which included 19 experts from 15 countries covering a range of disciplines related to small-scale fisheries. Issues discussed included a research agenda based on five main themes including policy and institutional arrangements; and the importance of small-scale fisheries to national economies, food security and poverty reduction.

The Experts received a report on the Expert's Workshop on Flag State Responsibilities: Assessing Performance and Taking Action that was organized by the Government of Canada from 25 to 28 March 2008 in Vancouver. The Consultation then considered a number of papers prepared by the experts and commentaries on them including criteria for assessing the performance of flag States, possible actions against vessels flying the flag of States not meeting the criteria for flag State performance, the role of national governments in implementing criteria and actions for flag States performance, the role of regional fisheries management organizations in implementing criteria and actions for flag State performance, the role of international institutions and instruments in implementing criteria and action for flag State performance and assistance to developing countries.

The Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research (ACFR) Working Party on Status and Trends of Fisheries met in Rome to consider how fishery status and trends reporting could be improved in terms of quality, scope and timeliness and better coordinated to allow a more systematic synthesis of information from national to regional and global levels. Owing to the importance of status and trends reports, and the scrutiny they receive, the Working Party recommended that the global system of status and trends reporting be advanced by: increasing completeness by including some fisheries and fishery resources that are currently under-represented; expanding the scope of current reports that are primarily on catch and fishery resource information to include other dimensions of fisheries; and enhancing quality assurance and credibility.

The Advisory Committee held its sixth session in Rome, Italy in October 2006 and topics discussed included: a review of the work of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department with a focus on fish trade, small-scale fisheries and aquaculture; and support for the work of FAO in aquaculture, particularly the timely inclusion of fish species in the Programme of Work of the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The Committee examined its work since the First Session, undertook an appraisal of FAO's fisheries research-related programmes and elaborated the Committee's work for the intersessional period (1999-2000).