Major topics discussed were: present situation of fishery statistical data collection in the CECAF region with a case study; fisheries data and their transformation into information for basic fisheries management; review of the present state of exploitation of stocks and management requirements; and future scientific work in the region.

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.

On 16 November 1994, the 1992 U.N. Law of the Sea Convention took effect. Progress is now evident in the implementation of Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, as reviewed by the 1997 UNGA Special Session. These developments and the establishment of the International Seabed Authority (ISBA) and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) make the continuation of the NILOS Documentary Yearbook, now in its 11th year, of particular significance in the years to come. The Yearbook compiles the documents related to ocean affairs and the law of the sea issued each year by organizations, organs, and bodies of the United Nations system. These include documents of the U.N. General Assembly, ECOSOC and its regional Commissions, the U.N. Secretary-General's Informal Consultations, PrepCom ISA/ITLOS, UNCED, UNEP and UNCTAD; followed by the documents of specialized agencies and other autonomous organizations of the U.N. system, including FAO, IAEA, ILO, IMO, UNESCO/IOC and WMO. The Yearbook reproduces in full documents issued in the course of the most recent year and lists other relevant documents. The NILOS Documentary Yearbook has proved of invaluable assistance in facilitating access by the community of scholars and practitioners in ocean affairs and the law of the sea to essential documentation.