The Thirty-second Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) was held in Rome, Italy, from 11 to 15 July 2016. This is a report of the Session reflecting the discussions which took place and containing all recommendations and decisions taken by the Committee. A synopsis of the outcome of the Session is presented in the abstract and all supplementary information is included in the appendixes.

The Thirty-first Session of the European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission (EIFAAC) was held in Killarney, Ireland, from 22 to 24 June 2022. The Session presented and discussed the results achieved by EIFAAC, its Management Committee and its Technical and Scientific Committee since the Thirtieth Session of EIFAAC in 2019. The Commission adopted four Resolutions and one Recommendation: 1) On EIFAAC Resolutions, Recommendations and Advisory Notes; 2) On the Code of Conduct for Recreational Fisheries and Invasive Alien Species; 3) On the protection of vulnerable and endangered fish species from unsustainable predation from cormorants; 4) On small-scale fisheries and aquaculture; and 5) On the Code of Practice for Recreational Fisheries. The Commission also reviewed the endorsed the recommendations from the well-attended EIFAAC International Symposium on “Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture - Advances in Technology, Stock Assessment and Citizen Science in an Era of Climate Change”, held in Killarney, Ireland, from 20 to 21 June 2022. Finally, the Commission reviewed and endorsed the updated EIFAAC Rules of Procedure and the work programme 2022–2024 and elected new officers. The Session and Symposium received generous support from the host organizations, Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Irish Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.

Conclusions of the 25th session of the Committee included: the need for a strategy to improve information on capture fisheries; reaffirmation of the need for global implementation of measures against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; the importance of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and its related International Plans of Action (IPOAs) in promoting long-term sustainable development of fisheries; and identification of key priority work areas for 2004-05.

In June 2014, FAO member-states endorsed the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines). These Guidelines are one of the most significant landmarks for small-scale fisheries around the world. They are comprehensive in terms of topics covered, and progressive, with their foundations based on human rights and other key principles. It can be anticipated that implementing the SSF Guidelines, whether at local, national, or regional levels, will be challenging. This book contains in-depth case studies where authors discuss the extent to which the Guidelines can help improve the realities of small-scale fishing men and women globally and make their livelihoods and communities more secure. This will require policy intervention and innovation, along with contributions of civil society organizations and academia. However, most of all it will necessitate the empowerment of fishing people so that they can become active participants in decision making on matters where their well-being and human rights are at stake. By endorsing the SSF Guidelines, states have committed themselves to support and facilitate this development. This book asks whether states can successfully “walk the talk,” and provides advice as to how they can do so. The collection of case studies sets the platform for an interactive dialogue space for researchers, policy makers, civil society and small-scale fishing communities to start the conversation about the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the SSF Guidelines at local, national, regional and global levels. An added value is that it helps add focus to our work as civil society activists involved in ensuring the application of the SSF Guidelines. Naseegh Jaffer – General Secretary, World Forum of Fisher People (WFFP) This collection offers many ways in which institutions enabling small-scale fisheries can protect and promote sustainability, food security, customary tenure, self-management, and market access, while fostering such benefits as ecosystem-based management, protected areas, incorporation of local knowledge, and poverty alleviation. You will want to put this book in the hands of policy-makers and practitioners immediately -- and for years to come. Evelyn Pinkerton – Professor, Simon Fraser University, Canada

The forty-first session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean as well as the eighth session of the Committee on Administration and Finance was attended by delegates of 22 contracting parties, as well as of three cooperating non-contracting parties and one non-contracting party. Representatives from 20 intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its regional projects as well as the Bureaus of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies, were also in attendance.

The thirty-first session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) reviewed the intersessional activities of its Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and its Committee on Aquaculture (CAQ) and held the first session of its Compliance Committee. Based on advice from SAC and proposals by Members, the GFCM adopted: three Resolutions, including two related to the GFCM statistical framework and one on the use of the 40 mm square mesh size in the codend of trawlnets. The Commission also adopted binding recommendations on fisheries management, including diamond mesh size of trawlnets and the Pelagos Sanctuary for the conservation of marine mammals, as well as three Recommendations emanating from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) on bluefin tuna and on transshipment at sea. The GFCM strengthened the mandate of CAQ and adopted a new set up and modus operandi for the subsidiary bodies of the Committee. The Commission decided to strengthen its activities in the Black Sea. It acknowledged the importance of the five regional projects supporting the activities of the Committees and endorsed a series of amendments to its Rules of Procedure. The Commission agreed on its programme of work and adopted its budget for 2007, including the establishment within the Secretariat of a post of Aquaculture specialist.

Conclusions of the 25th session of the Committee included: the need for a strategy to improve information on capture fisheries; reaffirmation of the need for global implementation of measures against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; the importance of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and its related International Plans of Action (IPOAs) in promoting long-term sustainable development of fisheries; and identification of key priority work areas for 2004-05.