Topics discussed at this meeting included options for enhancing regional fishery bodies and the FishCode Strategy for Improving Information on Status and Trends of Capture Fisheries partnership; a review of progress by member organisations; aquaculture statistics; issues related to vessel and port classification; fishery data quality indicators; and the status of FishStat Plus.

Topics discussed were: review of membership; progress since CWP-20 (from each member organization); review of the development of FIGIS and FIRMS (for information); CWP's advocacy role; review of recommendations from CWP-20; FISHSTAT; vessel size measurement for statistical purposes (Vessel length, Loa, Lp-p,); aquaculture statistics; fishery data quality indicators; recommendations relating to CWP from the FAO Expert Consultation on Data Formats and Procedures for Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (Bergen, Norway, 25-27 October 2004); and the 28 February-1 March 2005 Workshop on the Role of Regional Fishery Bodies in the Implementation of the Strategy for Improving Information on Status and Trends of Capture Fisheries (RFB-STF Workshop).

This report presents the outcomes of the twenty-first session of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Fisheries (SAC) of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) held in Cairo, Egypt, from 24 to 27 June 2019. During the session, the Committee reviewed the work carried out during the 2018–2019 intersession, including within its four subregional subsidiary bodies. Ce rapport présente les résultats de la vingt et unième session du Comité scientifique consultatif des pêches (CSC) de la Commission générale des pêches pour la Méditerranée (CGPM) tenue au Caire, Égypte, du 24 au 27 juin 2019. Au cours de la session, le Comité a passé en revue les travaux réalisés pendant la période intersessions 2018-2019, notamment dans le cadre de ses quatre organes subsidiaires sous-régionaux.

The twenty-sixth session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) was held in Rome, Italy, from 7 to 11 March 2005. The Committee reviewed the issues of an international character and the programme of work of the FAO Fisheries Department in fisheries and aquaculture. The Committee commended FAO on its report on the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and its associated instruments and called for a "decade of implementation" of the various instruments developed to ensure responsible fisheries. The Committee called upon Members to accept, ratify or accede to, as appropriate, these instruments. The Committee encouraged FAO to elaborate additional guidelines in support of the Code, including one for the implementation of the International Plan of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity. The need to initiate international negotiations on the monitoring of fishing vessels within the framework of the Code of Conduct concerning its implementation was underlined. The Committee welcomed the revised Code and Voluntary Guidelines for the Design, Construction and Equipment of Small Fishing Vessels that had been prepared by FAO, the International Labour Organization and the International Maritime Organization. The Committee expressed concern at the proliferation of international fora addressing fisheries matters, some of which lacked sound technical and scientific bases for discussion. The FAO's medium- to long-term rehabilitation strategy for the fisheries and aquaculture sector in countries affected by the Tsunami was endorsed. Guidelines on ecolabelling of fish and fishery products were adopted. The Committee agreed to give greater attention to small-scale fisheries and to allocate more resources in their support. The Committee expressed its appreciation to FAO and donor countries for giving greater attention to small-scale fisheries and for allocating more resources in their support. It welcomed the advance version of the Code of Conduct Guidelines on Enhancing the Contribution of Small-Scale Fisheries to Poverty Alleviation and Food Security. The Committee stressed that COFI and FAO should continue to provide leadership and maintain an assertive role in fisheries. The Committee commended FAO for the improvements made in the presentation of the Medium Term Plan and Preliminary Programme of Work Proposals for 2006-2007. The Committee underlined that additional allotments should be made to the Major Programme 2.3 "Fisheries". Book jacket.

This document contains the report of the twenty-sixth Session of the Coordinating Working party on Fisheries Statistics (CWP) and meetings of the Aquaculture Subject Group and Fishery Subject Group held in Rome, Italy, from 15-18 May 2019. The CWP provides a mechanism to coordinate the statistical programs conducted by intergovernmental organizations including regional fishery bodies with a remit for fishery statistics. Ten CWP Members, two observers’ regional fishery bodies and three invited international and national organizations participated in the meetings.

This document contains the report of the Fifth Meeting of the Aquaculture Subject Group and the Twenty-sixth meeting of the Fisheries Subject of CWP, held during the Intersessional Aquaculture and Fisheries Subject Group meeting of the Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics (CWP-IS), which took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 19 to 22 June 2017. The work was organized between joint sessions to address issues of general interest, with the Subject Groups – Aquaculture (CWP-AS) and Fis heries (CWP-FS) –organized in concurrent sessions, to address matters related to the intersessional programme for each Subject Group. The meeting reviewed the progress made since the Twenty-fifth session of the CWP and agreed on actions for the second part of the intersessional period, prior to the upcoming Twenty-sixth session of the CWP to be held early in 2019. The main issues presented and discussed were the dissemination of the revised handbook on the CWP web page and the further enhancemen t of the socio-economic and GIS section of the handbook, the CWP ad hoc task group on “reference harmonization for capture fisheries and aquaculture statistics”, and the progress made by the Task Force in establishing the standard aquaculture questionnaire.

Following to the approval of the third session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) Sub-Committee on Aquaculture (New Delhi, 2006), and the twenty-seventh session of COFI (Rome, 2007) to establish an interregional mechanism for aquaculture similar to the Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics (CWP-FS), the Workshop was called to address the need for data and information coordination in aquaculture and objectives, characteristics and structure suitable for the Coordinating Working Party for Aquaculture (CWP-AS). After reviewing the data and information requirements in aquaculture and existing gaps in data collection, the necessity to harmonize standards for data, information and statistics, the relations between capture fishery and aquaculture, and structure and activities of CWP-FS, the Workshop reaffirmed the need for a mechanism to identify, establish and harmonize standards for aquaculture data, information and statistics. The Workshop recommended the establishment of the CWP-AS within the framework of the CWP-FS, but with its own terms of reference (TORs), rules of procedure and composition to reflect the specific needs of the aquaculture sector. The Workshop further developed a detailed proposal of functions and structure of such a body including TORs, composition and operational aspects which are attached as Appendix 3.

Topics discussed at the meeting included: a review of CWP membership; general reviews of progress since CWP-22, of intersessional CWP activities and those of the participating organisations; a report on the establishment of Capture Group and Aquaculture Group; methodology and new data requirements; revision of CWP handbook; integrating the regional databases; the introduction of FISHSTAT J; and improvement in visibility of CWP.