Delegations from 54 members of the Organization and observers from 8 intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations met at FAO Headquarters to prepare for the Consultation on the Management of Fishing Capacity, Shark Fisheries and Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries. The meeting discussed draft plans of action for the conservation and management of sharks and for the reduction of the incidental catch of seabirds in longline fisheries, as well as elements for a draft plan of action for the management of fishing capacity. This report summarizes the debates that took place. It also contains the guidance provided by the meeting to the FAO Secretariat about how best to proceed with the development of the documents that will be presented to the consultation proper. This guidance includes inter alia recommendations to the effect that the plans of action must assign the responsibility for actions amongst states (including other fishing entities), regional fishery bodies and international organizations. The plans should include provision for implementation and monitoring, including the issue of how to promote compliance by non-members of regional fishery organizations as well as by flag-of-convenience vessels. It was requested that technical assistance needs of developing countries be specified. It was suggested that the cost for any activities to be carried out by FAO, as part of the implementation of any international plan of action, should not be covered by extra-budgetary sources alone.--Publisher's description.

Sharks are only a small proportion of world recorded fish landings, but they are a versatile and valuable resource. They sustain important fisheries in several countries and are a cheap but valuable source of protein for coastal communities dependent on subsistence fisheries. Sharks are exploited for their meat, fins, teeth, cartilage, liver and other internal organs. This report details species used and methods of preparation for various purposes.

The twentieth session of the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission (EIFAC) was held in Praia do Carvoeiro, Portugal, from June 23 to July 1, 1998, in concomitance with a symposium on water for sustainable inland fisheries and aquaculture. The session reviewed EIFAC's activities since 1996 in the fields of fishery biology and management, aquaculture, protection of the aquatic resource, and social and economic issues. EIFAC revised its rules of procedure and decided its future program of work, and in particular the activities which should be carried out until the next session of the Commission in 2000, planned to be held in Hungary and preceded by a symposium on fisheries and society.--Publisher's description.

Seabird Bycatch significantly adds to the knowledge base of seabird mortality in commercial fisheries, and emphasizes the importance of comprehensive solutions. The product of a 1999 symposium held by the Pacific Seabird Group, Seabird Bycatch is a response to escalating bycatch, a global conservation and fisheries management issue.

"A publication of the National Research Council of Canada Monograph Publishing Program."

The FAO Expert Consultation, held in Rome in December 2005, reviewed available information and national, institutional and personal experiences in relation to factors governing the success of the IPOA- SHARKS conservation and management programme, including the constraints to programme implementation and options for improving its efficacy and effectiveness. The conclusion of the consultation was that the IPOA- SHARKS programme was a beneficial endeavour and that efforts to improve its effectiveness should be strengthened.

This document contains the texts of three International Plans of Action (IPOA): the IPOA for reducing incidental catch of seabirds in longline fisheries; the IPOA for the conservation and management of sharks; and the IPOA for the management of fishing capacity. The IPOAs were developed as the COFI Members in 1997 found that it would be necessary to have some form of international agreement in order to manage the concerned issues in compliance with the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. The most suitable instrument for each of the three issues was found to be a voluntary International Plan of Action. The three texts were developed in the course of two intergovernmental meetings, open to all FAO Members, held in 1998. The IPOAs were adopted by the twenty-third session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries in February 1999 and endorsed by the FAO Council at the session it held in June 1999.