What is the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries?

(PDF contains 17 pages)

Illegal fishing of inland water bodies of Nigeria: Kainji experience

It is a common knowledge that illegal fishing which includes use of wrong gears, explosives, excessive exploitation of choice stocks, enhancement and stocking of water body and pollution has devastating effects on the critical biomass of fish biodiversity and livelihood activities associated with fishing. Efforts worldwide to arrest these menace are significant because it has been found that illegal fishing has made fishing non sustainable, resulted in poor fishermen catches, and exacerbated the use of illegal gears in an effort to a must catch. Conflict between fisher folk and policies has continued to generate different strategies in the control of illegal fishing. Some of these strategies at regional and National levels include creation and implementation of fisheries laws, fishing edicts, code of conduct for responsible fisheries, policing of inland water bodies, capacity building and capability through training of fishermen, creating necessary awareness, arrest and punishment of offenders. There are also other initiative on conservation and management of freshwater ecosystems which have interrelation with illegal fishing. This paper examines efforts in promoting and boosting the fisheries of Lake Kainji, through creating necessary awareness, campaign visits, radio programmes, gear control, reward systems, integration and diversification of livelihood activities, community based management and policing. It further analyses what is working, problems, and prospect of fisheries laws, the need to integrate factors of political policies, other global initiative on water management for people and nature. Recommendations on strategies including protection of fishing grounds, establishment of catch data base, integration of other intervention as alternative source of income to enhance livelihood, reduce fishing pressure, and capacity building of fisher folks, development of rules and regulations that is community based are highlighted.

Information and knowledge sharing

The Guidelines provide a special focus on information and knowledge sharing and its current and potential role in supporting implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. They expand on relevant principles and standards set forth in the Code and make practical suggestions about ways to ensure that this role can be enhanced. The issues involved in the flow of information between different stakeholder groups include topics as diverse as information policy frameworks and information and communication technology infrastructure, hence coverage is introductory. Some of the constraints involved in the cycle from the creation, production, dissemination and availability of information and knowledge to its effective use and sharing by the present generation as well as its preservation for the future are presented. The special circumstances and requirements of stakeholders in developing countries are recognized in accordance with Article 5 of the Code. A separate chapter on small-scale fisheries and aquaculture looks in more detail at the special situation and information needs of the sub-sector. The Guidelines aim to foster a better understanding of the issues involved to ensure that stakeholders obtain the essential information that they need and that they make available their own information and knowledge for the public good. (PDF contains 115 pages)

Fishing guidelines

In accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI), FAO prepared the first draft of the technical guidelines in relation to Fishing Operations, which were submitted to the Technical Consultation on the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing, Rome, 26 September to 5 October 1994. The draft was prepared taking into account the Declaration of Cancún, Agenda 21 of United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and the Report of the Expert Consultation on Responsible Fishing Operations, Sidney, British Colombia, Canada, 6 -11 June 1994. Thereafter, the draft was revised taking into account, the negotiations at the UN Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, the elaboration of the Code as well as developments at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) with regard to the Protocol to the Torremolinos International Convention on Fishing Vessel Safety and the new International Convention on Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel, 1995. Technical Guidelines are given in support of the implementation of the Code in relation to fishing operations. These are addressed to States, international organizations, fisheries management bodies, owners, managers and charterers of fishing vessels as well as fishers and their organizations. Guidance is also given with respect to the general public. (PDF contains 93 pages)

Fisheries management

These Guidelines have been produced to support the implementation of Article 7 of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, with some reference to Article 12. They are addressed primarily to the decision-makers within fisheries management authorities and other interest groups, including fishing companies, fishers' organizations, concerned non-governmental organizations and others. The Guidelines provide a background to the need for fisheries management and an introduction to the activities encompassed by fisheries management. They introduce the major constraints experienced in fisheries and fisheries management and some of the fundamental concepts related to these. Biological, environmental, technological, socio-cultural and economic constraints and concepts are examined. Information is fundamental to responsible fisheries management and these Guidelines put emphasis on the range of data required for informed decisionmaking and examine aspects of the collection and interpretation of these data. Data are discussed in terms of three suggested scales in fisheries management: fisheries policy and development planning, formulation of management plans and implementation of management action. The range of possible management actions is outlined. This includes technical measures, such as gear restrictions, and more direct approaches in the form of direct catch limitation or effort limitation. The problems associated with open access fisheries are explained and comments made on the means to limit access and obstacles which may be encountered in this process. Finally, the Guidelines examine the management process. This section covers the process of agreeing on a management plan for a fishery, including the need for consultation and, where appropriate, cooperative decision-making. The need for periodic review of management plans is stressed. The importance of an effective legal framework, institutional and administrative structures and monitoring control and surveillance are described. (PDF contains 91 pages)

Responsible fish utilization

These guidelines have been produced to support the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries particularly with regard to the need for responsibility in the post– harvest sector of the fish producing industry. The industry that produces fish for food has three major areas of responsibility: to the consumer of the food to ensure that it is safe to eat, is of expected quality and nutritional value, to the resource to ensure that it is not wasted and to the environment to ensure that negative impacts are minimized. In addition the industry has a responsibility to itself to ensure the continued ability of many millions of people throughout the world to earn a gainful living from working within the industry. Article 11.1 of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and other related parts of the Code are concerned particularly with these responsibilities. This publication provides annotation to and guidance on these articles to assist those charged with implementation of the Code to identify possible courses of action necessary to ensure that the industry is conducted in a sustainable manner. (PDF contains 42 pages)

Tagungsbericht: 29. Sitzung des FAO-WHO-Codex-Alimentarius-Komitees für Fische und Fischereierzeugnisse

Der globale Handel mit Fischen und Fischereierzeugnissen funktioniert nur dann reibungslos, wenn sich die Handelspartner über die Qualität und Sicherheit der Produkte einig sind. Um diesen Handel zu erleichtern, tagen Experten aus aller Welt regelmäßig im CodexAlimentarius-Komitee für Fisch und Fischereierzeugnisse (CCFFP). Sie erarbeiten unter besonderer Beachtung des Gesundheitsschutzes der Verbraucher sowie der Sicherung fairer Praktiken im Handel internationale Lebensmittelstandards, Richtlinien und Vorschriften wie Codes of Practice. Die Mitarbeit in diesem Komitee ist auch aus dem Grunde besonders wichtig, da es eine Plattform dafür bietet, Ergebnisse aus eigener experimenteller forschender Tätigkeit direkt in hochrangige internationale Rechtsnormen umzusetzen, die unmittelbar dem Verbraucher und der betroffenen Lebensmittelindustrie zugute kommen, wie es beispielsweise bei der Grätendefinition, der Bestimmung des Fischkerngewichtes, der Bestimmung der Lebensfähigkeit von Nematoden, dem Heringsstandard, dem Standard für Fischstäbchen usw. der Fall war.

27. Sitzung des FAO/WHO-Codex-Alimentarius-Komitees für Fische und Fischerzeugnisse

1963 wurde von der FAO und WHO die Codex-Alimentarius-Kommission gegründet, die Lebensmittelstandards, Richtlinien und Vorschriften wie Codes of practice im Rahmen des gemeinsamen FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme erarbeiten sollte. Hauptziel dieses Programmes ist der Schutz der Gesundheit der Verbraucher und die Sicherung fairer Praktiken im Lebensmittelhandel sowie die Koordinierung der Arbeiten zu Lebensmittelstandards, die von international, staatlichen und nicht-staatlichen Organisationen durchgeführt werden.

21. Sitzung des FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Komitees für Fische und Fischerzeugnisse in Bergen/Norwegen

Auf der 21. Sitzung des Fischkomitees wurden die in den letzten 4 Jahren mit dem Ziel der Vereinfachung überarbeiteten Standardentwürfe für Erzeugnisse abschließend beraten und an die Kommission zur Annahme überwiesen. Die verschiedenen Codes of Practice werden am Beispiel des von einer Arbeitsgruppe revidierten und um HACCP-Prinzipien erweiterten Codes für tiefgefrorene Fischfilets von 7 neu eingesetzten Arbeitsgruppen überarbeitet. Eine Regelung über Richtwerte für Quecksilber in Fischen ist in Aussicht.

Falling through the cracks: are European directives and international conventions the panacea for freshwater nature conservation?

There are many ways of practising freshwater nature conservation: from strict legislative protection of individual species considered rare or threatened to protecting whole lakes or long stretches of rivers; from practical conservation management at a local scale to integrated catchment management at the river basin scale; and from the encouragement of better habitat management through codes of good practice to statutory control of pollution or abstraction. Whatever the mechanism, an essential pre-requisite is a way of choosing where to put the effort, especially when resources for nature conservation are severely limited. The aim of this article is to review the contribution from four specific international measures to the task of assigning priorities for conservation. The 1990s saw the introduction of two European directives (the Habitats Directive (HD) and the Water Framework Directive (WFD)) and one international convention (the Biodiversity Convention (CBD)) each with the potential for influencing, to a greater or lesser extent, the conservation of freshwater habitats and species. This article also discusses a much older convention – the Ramsar Convention – adopted in 1971 specifically to help tackle the conservation and management of wetlands and aquatic ecosystems. Although the authors have focused mainly on the UK, the subject is relevant to other parts of Europe and beyond. The article explores the degree to which these measures help in identifying the most important fresh waters for conservation, and asks whether or not they present the right conservation message to a wide audience.