Transcript Perspective of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department

Seminar for Permanent Representatives
on the Global Strategy for Improving
Agricultural and Rural Statistics,
Rome, 22 June 2009
Perspective of the Fisheries and
Aquaculture Department
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department,
Fisheries and Aquaculture Information and Statistics
Service
1
Problems to be addressed
• Incomplete and unreliable statistics and
information on fisheries and aquaculture impede
effective governance, management, policy making
and sectoral planning
• Implications for food security, sustainable
livelihoods, resource and ecosystem conservation
and economies; these have knock on effects for
agricultural and other sectors.
• Monitoring problems particular to marine and
large lake fisheries taking place in offshore or
distant waters
2
Many problems have been
recognised by Members
• Strategy for Improving Information on
Status and Trends of Capture Fisheries
(STF 2003)
• Strategy and Outline Plan for Improving
Information on Status and Trends of
Aquaculture (STA 2007)
• IMPLEMENTATION NOW NEEDED with
Donor support
2
Complementary and Coordinated
Implementation of Strategies
• FishCode STF Project for implementation for
Capture Fisheries (started 2006)
• FishCode STA Project proposed for
implementation for Aquaculture
• Need to integrate Fisheries and Aquaculture into
Agriculture and National Statistical Systems to
support policy making for food security, resource
management, ecosystem conservation, climate
change, etc. Is feasible: Codex is good model.
2
Existing Problems and Shortcomings
• Weak institutional capacity for statistics gathering
and processing
• Poor coverage of small scale and subsistence
operations and some distant water fisheries
• Insufficient inclusion in censuses
• Insufficient linkages with administrative
information such as licensing and trade systems
• Insufficient socio-economic data
• Data often too aggregated
2
Existing Problems by Region
• Southeast Asia: Data too aggregated with focus on
total catch quantities and values, not useful for
management. Small scale fisheries poorly covered.
• Central America and Caribbean: Fisheries viewed
as export-oriented industry; small scale ignored in
national planning, rural development and PRSPs.
• Pacific: Important fisheries dispersed around
thousands of islands; logistical problems,
especially for small scale fisheries
2
Existing Problems by Region
• West Africa: Data too aggregated, not useful
for management. Small scale fisheries
poorly covered. Approaches not appropriate
for inland fisheries
• China: Need for more sample-survey
approaches. Need for data on disposition of
fish catches for food and non-food uses.
2
Potential Benefits of Global Strategy
to Improve Agricultural Statistics
• Improved quality and utility of fisheries and
aquaculture statistics for local and national and
management, policy making and sectoral planning
• Improved regional fisheries management for
shared fish stocks
• Integration with agricultural and other statistics
leading to better support to policy-making on food
security, water and land use, coastal communities
and industries, ecosystem considerations, climate
change, emergencies, etc.
2
Thank you!