A recent study highlighted the benefits of implementing the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Focusing on five ecological indicators to quantify the ecosystem effects of fishing, the analysis found that compliance with the Code increases the sustainability of fisheries regardless of the region. It also warns of the negative ecological effects when such international instruments are not honoured.

The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and its related International Plans of Action and Strategies are voluntary instruments widely recognized by governments and NGOs as the global standard for the sustainable development and management of fisheries and aquaculture, and as a basis for reviewing and adopting national fisheries legislation. Since its adoption in 1995, the Code has served as the key pillar of FAO’s mandate and mission for fisheries and aquaculture.

The independent scientific study, published in the journal “Global Environmental Change”, also includes a minimum compliance threshold above which the Code of Conduct would be effective in increasing the ecological sustainability of exploited aquatic ecosystems. These positive results underpin the importance of the work of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department in assisting developing countries to adopt responsible fisheries and aquaculture practices in line with the Code.

3 May 2013, Rome - In a major breakthrough, researchers at the University of Arizona have identified the causative agent behind a mysterious disease that has been decimating shrimp farms in Asia.

Denmark was among the first countries to have FLAGs up and running. Its Axis 4 implementation system is interesting for at least three reasons: the speed with which it was set up, the excellent cooperation between all actors which ensures a good flow of information, and the strong role played by the National Network Unit.

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The Finnish delivery system is moderately centralised, but remarkably efficient. FLAGs animate and select projects, but the final approval and payments are done through the regional offices of the Intermediate Body. Thanks to close proximity and trust between the IB and the FLAGs, projects can be approved within six weeks of submission to a FLAG, sometimes even less. Finnish FLAGs have used existing organisations as their legal entities which take on most administrative tasks, leaving the FLAG employees free to focus on mobilising and supporting local stakeholders to develop projects that can benefit fisheries and the territory.

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Speaking at the 10th Meeting of FAO South West Pacific Ministers for Agriculture in the Samoan capital, Graziano da Silva said addressing climate change had become “a question of survival – just like hunger.”

The South West Pacific area accounts for roughly 15 percent of the globe, and includes about two thousand islands and atolls, which are particularly vulnerable to storms and flooding, water scarcity, and stresses on fishery and forestry systems.

The Director-General said one of FAO’s priorities was to work on the especially urgent climate change issues faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and low-lying coastal areas in Pacific and all regions.

FAO supports Pacific island countries in many ways, in part, by working to broaden and deepen implementation of internationally agreed norms, like the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and related instruments.

The organization works with governments and partners at the national, regional and international levels on issues like illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; the management of tuna fishing; and the management of marine areas beyond national jurisdictions.