A workshop to develop an action plan towards the creation of a Regional Information System for the South West Indian Ocean region agreed to: creating a prototype harmonized information system, a working methodology and a road map to present both the prototype together with sustainability assessment considerations to regional decision-makers in 2013. The workshop report is now available online.

The workshop was organized in collaboration with SmartFish.

The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Report of the Fourth FAO Expert Advisory Panel for the assessment of proposals to amend Appendices I and II of CITES concerning commercially-exploited aquatic species is now available. The Panel, which met in December 2012, was convened in response to the agreement by the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) for an expert advisory panel for assessing relevant proposals to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Panel for future CITES Conference of the Parties.

The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department has published an audit of inland capture fishery statistics in Africa. This review is part of an initiative to refocus on inland capture fisheries after several years of relative neglect and to assess the current status of inland fishery resources of the continent. It also identifies critical issues emerging from the nominal catch statistics that affect understanding of the status of African inland capture fisheries and the capacity to manage them in the face of competing uses of water and the natural environment.

Sea cucumbers are exploited and traded in more than 70 countries worldwide. A new guide published by the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Commercially important sea cucumbers of the world, provides identification information on 58 species of sea cucumbers that are commonly exploited in artisanal and industrial fisheries around the world. Not all exploited species are included. Intended for fishery managers, scientists, trade officers and industry workers, this book contains key information identification sheets allowing readers to distinguish each species from similar species, both in live and processed (dried) forms.

Where available, the following information is included for each species: nomenclature together with FAO names and known common names used in different countries and regions; scientific illustrations of the body and ossicles; descriptions of ossicles present in different body parts; a colour photograph of live and dried specimens; basic information on size, habitat, biology, fisheries, human consumption, market value and trade; geographic distribution maps. The volume is fully indexed and contains an introduction, a glossary and bibliography.

This field guidebook, part of the FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes collection and produced by FAO FishFinder, benefitted from the collaboration of sea cucumber scientists worldwide as well as FAO expertise.

A new manual from the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Fuel savings for small fishing vessels, provides practical advice to fishing boat owners and crews, boat builders and boat designers and fisheries administrators on ways to reduce fuel costs. With a focus on small fishing boats, it also serves as a guide for those involved with fuel savings for small vessels used in support of aquaculture activities. The manual provides information and diagrams to boat designers and boat builders on hull shape for low resistance and the selection of efficient propellers.