Conference Date: 25th September 2019

Conference Location: University Malaysia Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia

We are pleased to announce that for the first time in its almost fifty year history, ASFA is combining its Advisory Board Meeting with a one day Conference on Grey Literature, open to all members of the aquatic sciences, fisheries and aquaculture community to attend. The Conference is jointly hosted by ASFA and the Malaysian National Partner, the University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT). The theme of the conference is how information services, such as ASFA, can improve the discovery of grey literature in order to benefit aquatic sciences, fisheries and aquaculture research. Improving discovery is vital to ensure that grey literature is not overlooked or forgotten and that it remains available to researchers beyond specific project cycles or conference dates. Grey Literature is often described as literature not controlled by commercial publishers but of sufficient quality to be collected and preserved by libraries and institutions. This Conference will demonstrate the wide variety of formats and content Grey Literature can encompass, and how innovative information services can facilitate their discovery to the advantage of scientists and researchers. The Conference will bring together information managers and those working as researchers, policy makers or scientists in the fields of aquatic sciences, fisheries or aquaculture. During this Conference, ASFA's strategy on the monitoring and coverage of grey literature will be presented, with options for attendees to provide feedback.

Conference Topics:

1. How new technologies are improving the discovery of Grey Literature

2. The role of A&I services in enabling discovery of global grey literature

3. Changing formats of grey literature in a digital age

4. Researchers' grey literature storage and retrieval priorities

Call for Abstracts

If you are interested in presenting a paper at this conference, please email your abstract to ASFA-Secretariat@fao.org by no later than 16th June. Abstracts should be 300-400 words, and please ensure to include in your email the title of your paper, the full author name and author institution, and also indicate which Conference topics your abstract relates to. Authors will be notified by 19th June 2019 whether their abstract has been selected.

Conference Registration

There is no cost to attend the Conference, however ASFA is unable to provide sponsorship for those wishing to attend. There are only a limited number of places available. Therefore if you wish to attend the Conference, please email the ASFA Secretariat (ASFA-Secretariat@fao.org) citing your full name; Organization/ Institution; and Job Title. You will then receive confirmation of your registration in due course.

These Voluntary Guidelines for the Marking of Fishing Gear are dedicated to the memory of Joanna Toole, who worked tirelessly to reduce and manage ALDFG in the ocean and to stop ghost fishing by such gear worldwide. She played a key role in the preparatory process for the formulation of these Guidelines.

Abstract
The Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear are a tool to contribute to sustainable fisheries, to improve the state of the marine environment, and to enhance safety at sea by combatting, minimizing and eliminating abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) and facilitating the identification and recovery of such gear. The Guidelines assist fisheries management and can be used as a tool in the identification of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. The Guidelines address the purpose and principles, the scope of application and the implementation of a gear marking system and its associated components, including reporting, recovery and disposal of ALDFG or unwanted fishing gear and commercial traceability of fishing gear. The Guidelines also contain special considerations for developing States and small-scale fisheries with a view to capacity development, as well as guidance on conducting a risk-based approach to implementing gear marking systems. The Guidelines are expected to assist States in meeting their obligations under international law, including relevant international agreements and related governance frameworks and the specific requirements for gear marking contained in FAO's Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

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