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Report of the Technical Consultation on International Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. Rome, 19-22 October 2004.










Arabic version of: FAO. Report of the Technical Consultation on International Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. Rome, 19-22 October 2004. FAO Fisheries Report. No. 760. Rome, FAO. 2005. 69p.


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    Book (series)
    Report of the Technical Consultation on International Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. Rome, 19-22 October 2004. / Rapport de la Consultation technique sur les directives internationales pour l'étiquetage écologique du poisson et des produits des pêches de capture marines. Rome, 19-22 octobre 2004. / Informe de la Consulta Técnica sobre las Directrices Internacionales para el Ecoetiquetado de Pescado y Productos Pesqueros de la Pesca de Captura Marina. Roma, 19-22 de octubre de 2004. 2005
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    The Technical Consultation on International Guidelines for Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries was convened by FAO at the request of the twenty-fifth session of the Committee on Fisheries (Rome, 24–28 February 2003) and the ninth session of the COFI Sub-Committee on Fish Trade (Bremen, 10–14 February 2004). The Consultation was attended by fifty-seven Members of FAO and by observers from four intergovernmental and nine international non-governmental organizations. The Consultation stressed the benefits of internationally agreed guidelines aimed at avoiding the misuse of ecolabelling schemes through, inter alia, preventing them becoming barriers to trade. In the course of in-depth discussions, the Consultation was able to make good progress in completing the guidelines, in particular the part dealing with the procedural and institutional aspects of ecolabelling schemes. The Consultation nevertheless acknowledged that more work was still necessary on, inter alia, terms and definitions and the minimum substantive requirements and criteria. It therefore recommended that a two days meeting be convened immediately before the twenty-sixth session of COFI in early March 2005.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Report of the Expert Consultation on the Development of International Guidelines for Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. Rome, 14-17 October 2003 2003
    The Expert Consultation on the Development of International Guidelines for Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries was convened by FAO at the request of the twenty-fifth session of the Committee on Fisheries, Rome, 24–28 February 2003. Drawing upon various sources including relevant guides of the International Organization for Standardization, the expert consultation developed draft international guidelines encompassing principles, minimum substantive requiremen ts, criteria and procedures for ecolabelling of fish and fishery products from marine capture fisheries. Minimum substantive requirements and criteria are set forth for assessing whether or not an ecolabel may be awarded to a fishery. Ecolabelling schemes may apply additional or more stringent requirements and criteria. Minimum substantive requirements are specified for each of three areas: management systems, target stocks and ecosystem considerations. For management systems, more specific crit eria are also listed. The draft guidelines also address the three principal procedural and institutional matters that any ecolabelling scheme should encompass: (1) the setting of certification standards, (2) the accreditation of independent certifying bodies, and (3) the certification that a fishery and the product chain of custody are in conformity with the required standard and procedures.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Report of the Expert Consultation to Develop an FAO Evaluation Framework to Assess the Conformity of Public and Private Ecolabelling Schemes with the FAO Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. Rome, 24 2011
    The FAO Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, originally adopted by the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in 2005, were adopted in revised form by the Twenty-eighth Session of COFI in 2009. Following two Expert Consultations held in 2006 and 2008, a third Expert Consultation convened in May 2010 completed the draft Guidelines for the ecolabelling of fish and fishery products from inland capture fisheries for consideration by COFI in Jan uary–February 2011. Following discussion in both COFI and the Sub-Committee on Fish Trade of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI:FT) relating to checking claims of compliance of ecolabelling schemes with the FAO Guidelines on ecolabelling of fish and fishery products, the Twenty-eighth Session of COFI requested the Secretariat to present a proposal to address this issue to COFI:FT. The Secretariat prepared and presented a document outlining various options for assessing the conformity of ecolabelling schemes with the FAO Guidelines to the Twelfth Session of COFI:FT. The Twelfth Session of COFI:FT agreed that, as a first step, the FAO Secretariat should convene an Expert Consultation to develop an FAO evaluation framework to assess the conformity of public and private ecolabelling schemes with the FAO Guidelines for the ecolabelling of fish and fishery products from marine capture fisheries. The Expert Consultation was convened in response to this decision. COFI:FT al so noted that it would be beneficial to develop a similar evaluation framework to assess the conformity of ecolabelling schemes with the FAO Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Inland Fisheries after their adoption. Moreover, as these draft Guidelines follow very closely the marine Guidelines, the Expert Consultation also considered additional criteria relating specifically to the inland fisheries Guidelines. In the event of COFI adopting the Inland Guidelin es, an evaluation framework for ecolabelling schemes certifying fish and fishery products from inland fisheries could readily be produced. The Expert Consultation considered a number of issues relating to the Guidelines and the Evaluation Framework. Inter alia, it noted that the Guidelines, and therefore the draft Evaluation Framework, relate only to the biological sustainability of fishery resources and not to other aspects that might have an impact on sustainability. Also noted wer e the many commonalities between the Marine Ecolabelling Guidelines and the draft Inland Ecolabelling Guidelines, and that the major difference between them relates to the consideration of enhancement and the use of introduced and/or translocated species in the draft Inland Guidelines. The Expert Consultation noted that in both sets of Guidelines there is insufficient attention given to the chain of custody. The respective responsibilities of States and ecolabelling schemes in relation to assistance to developing countries was also discussed. The draft Evaluation Framework is provided in Appendix D with an explanation of the approach in the body of this report.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Report of the Technical Consultation on International Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. Rome, 19-22 October 2004. / Rapport de la Consultation technique sur les directives internationales pour l'étiquetage écologique du poisson et des produits des pêches de capture marines. Rome, 19-22 octobre 2004. / Informe de la Consulta Técnica sobre las Directrices Internacionales para el Ecoetiquetado de Pescado y Productos Pesqueros de la Pesca de Captura Marina. Roma, 19-22 de octubre de 2004. 2005
    Also available in:

    The Technical Consultation on International Guidelines for Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries was convened by FAO at the request of the twenty-fifth session of the Committee on Fisheries (Rome, 24–28 February 2003) and the ninth session of the COFI Sub-Committee on Fish Trade (Bremen, 10–14 February 2004). The Consultation was attended by fifty-seven Members of FAO and by observers from four intergovernmental and nine international non-governmental organizations. The Consultation stressed the benefits of internationally agreed guidelines aimed at avoiding the misuse of ecolabelling schemes through, inter alia, preventing them becoming barriers to trade. In the course of in-depth discussions, the Consultation was able to make good progress in completing the guidelines, in particular the part dealing with the procedural and institutional aspects of ecolabelling schemes. The Consultation nevertheless acknowledged that more work was still necessary on, inter alia, terms and definitions and the minimum substantive requirements and criteria. It therefore recommended that a two days meeting be convened immediately before the twenty-sixth session of COFI in early March 2005.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Report of the Expert Consultation on the Development of International Guidelines for Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. Rome, 14-17 October 2003 2003
    The Expert Consultation on the Development of International Guidelines for Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries was convened by FAO at the request of the twenty-fifth session of the Committee on Fisheries, Rome, 24–28 February 2003. Drawing upon various sources including relevant guides of the International Organization for Standardization, the expert consultation developed draft international guidelines encompassing principles, minimum substantive requiremen ts, criteria and procedures for ecolabelling of fish and fishery products from marine capture fisheries. Minimum substantive requirements and criteria are set forth for assessing whether or not an ecolabel may be awarded to a fishery. Ecolabelling schemes may apply additional or more stringent requirements and criteria. Minimum substantive requirements are specified for each of three areas: management systems, target stocks and ecosystem considerations. For management systems, more specific crit eria are also listed. The draft guidelines also address the three principal procedural and institutional matters that any ecolabelling scheme should encompass: (1) the setting of certification standards, (2) the accreditation of independent certifying bodies, and (3) the certification that a fishery and the product chain of custody are in conformity with the required standard and procedures.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Report of the Expert Consultation to Develop an FAO Evaluation Framework to Assess the Conformity of Public and Private Ecolabelling Schemes with the FAO Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. Rome, 24 2011
    The FAO Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, originally adopted by the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in 2005, were adopted in revised form by the Twenty-eighth Session of COFI in 2009. Following two Expert Consultations held in 2006 and 2008, a third Expert Consultation convened in May 2010 completed the draft Guidelines for the ecolabelling of fish and fishery products from inland capture fisheries for consideration by COFI in Jan uary–February 2011. Following discussion in both COFI and the Sub-Committee on Fish Trade of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI:FT) relating to checking claims of compliance of ecolabelling schemes with the FAO Guidelines on ecolabelling of fish and fishery products, the Twenty-eighth Session of COFI requested the Secretariat to present a proposal to address this issue to COFI:FT. The Secretariat prepared and presented a document outlining various options for assessing the conformity of ecolabelling schemes with the FAO Guidelines to the Twelfth Session of COFI:FT. The Twelfth Session of COFI:FT agreed that, as a first step, the FAO Secretariat should convene an Expert Consultation to develop an FAO evaluation framework to assess the conformity of public and private ecolabelling schemes with the FAO Guidelines for the ecolabelling of fish and fishery products from marine capture fisheries. The Expert Consultation was convened in response to this decision. COFI:FT al so noted that it would be beneficial to develop a similar evaluation framework to assess the conformity of ecolabelling schemes with the FAO Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Inland Fisheries after their adoption. Moreover, as these draft Guidelines follow very closely the marine Guidelines, the Expert Consultation also considered additional criteria relating specifically to the inland fisheries Guidelines. In the event of COFI adopting the Inland Guidelin es, an evaluation framework for ecolabelling schemes certifying fish and fishery products from inland fisheries could readily be produced. The Expert Consultation considered a number of issues relating to the Guidelines and the Evaluation Framework. Inter alia, it noted that the Guidelines, and therefore the draft Evaluation Framework, relate only to the biological sustainability of fishery resources and not to other aspects that might have an impact on sustainability. Also noted wer e the many commonalities between the Marine Ecolabelling Guidelines and the draft Inland Ecolabelling Guidelines, and that the major difference between them relates to the consideration of enhancement and the use of introduced and/or translocated species in the draft Inland Guidelines. The Expert Consultation noted that in both sets of Guidelines there is insufficient attention given to the chain of custody. The respective responsibilities of States and ecolabelling schemes in relation to assistance to developing countries was also discussed. The draft Evaluation Framework is provided in Appendix D with an explanation of the approach in the body of this report.

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