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Report of the Expert consultation on the Marking of Fishing Gear, Rome, Italy, 4 - 7 April 2016

Year of publication 2016

Pages 46 p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

ISBN 978-92-5-109275-0

Series title FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Report

Series number R1157

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is a significant component of marine litter and may have serious impacts on habitats, fish stocks and other marine species. ALDFG may result in reduced profits and increased operational cost for vessel owners/operators and may be a significant cost to the relevant authorities in attempting to address this global issue. In addition, risk factors associated with navigation and safety at sea will become more prevalent if ALDFG is not re duced and managed. Causes of ALDFG include excessive fishing effort, gear conflicts, extreme weather, operator error and deliberate abandonment. ALDFG is also linked to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as IUU fishers are more prone to discard their fishing gear at sea.

Language English

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    Report of the Technical Consultation on Marking of Fishing Gear, Rome, Italy, 5 - 9 February 2018
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    The Technical Consultation on the Marking of Fishing Gear was held at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, from 5 to 9 February 2018. The Technical Consultation worked towards concluding the development of Draft Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear. The Technical Consultation used a preliminary draft text that had been developed at the Expert Consultation on the Marking of Fishing Gear held by FAO on 4-7 April 2016 as further edited by the FAO Secretariat. The Technical Consultation reviewed and finalized the scope of the guidelines, agreeing that supporting technical documents could be developed by the Secretariat via a separate process. The Technical Consultation considered how the guidelines should be implemented, controlled and monitored and identified the importance of gear marking in combating abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) as well as the role that gear marking could play in reducing or eliminating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. The Guidelines agreed by the Technical Consultation also addressed commercial traceability of fishing gear marking, reporting and recovery of ALDFG and provided for special considerations when marking and reporting of fish aggregating devices (FADs). Special consideration was also given to developing States and small scale fisheries when implementing the guidelines in these contexts. The Technical Consultation highlighted a number of key areas for research and development on gear marking and related issues, and also provided guidance on communication and capacity development. The Technical Consultation considered the results and recommendations of two gear-marking pilot projects supported by FAO and recommended that further projects should be conducted to support the implementation of the guidelines. The Technical Consultation recommended that the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) consider the endorsement of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear. The Technical Consultation further recommended that COFI considers the development of a comprehensive global strategy to address ALDFG which could include the establishment of a mechanism to facilitate the sharing of information on the global implementation of these guidelines as well as data collected by national ALDFG reporting systems, and recommending to States the development and implementation of national action plans to address ALDFG.
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    Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear
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    This manual is a supplement to the Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear (VGMFG; FAO, 2019), and provides practical instructions on marking methods for the main types of fishing gear in order to identify ownership. The marking of fishing gear contributes to sustainable fisheries, improving the state of the marine and freshwater environments by combating, minimizing, and eliminating abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG); it also facilitates the identification and recovery of such gear. In addition, fishing gear marking supports fisheries management and can be used as a tool in the identification of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. This manual is intended to assist fisheries managers, fishing gear manufacturers and the fisheries sector to meet the relevant international, regional or national obligations for gear marking. More specifically, it enables all stakeholders to comply with the specific gear marking requirements outlined in the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, as well as in other international instruments and agreements. Organizations or parties concerned with, or actively addressing the issue of ALDFG may also find the information in this publication useful.
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