Report of the Expert Consultation on the FAO Guidelines for Ecolabelling for Capture Fisheries . Rome, 3–4 March 2008.

Abstract

Following the Technical Consultations in 2004 and 2005, FAO produced Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. Those guidelines were adopted by the twenty-sixth session of COFI in 2005. In 2006, FAO held an Expert Consultation on the development of similar guidelines for inland capture fisheries. In adopting the guidelines, the twenty-sixth session of COFI recommended that “FAO should review and further develop general criteria in relation to ‘st ock under consideration’ and to serious impacts of the fishery on the ecosystem (paragraph 27 of the Guidelines)”. This recommendation was subsequently endorsed by the twenty-seventh session of COFI in March 2007, where it was agreed that FAO undertake further work in relation to minimum substantive requirements and criteria for both marine and inland capture fisheries.Following this request by the twenty-seventh session of the Committee on Fisheries, the Expert Consultation on the FAO Guidelin es for Ecolabelling for Capture Fisheries was convened by FAO in Rome from 3 to 5 March 2008.The Expert Consultation reviewed the existing marine and inland capture fisheries guidelines and formulated recommendations to COFI to address COFI’s request on “stock under consideration” and “minimum substantive requirements”.