Fish stocks declined worldwide in the late 20th century and the international fish trade is increasing. If there is to be enough fish for future generations, everyone in the fishing industry must help to conserve and manage the world’s fisheries.

With this in mind, more than 170 members of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) adopted the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries in 1995. Negotiations included FAO Members and non-government organisations representing environmental groups, the fishing industry, small-scale fisheries (households who catch fish as a livelihood option) and fishworkers (people who earn a living handling and processing fish catches, adding value to the product). Governments and stakeholders (including industry and fishing communities) are responsible for implementing the Code; FAO's role is to promote implementation by providing technical support.

The Code includes goals, principles and proposals for responsible actions for all fisheries sectors, including aquaculture:

• The underpinning philosophy is that the ‘right to fish’ carries the obligation to do so responsibly. This means maintaining the quality and availability of fishery resources in sufficient quantities for present and future food security, poverty alleviation and development objectives.
• The Code calls for the protection of all critical fishery habitats in marine and fresh water ecosystems, including wetlands, mangroves, reefs, lagoons, fish nurseries and spawning areas.
• The Code emphasises a participatory approach including consultation among stakeholders and the effective participation of industry representatives, fishworkers and environmental organisations in decision-making processes.
• The Code recognises the contributions of subsistence, artisanal and small-scale fisheries. It calls upon states to protect these groups’ rights and, where appropriate, give them preferential access to traditional fishing grounds and resources.

Governments and stakeholders use the Code throughout the world to encourage long-term sustainability. As a non-binding ‘soft law’ instrument, there is no formal acceptance process. However, the countries’ commitment, combined with recent public attention to the world fisheries crisis, has created strong moral persuasion for countries to conform. Many governments are developing compliant fisheries policies, including national legislations and codes of good practices in Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Chile, Japan, Philippines, Tanzania, Thailand and the USA. Several regional fisheries organisations are committed to implementing the code, including the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization.

The Code also guides the fisheries sector policies of organisations including the World Bank, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), WWF, Greenpeace International and the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers. The Marine Stewardship Council bases its sustainable fisheries eco-labelling programme on the Code.

The FAO Fisheries Department is promoting the Code in many ways, including:

• providing policy and technical advice to governments, development banks and other agencies about critical technical aspects of the Code and how to implement it
• monitoring and reporting on the Code’s implementation to the FAO Committee on Fisheries, giving special attention to small-scale fisheries that employ 90 percent of fishers worldwide
• publishing and disseminating the Code’s technical guidelines, including recent guidelines on how to alleviate poverty and attain better food security through small-scale fisheries, and simple language versions of other Code documents.

Recent findings indicate that progress is being made with implementing the Code. However, developing countries need technical and financial assistance to ensure that this continues.

Source(s):
‘Increasing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security’, FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries 10, Rome: FAO, 2005 (PDF) Full document.
The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries Full document.
'What is the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries?', FAO Fisheries Department

Funded by: Food and Agriculture Organization

id21 Research Highlight: 17 November 2006

Further Information:
David Doulman
Fisheries Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations
Viale delle Terme di Caracolla
00100 Rome
Italy

Tel: +39 06 57056752
Fax: +39 06 57056500
Contact the contributor: david.doulman@fao.org

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Fisheries Department

Rolf Willmann
Fisheries Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations
Viale delle Terme di Caracolla
00100 Rome
Italy

Tel: +39 06 57053408
Fax: +39 06 57056500
Contact the contributor: rolf.willmann@fao.org

Other related links:
'The importance of fisheries for development'

'Time to tackle illegal fishing'

'The threat of overfishing to inland water bodies'

'Stopping the illegal fishing trade in Guinea'

'Adaptive learning: a new approach to natural resources management'