The issue of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in world fisheries is of serious and increasing concern. This document contains the report and papers presented a meeting of experts held in May 2000, which was organised by the Government of Australia in co-operation with the FAO. The preliminary draft international plan of action elaborated by the experts is appended to the report of the Consultation.

Fisheries Socioeconomics in the Developing World

The Committee on Fisheries at ist Seventeenth Session reviewed the world fisheries situation, the progress in the implementation of the Strategy for Fisheries Management and Development and the five Programmes of Action approved by the 1984 FAO World Conference on Fisheries Management and Development. It also reviewed actions taken by FAO in the implementation of the World Fisheries Conference's Resolutions concerning specific aspects of fisheries management and development. It agreed on the formats and periodicity of the progress reports on the implementation of the Strategy and the Programmes of Action to be submitted for consideration at its future sessions. It welcomed the information on trends and future prospects in world fisheries and requested that this information be submitted periodically for its review. The Committee considered the Report of the First Session of the COFI Sub- Committee on Fish Trade held in October 1986 and endorsed the Sub-Commitee's recommendations. The Committee discussed the activities and functions of FAO regional fishery bodies and agreed that the item should again be placed on the agenda for its Eighteenth Session. The Committee considered the recommendations of an Expert Consultation on the Technical Specifications for the Marking of Fishing Vessels held in June 1986, and reviewed information received from member countries, regional and international organizations regarding the protection of living resources from entanglement in fishing nets and debris. The Committee endorsed the strategies and priorities selected by the Director-General in the preparation of his Summary Programme of Work and Budget for 1988-89 and supported the Conclusions of the Programme Committee at its Fifty-second Session that the proposals for Major Programme 2.2 : Fisheries, responded to the needs of member countries. It unanimously agreed that the Summary Programme of Work and Budget provided a satisfactory basis for the formulation of the full Programme of Work and Budget in fisheries for 1988-89.