FAO’s Committee on Fisheries

About FAO’s Committee on Fisheries

• It is a subsidiary body of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
• It was established by the FAO Conference in 1965.
• Functions
  • It addresses issues on international fishing and aquaculture, providing policy guidance on fisheries management, recognising global challenges, and promoting collective solutions to ensure the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the fishing industry. 
  • The grouping makes recommendations to the FAO Council or its Director-General.
  • It has also been used as a forum in which global agreements and non-binding instruments were negotiated.
  • The Committee also reviews specific matters relating to fisheries and aquaculture referred to it by the Council 
• The Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management is a new sub-group formed under the COFI in 2022, during the 35th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI), held in Rome.
• It will work closely with the two other COFI sub-committees, the Sub-Committee on Aquaculture and the Sub-Committee on Fish Trade.

Key facts about the Food and Agriculture Organization

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security.
• Its goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
• Member countries: With 195 members - 194 countries and the European Union.
• Its sister bodies are the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
• Reports published: The State of the World's Forests (SOFO), The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA), The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO), The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI)
• Headquarter: Rome (Italy).

Q1) What is Aquaculture?

It is breeding, raising, and harvesting fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants. It is an environmentally responsible source of food and commercial products, helps to create healthier habitats, and is used to rebuild stocks of threatened or endangered species.

Source: India elected as First Vice Chair of COFI Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management