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| Fisheries and Aquaculture Department (FAO) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Fisheries and Aquaculture Department (FAO) |
| Formation | 1970s |
| Headquarters | Rome |
| Parent organization | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |
Fisheries and Aquaculture Department (FAO) is the technical division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations responsible for global fisheries and aquaculture policy, management, research and capacity building. It supports member states including United States, China, India, Norway, Japan and regional bodies such as the European Union, African Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Caribbean Community on sustainable use of aquatic resources. The Department engages with international agreements and organizations such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Convention on Biological Diversity, World Trade Organization, International Maritime Organization and World Bank.
The Department traces its functions to early FAO mandates developed at the United Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture and expanded during meetings involving Committee on Fisheries (COFI), FAO Conference sessions and expert consultations with delegations from Indonesia, Peru, Iceland, Philippines and Senegal. Its mandate has evolved alongside instruments such as the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement and outcomes from Rio Earth Summit and World Summit on Sustainable Development. Through collaborations with institutions like the International Union for Conservation of Nature, UN Environment Programme and Food Security initiatives, the Department frames technical support for small-scale fishers in locales ranging from the Gulf of Mexico to the Ganges Delta.
The Department is organized into divisions and units that coordinate with FAO Directors and Chiefs, overseen by the FAO Director-General. Leadership has included senior officers who liaise with permanent missions of member states such as France, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. Operational structure aligns regional offices in Bangkok, Accra, Santiago, Kuala Lumpur and Rome with thematic groups on inland fisheries, marine fisheries, aquaculture, fisheries economics and resource assessment. It interfaces with governance bodies including Committee on World Food Security, International Fund for Agricultural Development and regional fisheries management organizations like North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission and Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
Major programs include capacity-building for small-scale fisheries through the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, support for aquaculture development in countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam, fisheries trade facilitation linked to World Trade Organization negotiations, and conservation initiatives addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing with partners such as Interpol and Port State Measures Agreement signatories. The Department runs initiatives on climate resilience with agencies like United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and biodiversity projects with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
FAO's Department produces global assessments and data products including the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, global capture production statistics, and aquaculture outlooks used by researchers at University of British Columbia, Wageningen University, James Cook University, Marine Stewardship Council analysts and national science agencies such as NOAA and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Technical assistance covers stock assessment methods used in conjunction with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ecosystem modeling informed by IPCC scenarios, and sanitary standards coordinated with World Organisation for Animal Health and Codex Alimentarius Commission.
The Department develops instruments including the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, and technical guidelines on ecosystem approach to fisheries adopted by bodies such as Regional Fisheries Management Organizations and national legislatures in countries like Norway and Chile. It supports implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement, contributes to trade-related standards in collaboration with World Trade Organization delegations, and aligns sanitary and phytosanitary advice with Codex Alimentarius and World Organisation for Animal Health.
Partnerships span multilaterals such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, civil society groups like World Wildlife Fund, Oceana, The Nature Conservancy, and community networks including Small-scale Fisheries Network and fisher cooperatives in Philippines and Senegal. Capacity development includes training with universities such as University of Stirling and research institutes like Institute of Marine Research (Norway), deployment of technical missions, and support for national fisheries administrations to implement reforms endorsed at Committee on Fisheries (COFI) meetings.
Achievements include global reporting via the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, support for adoption of the Code of Conduct, facilitation of the Port State Measures Agreement, and technical guidance that influenced national reforms in countries such as Indonesia and Peru. The Department has been credited for advancing small-scale fisheries visibility alongside actors such as FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI), but has faced criticisms from scholars at institutions like University of California, Santa Barbara and advocacy groups such as Greenpeace for perceived limitations in enforcement, data gaps in regions like the Western Pacific, and challenges reconciling trade interests with conservation priorities raised in debates at the United Nations General Assembly.