The Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), a wing of the United Nations, has adopted international guidelines on small-scale fisheries.
This marks the increasing recognition of small-scale fisheries as a principal contributor to poverty alleviation and food security, according to National Fishworkers’ Federations (NFF), an umbrella organisation of fishermen across the country. NFF is affiliated to World Forum for Fisher People which participated in the meeting.
In a press release, M. Ilango, chairperson of National Fishworkers’ Forum, said the changes suggested at the 31st session of COFI in Rome on June 10 were “found acceptable to all countries.”
It said COFI was the only global inter-governmental forum where major international fisheries and aquaculture problems and issues were examined and recommendations addressed to governments, regional fishery bodies, non-governmental organisations, fishermen, and the international community periodically.
The guidelines, which will be voluntary, focusses on the needs of developing countries, and were relevant to small-scale fisheries in marine and inland waters.
