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August 1999 No. 13 |
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Work on Fisheries - OECD
- Role of Committee for Fisheries
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The Committee for Fisheries,
which was created in September 1961 by the Council of the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), provides a unique forum for
an open and frank discussion on economic and policy aspects of fisheries
issues. The Committee for Fisheries meets twice yearly and considers reports
prepared by the OECD Secretariat on a variety of topics including fisheries
management, trade issues, financial assistance, sustainable and responsible
fisheries issues.
- On-going Programme
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Since 1997 the Committee
for Fisheries main thematic work has revolved around assessing the costs
associated with the transition towards sustainable fisheries. Recognising
the increasing importance of responsible fisheries, the Committee also observed
that a transition towards that ultimate objective would entail costs, on
fishers, on the fishing industry and on the society as a whole. The Study,
with a working title of "The Economic Impact of the Transition to Responsible
Fisheries", is targeted for completion by the end of 1999. The study
has four main components as follows:
- Evaluation of the potential
gains and costs of the transition to responsible fisheries
- Analysis of the impact of
government financial transfers on the sustainability of fish resources
- Assessment of the implications
of responsible post-harvesting practices
- Analysis of the social implications
of responsible fisheries.
- Programme of Work 2000-2002
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The Programme of work
2000-2002 consists of four themes: (i) Monitoring, (ii) Sustainable Fisheries,
(iii) Market Liberalisation and (iv) Policy Dialogue and Workshops. Each
theme responds to a particular need for policy and economic analysis in
the fisheries sector. Furthermore, each theme contains a number of specific
activities that the Committee could undertake. Under the four themes, the
83rd Session of the Committee decided that, for the year 2000, it would
undertake the following specific activities as a follow-up to the Transition
Study. These include:
- Monitoring/analysis of fisheries
policies
- Fisheries management costs
- Market liberalisation
- Fisheries sustainability indicators
However, the total amount
of work that the Secretariat could carry out would depend on available resources,
whether financed through the normal OECD budget or through voluntary contributions.
- Other activities and recent
publications
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Review of Fisheries: In
response to the Committee's mandate, the Committee has, on an annual basis,
surveyed developments in Member countries fisheries sector, policies etc.
Published as the Annual "Review of Fisheries in OECD Countries",
Member countries report on regular initiatives covering a wide range of
aspects including management, financial transfers, bilateral fisheries agreements,
trade, aquaculture and production in general. The publication is a unique
compilation of information on a variety of aspects of fisheries and fish
farming in the OECD membership. The Review of Fisheries is published with
a Statistical Annex giving key statistics on member countries landings,
trade, quota allocations, financial transfers etc. Since 1999, the Review
is published in full every second year only. Statistics are collected and
disseminated every year, however, with a view not to break time series consistency.
As from the 1998 Statistics (which will become available as from mid 1999),
data will be accessible via the OECD
fisheries website, downloadable free of charge.
Workshop on Seafood Inspection:
This workshop was convened in Paris on 21-23 January 1998. The workshop
gathered experts from member and observer countries, as well as those from
international organisations. Issues discussed included criteria for determining
equivalency in inspection systems, audit and verification methods and the
potential for third party inspection. The publication is freely available
on the OECD website.
Towards Sustainable Fisheries
- Economic Aspects of the Management of Living Marine Resources: The
Committee had over the period 1994 to 1996 reviewed the effects of most
management measures in OECD Member countries with respect to economic, biological,
social and administrative consequences. As a result, the study was published
in 1997. This unique study on the management of fish resources provides
economic analysis to help decision makers in the difficult task of finding
the right tools to manage fish resources.
For further information
on work undertaken by OECD please contact the Head of the Fisheries Division,
Ola Flaaten, on ola.flaaten@oecd.org
or the Project Manager, Joon-Suk Kang, on joon-suk.kang@oecd.org.
You can also access the OECD fisheries website.
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