Code of conduct for responsible fishing

Code of Conduct For Responsible Fisheries
 FAO of United Nations developed a code of conduct for responsible
fisheries and it was adopted in 1995. It is being implemented by committee
of fisheries of FAO.
Fisheries, including aquaculture, provide a vital source of food,
employment, recreation, trade and economic well being for people
throughout the world, both for present and future generations and should
therefore be conducted in a responsible manner.
This Code sets out principles and international standards of behaviour for
responsible practices with a view to ensuring the effective conservation,
management and development of living aquatic resources, with due respect
for the ecosystem and biodiversity.
The Code recognises the nutritional, economic, social, environmental and
cultural importance of fisheries, and the interests of all those concerned
with the fishery sector. The Code takes into account the biological
characteristics of the resources and their environment and the interests of
consumers and other users. States and all those involved in fisheries are
encouraged to apply the Code and give effect to it. There are 12 articles in
the code of conduct for responsible fisheries:

 Establish principles, in accordance with the relevant rules of
international law, for responsible fishing and fisheries activities,
taking into account all their relevant biological, technological,
economical, social, environmental and commercial aspects.
 Establish principles and criteria for the elaboration and
implementation of national policies for responsible conservation
of fisheries resources and fisheries management and
development.
 Serve as on instrument of reference to help states to establish or
to improve the legal and institutional framework required for the
exercise of responsible fisheries and in the formulation and
implementation of appropriate measures
 Provide guidance which may be used wherever appropriate in
the formulation and implementation of international agreements
and other legal instruments, both binding and voluntary

 Facilitate and promote technical, financial and other co-
operation in conservation of fisheries resources and
fisheries management and developmentPromote the
contribution of fisheries to food security and food quality,
giving priority to the nutritional needs of local
communities
 Promote protection of living aquatic resources and their
environments and coastal areas
 Promote the trade of fish and fishery products in
conformity with relevant international rules and avoid the
use of measures that constitute hidden barriers to such
trade
 Promote research on fisheries as well as on associated
ecosystem and relevant environmental factors and
 Provide standards of conduct for all persons involved in
the fisheries sector.

Ministry of Agriculture (MOA)
Resources specific deep sea fishing vessels
Introduction of VMS for deep sea fishing vessels
Central Institute of Coastal Engineering for
Fishery (CICEF)
CICEF conducts pre-investment studies to identify
sites and economic investigations and prepare
Techno-Economic Feasibility Reports (TEFR) for
the development of fishery harbours.

Central Institute for Fisheries Nautical & Engineering Training
(CIFNET)
(i) Training to the State Government officials on manning the
vessels and in turn State officials give training to the fishermen.
(ii) Training to the fishermen by organizing training programmes
for fishermen at Cochin and various fishing centers of Tamil
Nadu.
(iii) Pilot project to impart training to the fishermen is launched.
Fishery Survey of India (FSI)
(i) Provides information of Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fishery including Monitoring Control and Surveillance,
through the workshop, open-houses, seminars, folkdances,
dramas, etc.
(ii) Involves the State and Central Government in fishery
conservation and management for sustainable development

Department of Ocean Development (DOD)
Coastal Ocean Maintaining and Prediction System
(COMAPS) programme is in operation at 82 locations
for systematic collection and analysis of 25 parameters
related to physical, chemical and biological aspects
including microbiological characteristics of water and
sediments as part of environment monitoring activity.
Coast Guard
The Coast Guard has enhanced the patrolling in the
EEZ in deep-sea area to prevent IUU fishing. IUU
fishing will further reduce considerably in future once
the VMS is commissioned and the equipment is fitted
in the deep-sea fishing vessels.

1.Nature and scope of the code
2. Objective of the Code
3. Relationship with other international instruments
4. Implementation monitoring and updating
5. Special requirements of developing countries
6. General principles
7. Fisheries management
8. Fishing operation
9. Aquaculture Development
10. Integration of fisheries into coastal area management
11. Post- harvest practices and trade
12. Fisheries research

 This Code is voluntary. However, certain parts of it are
based on relevant rules of international law, including
those reflected in the United Nations Convention on
the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982.
 The Code is global in scope, and is directed toward
members and non-members of FAO, fishing entities,
subregional, regional and global organizations, whether
governmental or non-governmental, and all persons
concerned with the conservation of fishery resources
and management and development of fisheries, such as
fishers, those engaged in processing and marketing of
fish and fishery products and other users of the aquatic
environment in relation to fisheries.

 To establish principle & criteria for the elaboration
& implementation of National policy for
conservation of fisheries resources & management.
 To serve as instrument for reference.
 To provide guidance for implementation of
international agreements.
 To promote protection of living aquatic resources.
 To promote trade of fish.
 To promote research in fisheries.

 The Code is to be interpreted and applied in
conformity with the relevant rules of international
law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea, 1982. Nothing in this Code
prejudices the rights, jurisdiction and duties of
States under international law as reflected in the
Convention.

 All members and non-members of FAO, fishing
entities and relevant subregional, regional and
global organizations, whether governmental or
non-governmental, and all persons concerned with
the conservation, management and utilization of
fisheries resources and trade in fish and fishery
products should collaborate in the fulfilment and
implementation of the objectives and principles
contained in this Code.

 The capacity of developing countries to implement
the recommendations of this Code should be duly
taken into account.
 In order to achieve the objectives of this Code and
to support its effective implementation, countries,
relevant international organizations, whether
governmental or non-governmental, and financial
institutions should give full recognition to the
special circumstances and requirements of
developing countries, including in particular the
least-developed among them, and small island
developing countries.

 States and users of living aquatic resources should
conserve aquatic ecosystems. The right to fish carries
with it the obligation to do so in a responsible
manner so as to ensure effective conservation and
management of the living aquatic resources.
 Conservation & management decision should be
based on best scientific evidences taking in to
account traditional knowledge of the resources and
their habitat.
 Promote awareness of responsible fisheries through
education and training.
 Protects the rights of fishers and fish workers.

 Avoid excess fishing capacity.
 Measure the performance of all the fishing gears
and ensures that fishing practice which is not
consistent with responsible fishing are phased out
and replaced with more acceptable alternatives.
 Minimize waste discard and catch of non target
species.

 States should require that fishing gear, methods and practices, to
the extent practicable, are sufficiently selective so as to
minimize waste, discards, catch of non-target species, both fish
and non-fish species, and impacts on associated or dependent
species and that the intent of related regulations is not
circumvented by technical devices.
 States should introduce and enforce laws and regulations based
on the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution
from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating
there to (MARPOL 73/78).
 States, where appropriate, should develop policies for increasing
stock populations and enhancing fishing opportunities through
the use of artificial structures, placed with due regard to the
safety of navigation, on or above the seabed or at the surface.
Research into the use of such structures, including the impacts
on living marine resources and the environment, should be
promoted.

 Responsible development of aquaculture, including
culture-based fisheries, in areas under national
jurisdiction.
 Responsible development of aquaculture including
culture-based fisheries within transboundary aquatic
ecosystems.
 Use of aquatic genetic resources for the purposes of
aquaculture including culture-based fisheries.

 States should promote the creation of public awareness
of the need for the protection and management of
coastal resources and the participation in the
management process by those affected.
 States with neighbouring coastal areas should cooperate
with one another to facilitate the sustainable use of
coastal resources and the conservation of the
environment.
 States should establish mechanisms for cooperation and
coordination among national authorities involved in
planning, development, conservation and management
of coastal areas.

 States should establish and maintain effective national
safety and quality assurance systems to protect
consumer health and prevent commercial fraud.
 International trade in fish and fishery products should
not compromise the sustainable development of
fisheries and responsible utilization of living aquatic
resources.
 Laws, regulations and administrative procedures
applicable to international trade in fish and fishery
products should be transparent, as simple as possible,
comprehensible and, when appropriate, based on
scientific evidence.

 States should establish an appropriate institutional
framework to determine the applied research which is
required and its proper use.
 States should support and strengthen national research
capabilities to meet acknowledged scientific
standards.
 States, as appropriate in cooperation with relevant
international organizations, should encourage research
to ensure optimum utilization of fishery resources and
stimulate the research required to support national
policies related to fish as food.

 FAO. Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries Rome, FAO.
1995. 41 p. Rome. Hosch, G., Ferraro, G. and Failler, P., 2011.
The 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries:
Adopting, implementing or scoring results. Marine Policy, 35(2)
 Ayyappan, S. et.al., 2011, Handbook of fisheries and aquaculture,
ICAR, pp, 950-963 Barg, U., Subasinghe, R., Willmann, R., Rana,
K. and Martinez, M., 2003. Towards sustainable shrimp culture
development: Implementing the FAO code of conduct for
responsible Fisheries (CCRF).

Code of conduct for responsible fishing

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Code of conduct for responsible fishing