Fisheries experts from 35 nations under UN auspices have agreed on a proposal for reducing discards, a first in UN history.
The global guidelines for bycatch management, drawn up at a meeting in December organised by FAO, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, will be up for endorsement as the FAO Committee on Fisheries meets in Rome later this month.
Unmanaged bycatch and discards threaten the long term sustainability of many fisheries, FAO noted in a press release, adding that it may also include endangered species, juvenile fish, turtles, seabirds, dolphins, etc.
“These are the first guidelines to cover all species encountering fishing gear,” said FAO fishing technology expert Frank Chopin. “The guidelines extend the principles of fishery management to all species and all areas of concern”.