Webinar 8 May, 11-12:30 CET : Deep sea fisheries and their management in the high seas: An introduction and review of recent developments

BACKGROUND

This international technical webinar is part of the series organized by the FAO elearning Academy, elearning.fao.org. These webinars are an opportunity for all of us to share experiences and lessons learnt, discuss challenges, and propose innovative solutions and models. 

Deep-sea fisheries (DSF) typically take place between depths of 200-1500 metres, targeting demersal (bottom-dwelling) species. DSF provide employment and nutrition, but they also pose threats to slowgrowing, slow-maturing targeted fish species and deepwater coral and sponge communities (vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs)). Recognizing the need for sustainable management, the FAO International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas was adopted in 2008 and is an instrument supporting the regulation of DSF and their impacts on marine biological diversity.

The Deep-Sea Fisheries Under an Ecosystem Approach project (2022-2027), funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), led by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), and executed by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), aims to ensure that DSF are managed under an ecosystem approach, focusing on data-limited stocks, deepwater sharks, and vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs). In its first year of implementation, this project has produced two key products:

·        an e-learning course on DSF and their management in the areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ); and

·        a review of the implementation of the International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas, covering 15 years since its adoption.

OBJECTIVES OF THE SESSION

·        Raise awareness of the importance of DSF and their management.

·        Launch the FAO  e-learning course “Strengthening deep-sea fisheries management in areas beyond national jurisdiction”.

·        Present the publication “Review of the Implementation of the International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas”, with examples to illustrate the successes and challenges.

LANGUAGE

English

SPEAKERS

The opening remarks of this technical webinar will be delivered by Vera Agostini, Deputy Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, and by Viktoria Varga Lencsés, Global Coordinator of the Common Oceans Program.
The webinar will be delivered by Eszter Hidas (FAO), Anthony Thompson(FAO), Miguel Bernal (FAO), and Craig Loveridge (SPRFMO), and moderated by Cristina Petracchi, Leader of the FAO elearning Academy.