The Fifth Consultative Committee Meeting on Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) was held on 3-4 March 2003. The consultation was convened by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, the US Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the World Conservation Union (IUCN). It was sponsored by IUCN and hosted by IOC at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) headquarters, Paris, France. The meeting was co-chaired by IOC Executive Secretary, Dr. Patricio Bernal and Dr. Kenneth Sherman of NOAA-NMFS.