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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is holding a technical consultation over five days this week in Rome, Italy to discuss and "further develop the concept and text" of the draft International Guidelines for Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards.

The document provides a draft of international guidelines for bycatch management and reduction of discards that was prepared following an FAO Expert Consultation held in 2009.  The draft guidelines are intended to provide assistance to all States and RFMOs in implementing the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries for the specific purpose of managing bycatch and reducing discards.

Click here to access information on the technical consultation and access its working papers.

The draft guidelines may be found at http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/019/k8937e.pdf.

It is intended that the guidelines are to be "interpreted and applied in conformity and accordance with appropriate bycatch measures addressed in the FAO's International Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries (IPOA-Seabirds)."

The Albatross and Petrel Agreement is being represented at the consultation by the Convenor of its Seabird Bycatch Working Group, Barry Baker.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 7 December 2010