Fisheries Libraries and the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

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Fisheries Libraries and the FAO Code of Conduct
for Responsible Fisheries

• Janet Webster
• Oregon State University Libraries
• Jean Collins
• FAO Fisheries Library

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The FAO Code of Conduct

• Adopted in 1995
• Voluntary policy framework
• Promote sustainable and responsible fisheries and
  aquaculture worldwide
• 12 Articles
• Article 12 Fisheries Research
• Focus of FAO Fisheries Department

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COFI identified constraints on information

• Level of Scientific Research
• Amount of Information
• Institutional Capacity
• Access to Information

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Information supporting the Code

• Breadth of information
• Depth of information
• Scale of information
• Science management

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Malawi
Population 11 million Life expectancy 38
years Lake Malawi 3rd largest in Africa Lake
Malawi 9th largest in world 500-1000 fish
species most endemic to Malawi Fish 60-70
of the countrys protein supply 50,000 full-time
artisanal fishers 1,000 commercial fishers
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What Information is Used?

• AGORA
• Personal collection
• PERI electronic journals
• Bunda College Library
• Malawi Fisheries Aquaculture Database
• Google and Yahoo
• FAO Fisheries Library

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What Information is Produced?

• Management plans
• Legal Tool Box
• Aqua-Fish Tech Report
• Bunda Journal of Agriculture, Environmental
  Science and Technology
• Proc. of Research Dissemination Conf.
• Other journal articles
• Lake Malawi Fish Management Symp.

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• Local Issues
• Enhancing expertise with information
• Sustaining access to information
• Increasing access to information on Malawi
  fisheries aquaculture
• Local Opportunities
• Networking
• Promote standard methodologies
• Digital Information

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Code Opportunities

• Local information
• Access to it
• Validation of it
• Breadth of information
• Collecting across disciplines
• Collecting across time
• Science management
• Using the best available
• Making choices

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Collaboration Opportunities

• Local and National
• Regional
• International

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Collaboration at local and national level

• Livelihoods and management start here
• Access to local and national fisheries
  information is the most important.
• Access to the breadth of related information is
  also most important at national level.
• Compatibility with national information systems
  and standards is essential. 

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Collaboration at regional level

• Fisheries resources are regional
• Access to the breadth and depth of fisheries
  information at regional level is essential.
• Opportunities for sharing fisheries information
  at regional level are greater.

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International collaboration

• Fisheries resources, agreements, legislation,
• management bodies, trade,
• ecosystems are international
• FAOs role - information activities
• Code of Conduct
• AGORA Access to Global Online Research in
  Agriculture. gt500 journals. 295 institutions in
  51 countries registered.
• ASFA partnership and project to make the database
  available in LIFDC countries. (currently 49
  recipients)

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• Information standards
• have to be international
• if we want to share within the 'aquatic
  community'
• IAMSLICs role
• expand coverage of the Distributed Library
• promote building institutional and regional
  repositories
• implement a OAI harvester
• adopting basic digital library guidelines
• continue to support local initiatives with small
  grants

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Thanks to FAO Fisheries Department Oregon State
University