Regional Commission for Fisheries reaches agreement on Kingfish management

Cairo/Rome. 11 July 2019 – Meeting at FAO Headquarters in Rome for its Tenth session, the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) has reached agreement on sustainable fisheries management practices for Kingfish (Scomberomorus commerson) in the region.

This decision was made by RECOFI after analyzing the outcomes of the RECOFI Workshop on Regional Joint Assessment of Kingfish, which took place in Muscat, the Sultanate of Oman, 17-18 February 2019 and brought together technical experts on the issue from throughout the region. It was also made based on a recommendation by the 11^th meeting of the fisheries management working team, which was held in Muscat at the same time. The decision calls for an agreement by all member states on scheduled closure periods for fishing Kingfish in the region, thereby lessening fishing pressure on the stocks and allowing for stock rebuilding efforts.

Speaking about the process, Tenth session RECOFI Chair, Ali Mohammad Alshaikhi, Director-General, Directorate of Fish Resources of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said, “This week we are in Rome for the Tenth session of RECOFI, and all the past, I think it was a grounded and fundamental foundation for the growth and the take-off of RECOFI. RECOFI, I believe, has an essential role to develop and sustain the industry in all countries. And from that angle, from that perspective, we will move on, and today I feel there is the encouragement of all countries. The feeling of their responsibilities is different, the sharing of information happens at a high level, because we do believe that together we can succeed. And we have decided to succeed.”

“One of the outputs of this week’s meeting is Kingfish fishing periods – the banning of fishing for two months. All attending countries agreed. We are pleased to announce this officially through FAO. This is not for the sake of ourselves. This is for the second generation, to allow this type of fish that is very much in demand in the Gulf and in the region. It is in high demand, and to sustain it for the second generation and after that, for everybody.”

Speaking about the key role regional fisheries management organization play in ensuring healthy oceans and this week’s deliberations, Árni M. Mathiesen, Assistant Director-General of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department added, “International fisheries management is primarily based on regional fisheries management organizations. This is anchored in UNCLOS and New York Fish Stocks Agreement. These bodies are, therefore, the responsibility of member countries, which are those countries that are closest to the region and have an interest in utilizing their resources. They depend both on political direction and finances from the countries, and that makes the countries, therefore, extremely important in making them successful.  FAO supports them as much as we can. That is our role. But, the primary responsibility and interest is with the countries. This week, we have seen impressive deliberations on the part of RECOFI member countries that resulted in the joint support for decisions that will improve the sustainable management of Kingfish stocks in the region. We are very pleased to see this important step in the right direction.”

RECOFI was established as an FAO Article XIV body in 2001 as a forum in which state member countries come together for the discussion and agreement on appropriate fisheries measures and the promotion of aquaculture development in the region. RECOFI member countries include the Kingdom of Bahrain, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The Committee maintains two technical working groups that meet regularly and report back to the Commission: The RECOFI Working Group on Aquaculture and The RECOFI Working Group on Fisheries Management. The Eleventh session of RECOFI will be held the region in May 2021.