The 2020 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA 2020), the flagship publication of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has a particular focus on sustainability.
This reflects a number of specific considerations. First, 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (the Code). Second, several Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators mature in 2020. Third, FAO hosted the International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability in late 2019. And fourth, 2020 sees the finalization of specific FAO guidelines on sustainable aquaculture growth, and on social sustainability along value chains.
While Part 1 of SOFIA 2020 retains the format of previous editions, the structure of the rest of the publication has been revised.
Part 2 opens with a special section marking the 25th anniversary of the Code. It also focuses on issues coming to the fore, in particular, those related to SDG 14 and its indicators for which FAO is the custodian agency. In addition, Part 2 covers various aspects of fisheries and aquaculture sustainability. The topics discussed range widely, from data and information systems to ocean pollution, product legality, user rights and climate change adaptation.
Part 3 now forms the final part of the publication, covering projections and emerging issues such as new technologies and aquaculture biosecurity. It concludes by outlining steps towards a new vision for capture fisheries.
SOFIA 2020 aims to provide objective, reliable and up-to-date information to a wide audience policymakers, managers, scientists, stakeholders and, indeed, everyone interested in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
The full report is available at: http://www.fao.org/3/ca9229en/CA9229EN.pdf
FAO, 2020