FAO BRINGS 60 COUNTRIES TO TABLE FOR GLOBAL FISHERIES TRADE MEETING, 10 - 14 FEBRUARY, IN BREMEN, GERMANY

FAO brings 60 countries to table for global fisheries trade

meeting, 10 - 14 February, in Bremen, Germany

Event Parallels Fish International Trade Fair

(Reissued as received.)

ROME, 5 February (FAO) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will convene an international meeting on world fish trade from 10 to 14 February

2004 in Bremen, Germany.

The ninth session of the United Nations agency's Sub-Committee on Fish Trade will bring to the table delegates from some 60 different governments as well as observers from 15 non-governmental and international organizations to discuss the future of this increasingly important trade sector.

Since 1980, the export value of the global fish trade has soared from $15 billion per year to $57.7 billion per year, according to the FAO's latest figures, with developing countries accounting for just over 50 per cent of that trade volume.

A wide range of topics are slated for discussion by the Sub-Committee at Bremen, including:

-- options for developing science-based, fair and transparent safety-monitoring and labelling systems for seafood products, including farmed fish, in order to ensure safety and quality;

-- improving the accuracy of catch reporting by the fishing sector;

-- how to help developing countries and small-scale fisheries increase access to international markets in order to further benefit from fish trade.

News conference -- Thursday, 12 February 2004

The working session of the Sub-Committee is closed to the media, but high-ranking Sub-Committee members as well as fisheries and trade experts from the FAO will be participating at a Fish International 2004 press conference being held on 12 February at 10 a.m., CET.

Experts from the FAO's Fisheries Department will also be available for in-person and/or telephone interviews throughout the event upon request.

News conference place and time:  Bremen Congress Centre, Danzig Room, 28209 Bremen, Bürgerweide 12 February 10 a.m., CET.

Contacts

Sub-Committee, FAO's work on fish trade, and to arrange for interviews with FAO experts: George Kourous, FAO Information Officer, tel:  (+39) 06 570 53168, mobile in Bremen, starting 9 February:  (+39) 348 141 6802, e-mail:  george.kourous@fao.org

Fish international, press conference accreditation: Christine Glander, MGH Media Office, tel:  (+49) 421 350 5269, e-mail: glander@messe-bremen.de

FAO Media Relations Office:  Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome, Italy; e-mail:  media-office@fao.org, tel.:  (+39) 06 570 53625.

Online accreditation form: http://www.mgh-bremen.de/fishinternational2004/english/press.html?navid=23

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