FAO proposes guidelines for responsible fish trade at meeting in Spain.
Booming fish exports are having a positive effect on food security in the developing world, but good management of fisheries by developing nations is essential if they are going to continue to benefit over the longer term, FAO said today.

An FAO report presented at a major meeting on the international trade in fish products, worth around $71 billion annually, said that the fish trade was so far having no detrimental effect on the amount of fish available for consumption as food in poor countries.

The UN agency told delegates from the 60 governments participating in the tenth meeting of its Sub-Committee on Fish Trade (Santiago de Compostela, 30 May - 2 June) that growing export earnings had increased employment, raised incomes and improved government services.