Participants at the Globefish 40th Anniversary Event, FAO headquarters, Rome, Italy.
FAO/Cristiano Minichiello.
FAO GLOBEFISH, a leading project in global fisheries and aquaculture market analysis, celebrated its 40th anniversary this week, marked by an event held on 18-19 September at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.
The event highlighted the project’s contributions over the past four decades and explored future trends in the industry, including the outlook for fisheries and aquaculture, and the growth of the seaweed industry.
Since its establishment in 1984, the project - the longest-running initiative by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization - has provided invaluable market insights and trade information, fostering international collaboration through its FISHINFONetwork, which connects six regional networks (INFOPESCA, INFOFISH, INFOPÊCHE, INFOSAMAK, EUROFISH, and INFOYU) across 85 countries.
The project has also been instrumental in supporting developing countries by enhancing their seafood export capacities and ensuring sustainable growth in the fisheries trade, providing access to essential trade information and also working on capacity-building within the sector.
Opening up the seafood trade for developing countries
The origins of the project, as explained by GLOBEFISH'S Erik Hempel in a report launched at the 40th anniversary event, The legacy of GLOBEFISH and the FISHINFONetwork, came from the recognition four decades ago that seafood producers and traders in developing countries faced significant barriers to trade - and that access to reliable information was key to helping them develop and thrive.
"Consistent with the overarching goal of the Blue Transformation, the FAO GLOBEFISH project promotes sustainable trade of fisheries and aquaculture products, thereby contributing to better access to aquatic food, particularly in areas where food supplies are scarce," the FAO said in a document summarising the event agenda.
"FAO GLOBEFISH additionally provides assistance for the enhancement and growth of aquatic food value chains, including mitigating loss and waste, fostering transparency and traceability, supporting market access, and guaranteeing fair and inclusive returns for stakeholders. This multifaceted strategy helps to advance the United Nations 2030 Agenda and FAO’s 'four betters' principles: better production, better nutrition, better environment, and better life."
