BOBP-IGO signed an agreement with FAO as a Fisheries and Resources Monitoring System (#FIRMS) Partner on 13 Dec 2024. Signing the agreement on behalf of FAO, Dr. Manuel Barange, Assistant Director General, FAO welcomed BOBP-IGO as its newest partner. He said that FAO is reconfiguring its data architecture and FIRMS is all set to be the central database, serving as a main feeder for FAO's State of Stocks Index (SOSI) and Status of Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA), the flagship biennial report from the next cycle, ie. 2026. This signals a paradigm shift from a top-down approach to cooperative resource assessment and reporting by FAO as the coordinator and RFBs and countries as key collaborators and contributors.

 

Dr. P. Krishnan, Director, BOBP-IGO, assured that the BOBP-IGO will strive to strengthen the participation of the region in the global march towards evidence-driven fisheries management, in alignment with the global sustainability targets. BOBP’s participation would ensure better visibility of the regional fisheries performance to the global audience, he hoped. Further, BOBP called for support from FAO for the capacity development and organizing regional assessment workshops in the initial phase of engagement.

 

FIRMS serves as a global hub for high-quality information on the monitoring and management of marine fishery resources. It was established in 2004 under a Partnership Arrangement with FAO and various regional fishery bodies. Evolved over time, the FIRMS aims for comprehensive monitoring coverage via collaborative efforts with regional and national institutions. The database is accessible in multiple languages, emphasizing global cooperation and data transparency.

 

The signing ceremony took place during the 9th Technical Working Group (TWG9) meeting of FIRMS held at FAO Headquarters in Rome from 10-13 December 2024, coinciding with the 20th Anniversary of the FIRMS. The TWG discussed the roadmap for the smooth upgrade and transition of FIRMS. It also deliberated and finalized the plan of implementation of the next round of data cycle beginning in 2025.