The Fourth Intergovernmental Meeting on the Establishment of the Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission adopted: Draft Better Management Practices for Carp Production in the region; draft conclusions and recommendations on the restocking and development of culture-based fisheries in Central Asia; and draft technical guidelines for sturgeon hatchery practices and management for release.
24 June 2011: The Fourth Intergovernmental Meeting on the Establishment of the Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission (CACFAC) noted the entry into force of the Agreement on the Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission on 3 December 2010, and, as the Second Session of the Preparatory Meeting, finalized and made progress on most required documentation for the Inaugural Meeting of the Commission.
The meeting was held in Cholpon Ata, Kyrgyzstan, from 22-24 June 2011, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic, and organized by the Food and Agriculture of the UN (FAO) Subregional Office for Central Asia (SEC). The meeting was attended by delegations from eight countries (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Ukraine) and an observer from the Caspian Environment Programme (CaspEco).
Meeting participants: reviewed the draft Financial Regulations prepared by the FAO Secretariat; agreed on a further review and endorsement process of the draft Financial Regulations by the Preparatory Meeting through e-mail, to take place before the Inaugural Meeting of the Commission; and agreed on the Inaugural Meeting agenda as amended by the FAO Secretariat. They also discussed variants of possible logos for the Commission and, after discussion, endorsed for adoption by the Inaugural Meeting the acronym “CACFish” and a logo.
The meeting also discussed progress made on the implementation of the draft five-year regional Work Programme (2011-2015); and expressed appreciation for the presentation on the “State of fisheries and aquaculture in the region.” On interim scientific and technical advice, the meeting adopted: Draft Better Management Practices for Carp Production in Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia; the draft conclusions and recommendations of the regional study on the feasibility of restocking and development of culture-based fisheries in Central Asia; and draft technical guidelines for sturgeon hatchery practices and management for release. Meeting participants recommended that the FAO Secretariat submit these documents to the Inaugural Meeting for official endorsement. The meeting also recommended that the technical guidelines for sturgeon hatchery practices and management be presented officially to the Commission on Aquatic Bioresources of the Caspian Sea (CAB), while requesting support for its implementation.
Finally, delegates recommended that a number of follow-up actions be taken, and expressed thanks to the Government of Kyrgyzstan for hosting the meeting and to the Government of Turkey for its offer to hold the Inaugural Meeting of the Commission from 19-21 December 2011, in Istanbul, Turkey. [IISD RS Sources] [Meeting Documents]