Cairo, April 16th, 2012 (WAM) -- Bahrain will host next Sunday a workshop on social and economic aspects of fisheries organised by the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI), which is based in Cairo at the FAO Regional Office for the Near East.
The three-day event, will witness the participation of the National Focal Points of the Working Group on Fisheries Management and particularly national experts with a strong social and economic background for the workshop. Fisheries management is about managing peoples social and economic behaviors with regards to the exploitation of fishery resources. There is a close link between how people engage in fisheries and their socioeconomic background. Understanding the socioeconomic context of fisheries stakeholders is essential for assessing, predicting and managing fisheries use. The workshop is aimed at understanding the situation of the national and regional marine fisheries in the RECOFI region, reviewing the availability of data on the socio-economic statistics, analysis work and other relevant research activities in member countries and holding a detailed discussion of socio-economic aspects of RECOFI fisheries, according to a press statement of the commission. The event will also give an opportunity to gain a preliminary insight into the main priorities to be addressed , identify major gaps knowledge and expertise in the field, and exchange relevant information. In addition formulating RECOFI action plan for regional cooperation in assessment of socio-economic aspects and to identify regional socio-economic indicators for both national and local levels of each member country. The expected outcome of the workshop includes an improved understanding on the status of socio-economic aspects of the fisheries and the ability to identify suitable common socio-economic variables and indicators to be used around the region. Moreover, one of the workshops expected outcome is to outline an integrated statistics and knowledge database for the purpose of socio-economic assessment in the RECOFI region in addition to increasing awareness of participatory fisheries management approaches. RECOFI was established in 1999 to promote the development conservation, rational management and best utilization of living marine resources as well as the sustainable development of aquaculture in the region.Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2012.
