The Expert Meeting to “Develop Technical guidelines to reduce bycatch of marine mammals in capture fisheries” was held in Rome, Italy, on 17-19 September 2019. Twenty-nine fisheries and bycatch experts and observers from FAO Members participated in the meeting: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States of America. The meeting was also attended by experts from various regional and international organizations. The meeting aimed to prepare “Technical guidelines to reduce bycatch of marine mammals in capture fisheries” that are directed at decision-makers, planners, managers, and all those involved in developing and implementing policy and technical interventions relevant to the bycatch of marine mammals in fisheries. The meeting was organized by FAO in response to the request from the Committee on Fisheries at its 33rd session in 2018 to develop technical guidelines on this subject. At the meeting the experts reviewed and discussed technical measures that can be applied for the reduction of bycatch of marine mammals in fisheries, including: time-area closures, acoustic deterrents, modifications to fishing gears and changes in fishing operations.

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The workshop discussed current knowledge on marine mammal bycatch questions, evaluated the efficacy of measures for mitigating bycatch, reviewed techniques across different gear types and recommended that FAO develop Technical Guidelines.

The Expert Consultation was intended and designed to develop a set of general recommendations to assist in addressing the difficult subject of overcapacity in marine capture fisheries. The result is guidance about a general, flexible process for assisting the transition of fisheries that are characterized by overcapacity into fisheries that are characterized as fully utilized, economically efficient and that meet the management objectives and goals of the agency or group that has fisheries management responsibility.