 | About FIRMS  MissionObjectives The primary aim of the Fisheries and Resources Monitoring System (FIRMS) is to provide access to a wide range of high-quality information on the global monitoring and management of fishery marine resources. Main Function Scientific information. The Partners The partnership nowadays brings together 18 Institutions representing 20 Regional Fisheries Bodies (RFBs).FIRMS Partnership - geographic coverage concerning Tuna regional fishery bodies (current partners: CCSBT, IATTC, ICCAT, IOTC) FIRMS Partnership - geographic coverage concerning non-Tuna regional fishery bodies (current partners: CCAMLR, CECAF, EUROSTAT, FCWC, GFCM, ICES, NAFO, NASCO, NEAFC, NPFC, RECOFI, SEAFDEC, SEAFO, SIOFA, SPRFMO, SWIOFC, WECAFC) Member:
Collaborative Institutions:
Observer:
GovernanceFIRMS Steering Committee (FSC) is constituted by representatives of the Partners: one member nominated by each partner, including FAO in its capacity of partner. The FSC technical and Administrative responsibilities are described in the Article 5 of the FIRMS Partnership Arrangement. The FSC's Rules of procedures were adopted at the launching meeting of FIRMS (Rome, February 2004) and updated in May 2019 (FSC11). FIRMS Secretariat is provided by FAO. The responsibilities of the Secretariat are described in the Article 3 of the FIRMS Partnership Arrangement. FIRMS Technical working group The general mandate of the FIRMS technical working group is to consider technical issues and make recommendations on matters of a purely technical nature. This working group convened by the Secretariat will work through correspondence and hold a meeting, if necessary. Partnership Arrangement FIRMS is operated under a Partnership Arrangement which was launched in February 2004 upon signature of the Arrangement by the first five FIRMS Partners. The Partnership was launched with FAO and regional fishery body institutions with a possibility to open at a later stage to national institutions. The FIRMS Partnership Arrangement specifies the rights and obligations of the Partners and the rules driving the partnership. The FIRMS Partnership Arrangement consists of three parts: 1) a preamble; 2) articles of the arrangement with objectives, principles, responsibilities, benefits and institutional arrangements; and 3) Annex 1 with list of signatories parties, and Annex 2 with the details of the new Partner's contributions. The FIRMS Information Management Policy defines the principles and conditions governing the sharing of information contributed by the various Partners within FIRMS. Collaborative Arrangement Partner institutions can also operate in FIRMS under the Collaborative Arrangement, a new instrument set-up in 2019 (FSC11). The Collaborative Arrangement was introduced in support of an expansion of the partnership with the ultimate objective to reach global monitoring coverage of stocks and fisheries status. It is a lighter partnership instrument designed for i) RFBs willing to contribute status information while avoiding the obligation to fulfil all Partners’ duties, and ii) for actors such as national institutions, INGOs and NGOs willing to support FIRMS goals with resources including e.g. databases, tools, services, or funding. The Collaborative Arrangement can operate on a project basis, as well as with long-term scope. The Annex 2 of the Collaborative Arrangement outlines and details the nature of data, information and services and their terms and conditions, and possible entitlements for the collaborative institution. Geographic coverage Global. Thematic coverage Capture fisheries, with priority to Marine fisheries. Languages . The website is also available in French and could be extended to other FAO official languages according to FIRMS partners decisions. Funding In accordance with the FIRMS Partnership Arrangement:
In addition, extra budgetary funding is expected and sought to support further developments.
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 | Fisheries and Resources Monitoring System |
