Activities

Press Release / 37th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI)

The 37th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) was held in Rome from 7 to 11 September 2026. This session provided an opportunity for Committee Members to discuss key issues relating to fisheries and aquaculture and to adopt global policy orientations. Several COMHAFAT Member States took part in this 37th session.

The session also marked the 60th anniversary of the Committee and highlighted the 10th anniversary of the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), whose implementation is receiving particular attention from COMHAFAT and its Member States.

During the session, participants took note of the SOFIA report on The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2026.

The session also provided an opportunity to organize several side events:

• The Small-Scale Fisheries Summit (SSF 2026)
• The 11th Meeting of the FAO Regional Fisheries Bodies Secretariats’ Network (RSN-FAO)
• The expectations of the fisheries sector regarding the BBNJ Agreement
• Fisheries access agreements
• New information technologies serving fisheries and aquaculture

At the conclusion of the 37th session, the Committee elected Mr. Osvaldo Urrutia (Chile) as Chair of the 38th Session of the Committee on Fisheries, and Mr. Stefán Ásmundsson (Iceland) as First Vice-Chair. The United States of America, Morocco, New Zealand, Senegal and Sri Lanka were elected as Vice-Chairs.

The Committee agreed that the 38th Session of the Committee on Fisheries would be held in Rome during the third quarter of 2028. The exact dates will be determined by the Director-General, following consultation with the Bureau of the Committee on Fisheries, and will be officially communicated to the FAO Council at its next session in November 2026 and to the FAO Conference at its 45th session in June 2027.

It is worth recalling that the Committee on Fisheries is a subsidiary body of the FAO Council, established in 1965 by the FAO Conference. It is the only global intergovernmental forum within which FAO Members meet to consider and examine issues and challenges related to fisheries and aquaculture.

The Committee on Fisheries is unique in that it regularly formulates recommendations and global policy guidance for governments, regional fisheries bodies, civil society organizations, private-sector stakeholders and the international community.

Rabat, 14 September 2026

COFI37 Documents

For further information and to access or download the official documents of the 37th Session of the Committee on Fisheries, please visit the FAO dedicated webpage:
https://www.fao.org/cofi/documents-cofi37/en