BOBP-IGO OUTLINES ITS PLANS IN THE REGION AS FAO-FIRMS PARTNER
Dr. Krishnan, Director, BOBP-IGO, presented a talk on "FIRMS and BOBP-IGO: Looking Back and Charting Ahead" at a Speakers Corner on FIRMS partnership organized on the sidelines of
COFI 37, FAO Rome (08 September 2026).
BOBP-IGO joined FIRMS as its 19th partner on 13 December 2024 and Dr. Krishnan served as its Vice Chair.
Since joining, BOBP-IGO in partnership with FAO- FIRMS has strengthened capacity to improve the assessment and reporting from the region. It leveraged BOBSAN (the Bay of Bengal Stock Assessment Network) for regional oversight, strengthened national reporting mechanisms through science-policy working groups, and built a framework for validating the Status of FAO Reference Stocks in the new State of Stocks Index (SoSI).
Dr Krishnan stressed that stock science is now a key determinant of global seafood trade, and growing trade conditionalities — including the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies — should push countries toward dedicated investment in fisheries assessment. He also flagged the scope for leveraging AI within FIRMS to address resource constraints, dissemination gaps and language barriers, while cautioning that agreed stock definitions remain essential to avoid double-counting.
Looking ahead, he outlined priorities including facilitating intra-regional expert exchange, advancing cooperation on shared stocks — with two pilots already underway between BOBP-IGO and FAO in the Bay of Bengal region — and ensuring assessment information flows back to countries in usable form.
He closed with a clear message for BOBP members and developing countries: FIRMS is not merely a repository of information, but a partner in building the foundations on which responsible management — and now, trade compliance — must rest.
#COFI37 #FIRMS #FAO #BOBPIGO #StockAssessment #SoSI #BOBSAN #FisheriesGovernance #BayOfBengal #SustainableFisheries #BlueEconomy #AIforFisheries
