FIRMS
FISHERIES AND RESOURCES
MONITORING SYSTEM
Code o Conduc o Responsible Fishe ies
The Code o Conduc o Responsible Fishe ies, adop ed by FAO
Membe s on 31 Oc obe 1995, con ains a b oad se o p inciples and
me hods o de eloping and managing ishe ies and aquacul u e. A
olun a y, nonbinding ins umen , he Code is widely ecognized as
he global s anda d o se ing ou he aims o sus ainable ishe ies and
aquacul u e o he coming decades.
Wi hin he amewo k o he Code, ou In e na ional Plans o Ac ion
and he S a egy o Imp o ing In o ma ion on S a us and T ends in
Cap u e Fishe ies, as well as olun a y in e na ional guidelines and
binding ins umen s such as he Po s S a e Measu es Ag eemen ,
ha e been de eloped as complemen a y ins umen s o p omo e
u he he objec i es o esponsible ishe ies.
Fishe ies a e a undamen al sou ce o ood, li elihood and ade all a ound he
globe. Conse a ion and p o ec ion o aqua ic esou ces equi es coope a i e,
ca e ul s ewa dship. Two hi ds o all s ocks a e sus ainably ished wi h ca ches up o
maximum sus ainable limi s, while 82 pe cen o ca ches by weigh a e om sus ainable
sou ces, Howe e , he e a e indica ions ha o e all, he s a e o wo ld ishe y esou ces
and hei ecosys ems a e de e io a ing. To s op and e e se his end – achie ing
sus ainable ha es o all ishe ies esou ces – coo dina ed ac ion mus be aken by
na ional, egional, and in e na ional bodies. FIRMS p o ides such coo dina ed ac ion on
he global moni o ing o ishe y esou ces by colla ing eliable, ele an and up- o-da e
in o ma ion ha is necessa y o in o m e idence-based policies and ac ions.
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©FAO/Ma inus VanDe Knaap
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Wha is FIRMS?
Pa ne ship
The Fishe ies and Resou ces Moni o ing Sys em (FIRMS) p o ides decision-make s and o he s
wi h high-quali y, au ho i a i e in o ma ion on global ma ine ishe ies esou ces. This in o ma ion
p o ides he means o de elop in o med ishe ies and ma ine esou ce policies in acco dance wi h
he Code o Conduc o Responsible Fishe ies.
FIRMS is he esul o a pa ne ship o in e go e nmen al ishe ies o ganiza ions wi h compe ence
o esou ce assessmen , managemen and conse a ion. The pa ne s ha e commi ed o
p o iding a single poin om which o ob ain au ho i a i e ishe ies in o ma ion which hey ha e
alida ed, wi h a link o o iginal sou ce ma e ials .
FIRMS was es ablished in Feb ua y 2004 o mee he need o eliable ishe ies in o ma ion. In so
doing, FIRMS pa icipa es in he de elopmen and p omo ion o global s anda ds o collec ion,
compila ion, alida ion and dissemina ion o da a and in o ma ion on moni o ing and managemen
o ma ine ishe y esou ces. FIRMS has succeeded by os e ing coope a ion be ween pa ne s
esponsible o implemen ing ishe ies policies a he in e na ional le el, including h ough
assessmen and managemen . This success b oadened FIRMS co e age o na ional s ocks by
enla ging he pa ne ship o esea ch ins i u ions playing a key ole in global esou ces moni o ing.
This also helps o in o m he Sus ainable De elopmen Goals indica o 14.4.1 “pe cen age o ish
s ocks wi hin biological sus ainable limi s”.
Wha does FIRMS o e ?
In en o y o s ocks and ishe ies and ac shee s
on hei s a us
FIRMS wo ks as a moni o ing sys em o cap u e
ishe ies. I is conduc ed unde he gene al amewo k
o he 2003 FAO S a egy o Imp o ing In o ma ion on
S a us and T ends o Cap u e Fishe ies (S a egy-STF),
which was endo sed by he Uni ed Na ions Gene al
Assembly.
In en o y o s ocks
and ishe ies
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The unique ishe ies esou ces moni o ed by FIRMS pa ne s span om globally
anging s ocks, o hose occu ing on smalle , mo e localized scales. Each pa ne
ag ees o egula ly p o ide he in o ma ion needed by decision make s o species and
ishing a eas o which hey ha e p ima y esponsibili y. In his way, FIRMS con ains a
comp ehensi e and unique wo ld lis o s ocks and ishe ies de ined a di e en a ea
le els. As he pa ne ship has g own and is g owing, so has he numbe o ma ine
esou ces included in he global in en o y.
FIRMS in o ma ion is p esen ed in “Fac shee s” and “S a e o esou ces summa ies” in
a common o ma ha makes i easy o loca e in o ma ion o in e es o any esou ce
in he in en o y. Fo each esou ce, he FIRMS websi e pages include images and
species desc ip ions, maps o geog aphical dis ibu ions, and s a emen s o s a us and
ends. These a e backed by gene al biological and habi a cha ac e is ics and scien i ic
assessmen esul s including ca ch, plus managemen and conse a ion conside a ions.
E e y ac shee is p o ided wi h a pa ne ’s ele an links, easing he na iga ion o
sou ces.
S a egy o imp o ing in o ma ion on s a us and ends
in cap u e ishe ies
S a egy-STF, adop ed by FAO in 2003 and suppo ing he p inciples o he Code
o Conduc , p o ides a amewo k, s a egy and plan o imp o e he knowledge
and unde s anding o ishe y s a us and ends as a basis o ishe ies policy-
making and managemen o he conse a ion and sus ainable use o aqua ic
esou ces.
Ma ine esou ce ac shee Fishe y ac shee
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A map iewe o i ms s ocks and ishe ies
A geospa ial in e ace o b owse he s a us o s ocks and ishe ies in en o ied by he
FIRMS pa ne s.
Web da a se ices o s ocks and ishe ies
Web-da a se ices a e a ailable enabling use s, pa ne ’s websi es o sys ems o que y
and e ie e speci ic subse s o ac shee s gi en an a ea o a species. A ailable o ma s:
Excel, HTML, XML, JSON. Via da a se ices, use s can also gene a e epo s ex ac ing
selec ed da a and in o ma ion upon speci ic c i e ia (e.g., il e ing by species, a eas,
gea s, yea s).
FIRMS map iewe
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Global Reco d o S ocks and Fishe ies (GRSF)
GRSF is he newes ool o a c i ical expansion o FIRMS in o ma ion owa ds a wo ld
co e age. GRSF enables colla ion, s anda diza ion and ha moniza ion ac oss mul iple da a
p o ide s o acili a e and p omo e moni o ing o all wo ld s ocks and ishe ies s a us and
ends. Fou majo da abase sou ces con ibu e o GRSF unde he FIRMS go e nance:
• Fishe ies and Resou ces Moni o ing Sys em (FIRMS):h p:// i ms. ao.o g
• RAM Legacy S ock Assessmen Da abase:h p:// amlegacy.o g, owned by Uni e si y o
Washing on
• FishSou ce:h p://www. ishsou ce.com, owned by Sus ainable Fishe ies Pa ne ship
• SDG14.4.1 Ques ionnai e o which FAO is cus odian agency
Ac ing a global eposi o y o a anspa en in en o y o s ocks and ishe ies eco ds, GRSF
o e s a comp ehensi e wo ldwide co e age o o e 2 000 ish s ock eco ds:
Du ing he colla ion p ocess unde a sha ed ha monized s anda d, unique iden i ie s a e
ca e ully assigned o s ocks and ishe ies, and hese a e published h ough he GRSF
ca alogue. Unique iden i ie s consis o a machine eadable uni e sally unique iden i ie
(UUID) and a human- eadable seman ic iden i ie wi h codes and labels.
The in o ma ion in GRSF is in ended
o se e he needs o egional ishe ies
bodies and hei membe coun ies,
na ional go e nmen agencies dealing
wi h s ocks and ishe ies epo ing,
esea che s analysing he s a e o global
ishe y esou ces, he ish ood indus y
( om supplie s o e aile s), and Non-
go e nmen al o ganiza ions p omo ing
sus ainable ishe ies.
GRSF was de eloped as an ini ia i e
unded by he Eu opean Union Ho izon
2020 BlueBRIDGE p ojec using
ad anced IT solu ions implemen ed by
enowned IT esea ch pa ne s (CNR-
ISTI, FORTH).
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Unique iden i ie s o ish s ocks
FIGURE 44
EXAMPLE OF A SEMANTIC IDENTIFIER (ID) AND A UNIVERSALLY UNIQUE IDENTIFIER (UUID)
FOR STOCKS AND FISHERIES
STANDARD CODING SYSTEM FOR:
S ocks <Species> + <Assessmen A ea(s)>
Fishe ies <Species> + <Fishing a ea(s)/Managemen a ea(s)> + <Managemen
Au ho i y(ies)> + <Gea ype> + <Flag S a e>
EXAMPLE OF SEMANTIC IDENTIFIER, AND OF ITS FULL LABEL
as is:COD + ao:21.3.M + au ho i y:INT:NAFO + issc g:03.12 + iso3:LTU
Gadus mo hua - A lan ic, No hwes /21.3.M - No hwes A lan ic Fishe ies O ganiza ion
(NAFO) - NAFO a ea o compe ence - Single boa bo om o e awls - Li huania
Species: Gadus mo hua
Species code: COD
Fishing A ea: FAO 21.3.M
Managemen Au ho i y: No hwes A lan ic Fishe ies O ganiza ion (NAFO)
Ju isdic ion: NAFO a ea o compe ence
Fishing Gea : Single boa bo om o e awls
Fishing Gea code: 03.12
Flag S a e: Li huania
Flag S a e Code: LTU
ID: as is:COD + ao:21.3.M + au ho i y:INT:NAFO + issc g:03.12 + iso3:LTU
UUID: h p://.../b99 d03e-709e-3139-9 5d-133d 0b103 d
T aceabili y
Uni e sally Unique Iden i ie (UUID)
A web- esol able digi al iden i ie s o any da a exchange p o ocols
Spa ial ca ches o una and una-like species
(Global Tuna A las)
The FIRMS Global Tuna A las (GTA) builds on his o ical a lases which we e me ged
in 2019 in o one coo dina ed ini ia i e unde go e nance esponsibili y o he FIRMS
pa ne ship. All cu en ly a ailable in o ma ion is p o ided by he i e una egional
ishe y managemen o ganiza ions which, unde he coo dina ion o he FIRMS
Sec e a ia , ag eed o ha monize he submissions o hei public da ase s and upda e
he GTA on an annual basis.
Global Reco d o S ocks and Fishe ies
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The ini ia i e is also suppo ed by he Resea ch Ins i u e o Sus ainable De elopmen
(IRD) and implemen ed in close collabo a ion wi h he Coo dina ing Wo king Pa y o
Fishe y S a is ics (CWP).
The A las acili a es access o au ho i a i e, spa ialized and s anda dized public da a on
una ishe ies, o e ing a comp ehensi e o e iew o he ca ches o una and una-like
species by indus ial - da ing back as a as 100 yea s in some a eas – and inc easingly
a isanal ishe ies. As such, i in ends o p o ide he kind o science ha expe s need
o add ess c i ical issues such as adap a ion o clima e change, o sus ainable ishe ies
managemen .
Two o he key p oduc s o he GTA a e i s me ada a ca alogue and he in e ac i e map
iewe , which – in i s cu en e sion - p esen s he global dis ibu ion o ca ches in
he pe iod om 1950 o 2019, a a ious le els o spa io- empo al esolu ions - 5° o 1°
squa es - and o abou 50 species o empe a e and opical una (including oceanic
p incipal ma ke una species and mo e coas al/shallow wa e species), bill ish, una-like
species such as boni os and macke els, and mo e han 100 byca ch species including
se e al species o pelagic sha ks.
How does FIRMS wo k?
Sha ed concep s and s anda ds
FIRMS has es ablished co e concep s, de ini ions and da a p esen a ion o ma s and
s anda ds o ensu e consis ency and o p o ide a basis o a common unde s anding
o he in o ma ion p esen ed on he FIRMS websi e. These p o ocols and s anda ds in
epo ing we e de eloped by he pa ne s in o de o enhance he o e all au ho i a i e
alue and quali y o he in o ma ion sha ed in FIRMS.
Commi men s o he p o ision o quali y da a
FIRMS is powe ed by he FAO Fishe ies Global In o ma ion Sys em (FIGIS) and bene i s
om i s con en managemen sys em and in o ma ion exchange p o ocol ea u es.
In o ma ion p o ided by Pa ne s h ough s eamlined p o ocols is published on he
Web o gene al access. FIRMS p o ides pa ne s wi h he app op ia e ools and
aining o ensu e con olled dissemina ion o high-quali y and upda ed in o ma ion.
Pa ne s a e commi ed o p o iding he bes scien i ic e idence on he s a us and
ends o ishe y esou ces and ishe ies and o ensu e he quali y o any da a pos ed.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
FIRMS Sec e a ia
FAO Fishe ies and Aquacul u e Di ision
Food and Ag icul u e O ganiza ion o he Uni ed Na ions
Viale delle Te me di Ca acalla
00153 Rome, I aly
E-mail: FIRMS-Sec e a ia @ ao.o g
h p:// i ms. ao.o g
FIRMS pa ne s
Commission o he Conse a ion o
An a c ic Ma ine Li ing Resou ces
(CCAMLR)
Commission o he Conse a ion o
Sou he n Blue in Tuna (CCSBT)
Di ec o a e-Gene al o Ma i ime A ai s
and Fishe ies (DG MARE)
Fishe y Commi ee o he Wes Cen al
Gul o Guinea (FCWC)
In e -Ame ican T opical Tuna
Commission (IATTC)
In e na ional Commission o he
Conse a ion o A lan ic Tuna (ICCAT)
In e na ional Council o he Explo a ion
o he Sea (ICES)
Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC)
No hwes A lan ic Fishe ies
O ganiza ion (NAFO)
No h A lan ic Salmon Conse a ion
O ganiza ion (NASCO)
No h-Eas A lan ic Fishe ies
Commission (NEAFC)
No h Paci ic Fishe ies Commission
(NPFC)
Sou heas Asian Fishe ies De elopmen
Cen e (SEAFDEC)
Sou h Eas A lan ic Fishe ies
O ganiza ion (SEAFO)
Sou he n Indian Ocean Fishe ies
Ag eemen (SIOFA)
Sou h Paci ic Regional Fishe ies
Managemen O ganiza ion (SPRFMO)
FIRMS collabo a i e ins i u ions
Founda ion o Resea ch
and Technology – Hellas
(FORTH)
Ins i u de Reche che
pou le Dé eloppemen
(IRD)
Sus ainable Fishe ies
Pa ne ship (SFP)
O he collabo a ing ins i u ions
Uni e si y o Washing on
ISTI-CNR (D4Science Da a In as uc u e)
Some igh s ese ed. This wo k is a ailable
unde a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO licence
@FAO, 2023
CC4342EN/1/02.23
