{"version":"1","article":{"id":"saudi-arabia-cofi37-fisheries-governance-rome-2026","slug":"saudi-arabia-cofi37-fisheries-governance-rome-2026","language":"en","url":"https://haberpaper.com/en/news/saudi-arabia-cofi37-fisheries-governance-rome-2026","api_url":"https://haberpaper.com/api/v1/articles/saudi-arabia-cofi37-fisheries-governance-rome-2026?lang=en","title":"Saudi Arabia highlights marine sustainability at COFI37","summary":"At the FAO fisheries meeting in Rome, Riyadh emphasised inspection, data quality, monitoring technology and cooperation among Red Sea coastal states in addressing illegal fishing.","category":"agriculture","region":"world","topics":[],"published_at":"2026-10-05T02:55:20+03:00","modified_at":"2026-10-05T02:55:20+03:00","publication_basis":"publication-record","event_period":"2026-09-09","event_period_basis":"event-or-reference-period","sources":[{"name":"Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA)","url":"https://www.mewa.gov.sa/en/MediaCenter/News/Pages/saudi-cofi37-sustainable-fisheries-roma.aspx","publishedAt":"2026-09-09","checkedAt":"2026-10-05"},{"name":"Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Committee on Fisheries","url":"https://www.fao.org/cofi/en","checkedAt":"2026-10-05"},{"name":"Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), PSMA anniversary event","url":"https://www.fao.org/policy-support/news/detail/fao-members-celebrate-10th-anniversary-of-landmark-fisheries-treaty/en","checkedAt":"2026-10-05","publishedAt":"2026-09-07"}],"translations":[{"language":"tr","url":"https://haberpaper.com/tr/news/saudi-arabia-cofi37-fisheries-governance-rome-2026","api_url":"https://haberpaper.com/api/v1/articles/saudi-arabia-cofi37-fisheries-governance-rome-2026?lang=tr"},{"language":"en","url":"https://haberpaper.com/en/news/saudi-arabia-cofi37-fisheries-governance-rome-2026","api_url":"https://haberpaper.com/api/v1/articles/saudi-arabia-cofi37-fisheries-governance-rome-2026?lang=en"},{"language":"ar","url":"https://haberpaper.com/ar/news/saudi-arabia-cofi37-fisheries-governance-rome-2026","api_url":"https://haberpaper.com/api/v1/articles/saudi-arabia-cofi37-fisheries-governance-rome-2026?lang=ar"}],"data_types":[],"data":null,"data_compilations":[],"data_downloads":[],"content":{"paragraphs":["Saudi Arabia set out its approach to sustainable marine resources, combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and fisheries governance during the 37th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI37), held in Rome on 7–11 September. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture said the Kingdom took part in both COFI37 and a high-level event marking the tenth anniversary of the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA). The Saudi delegation was led by Ali Alshaikhi, Assistant Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries.","Alshaikhi described oceans and seas as shared heritage and a pillar of food security, development and prosperity. Because pressures on marine resources cross national borders, he called for an international response grounded in cooperation, transparency, innovation and practical commitments. FAO describes COFI as the only global intergovernmental forum dedicated to fisheries and aquaculture; established in 1965, it provides periodic policy recommendations to governments, regional fishery bodies and other stakeholders.","The ministry said Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen its national fisheries management system in line with Vision 2030. Measures identified in its account include reinforcing governance and compliance frameworks, improving inspection efficiency and data quality, and using modern tracking and monitoring technologies. These steps are intended to support sustainable management of marine resources, supply-chain transparency and the blue economy. The ministry’s report does not give a specific deployment project, technology supplier or performance metric for those measures.","Alshaikhi highlighted the Red Sea’s biodiversity and ecosystems, which he described as important both ecologically and economically, and as strategically significant to the Kingdom’s sustainability efforts. He called for stronger partnerships among Red Sea coastal states and broader data-sharing to protect the shared resources for future generations. That regional focus reflects the cross-border nature of marine systems and the need to coordinate information and stewardship alongside national fisheries controls.","COFI37’s wider agenda included progress against IUU fishing at international, regional and national levels; FAO and regional bodies’ role in implementing fisheries agreements; climate adaptation; and small-scale fisheries. The accompanying PSMA anniversary event concerned a binding FAO agreement intended to stop vessels involved in IUU fishing from using ports and landing catches. Saudi Arabia’s statement announced no new regulation or financing package. It presented the Kingdom’s existing priorities on governance, inspection, monitoring and Red Sea cooperation to the international fisheries forum."],"key_points":[],"sections":[]},"text":"At the FAO fisheries meeting in Rome, Riyadh emphasised inspection, data quality, monitoring technology and cooperation among Red Sea coastal states in addressing illegal fishing.\n\nSaudi Arabia set out its approach to sustainable marine resources, combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and fisheries governance during the 37th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI37), held in Rome on 7–11 September. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture said the Kingdom took part in both COFI37 and a high-level event marking the tenth anniversary of the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA). The Saudi delegation was led by Ali Alshaikhi, Assistant Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries.\n\nAlshaikhi described oceans and seas as shared heritage and a pillar of food security, development and prosperity. Because pressures on marine resources cross national borders, he called for an international response grounded in cooperation, transparency, innovation and practical commitments. FAO describes COFI as the only global intergovernmental forum dedicated to fisheries and aquaculture; established in 1965, it provides periodic policy recommendations to governments, regional fishery bodies and other stakeholders.\n\nThe ministry said Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen its national fisheries management system in line with Vision 2030. Measures identified in its account include reinforcing governance and compliance frameworks, improving inspection efficiency and data quality, and using modern tracking and monitoring technologies. These steps are intended to support sustainable management of marine resources, supply-chain transparency and the blue economy. The ministry’s report does not give a specific deployment project, technology supplier or performance metric for those measures.\n\nAlshaikhi highlighted the Red Sea’s biodiversity and ecosystems, which he described as important both ecologically and economically, and as strategically significant to the Kingdom’s sustainability efforts. He called for stronger partnerships among Red Sea coastal states and broader data-sharing to protect the shared resources for future generations. That regional focus reflects the cross-border nature of marine systems and the need to coordinate information and stewardship alongside national fisheries controls.\n\nCOFI37’s wider agenda included progress against IUU fishing at international, regional and national levels; FAO and regional bodies’ role in implementing fisheries agreements; climate adaptation; and small-scale fisheries. The accompanying PSMA anniversary event concerned a binding FAO agreement intended to stop vessels involved in IUU fishing from using ports and landing catches. Saudi Arabia’s statement announced no new regulation or financing package. It presented the Kingdom’s existing priorities on governance, inspection, monitoring and Red Sea cooperation to the international fisheries forum.","corrections":[],"editorial_illustration":{"kind":"symbolic-editorial-illustration","documentary":false,"scope":"section","asset_id":"agriculture","url":"https://haberpaper.com/assets/illustrations/agriculture-1536.webp","width":1536,"height":1024,"alt":"Symbolic agricultural landscape with wheat, olive trees and irrigation channels.","language":"en"},"section_illustration":{"kind":"symbolic-editorial-illustration","documentary":false,"scope":"section","asset_id":"agriculture","url":"https://haberpaper.com/assets/illustrations/agriculture-1536.webp","width":1536,"height":1024,"alt":"Symbolic agricultural landscape with wheat, olive trees and irrigation channels.","language":"en"}}}