Report of the FAO workshop on assessment and monitoring of aquaculture sector performance

Aquaculture is a fast growing sector with complex environmental, economic and social impacts. Assessment and monitoring of such impacts is essential for stakeholders in both the public and private sectors to conduct evidence-based policy-making and/or sector management. However, the lack of information and knowledge (especially quantitative indicators) about aquaculture sector performance has been a global and perennial issue. The issue is especially critical for regions with a less developed aquaculture sector (e.g., Africa). Nearly 30 experts from different countries attended the FAO Expert Workshop on Assessment and Monitoring of Aquaculture Sector Performance with the aim of discussing the methodologies and techniques of, and share global, regional and national experiences in, assessing and monitoring the performance of aquaculture. The workshop includes 28 presentations under 6 thematic topics by experts from various disciplines. A user-friendly tool called World Aquaculture Performance Indicators (WAPI) was presented in the workshop. Three working groups were established to discuss issues related to assessment and monitoring of aquaculture's social, economic and environmental performance. This report documents the information, knowledge and insights generated by the workshop