In accordance with Article 7(1) of the SIOFA Agreement, the Meeting of the Parties established a Scientific Committee which acts as an advisory body to the Meeting of the Parties. In accordance with Article 7(1)(a) of the SIOFA Agreement the functions of the Scientific Committee are:
(i) to conduct the scientific assessment of the fishery resources and the impact of fishing on the marine environment, taking into account the environmental and oceanographic characteristics of the Area, and the results of relevant scientific research;
(ii) to encourage and promote cooperation in scientific research in order to improve knowledge of the state of the fishery resources;
(iii) to provide scientific advice and recommendations to the Meeting of the Parties for the formulation of measures regarding the monitoring of fishing activities;
(iv) to provide scientific advice and recommendations to the Meeting of the Parties on appropriate standards and format for fishery data collection and exchange; and
(v) any other scientific function that the Meeting of the Parties may decide.
A copy of Scientific Committee Terms of Reference can be accessed here. Official communiqués from the Scientific Committee and the SC chair are provided as circulars and can be found here. The studies of the Scientific Committee are presented at the committee meetings. Several past studies undertaken by external consultants can be accessed from the SC works and projects page.
To facilitate the work of SIOFA CCPs the following guidelines for the submission of annual national reports to the SIOFA Scientific Committee has been developed (updated at SC9 in 2024).
- Guidelines for submission of annual national reports to SC.
Ordinary meetings of the Scientific Committee shall be held once a year prior to the ordinary Meeting of the Parties, unless the Meeting of the Parties decides otherwise.