FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries is a voluntary global instrument adopted by the FAO Conference on 31 October 1995 that sets principles and standards for sustainable capture fisheries and aquaculture. It covers fisheries management, fishing operations, aquaculture development, integration of fisheries into coastal management, post-harvest practices and trade, and research. Though non-binding, it frames the precautionary approach and the ecosystem approach to fisheries, and it spawned international plans of action including the IPOA-IUU (2001) and national plans of action that operationalize its provisions.