FAO fishing areas

37.1
21.1.B
87.3

Do these numbers mean anything to you?

In the 1950s, FAO led an international coalition to divide the world’s oceans and seas into areas to better manage and assess the fish stocks within them.

Area 37 is the Black Sea and Mediterranean
Area 21 is the Northwest Atlantic
Area 87 is the Southeast Pacific

Fishing areas serve as a tool to help ensure:
1. traceability, to know where the fish comes from
2. quality and safety, to know that the cold chain and safety regulations have been followed
3. legality, to know that the fish come from licensed fisheries and that quotas have been respected.

FAO fishing areas helps ensure that our marine fisheries resources are used sustainably and that consumers can make informed decisions.

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