Role of CWP Standards in GTA Draft

Author

VLab Course Team

1. Introduction to the CWP

The Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics (CWP), under FAO’s leadership, is the main international forum for agreeing on:

  • Common definitions, classifications, and standards for capturing fishery and aquaculture statistics.
  • It develops methods, reduces workload for national statistical offices, and promotes harmonization across regions. https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a7f3993f-1af1-4e65-8b91-036d12a34458/content

2. What CWP offers - Handbook & best practices

The CWP Handbook of Fishery Statistics provides:

  • Standard terminology for catch, fishing effort, and aquaculture data.
  • Classifications like the ASFIS list (species codes), and structured data exchange protocols.

It also shares best practices in:

  • Harmonization, geospatial standards, managing sensitive/confidential data, and workflows.

3. Alignment with GTA workflows

The GTA builds on CWP foundations by:

  • Applying harmonized vocabularies and species coding systems in Level 0 datasets.
  • Structuring processed outputs using standardized classifications for interoperability.

This ensures that GTA outputs are FAIR-aligned and can integrate seamlessly with global fisheries systems.