The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department presents geographic information as profiles, collection of maps and statistics with a geographic dimension.

Profiles FAO Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profiles provide an overview of the activities and trends in fisheries and aquaculture for individual countries.

For aquaculture, FAO provides statistics and prepares information on the global status and trends of the aquaculture sector, facilitating cooperation in the collation at the global level of national and regional data from which it produces global assessments on the state of aquaculture and development trends. The Fisheries and Aquaculture Department compiles National Aquaculture Sector Overviews (NASO) and National Aquaculture Legislation Overviews (NALO) to disseminate this information.

The fisheries sector requires the definition of boundaries at sea for statistical data-gathering, fisheries management and jurisdictional purposes.

FAO Major Fishing Areas are arbitrary areas defined for statistical purposes, the boundaries of which were determined in consultation with international fishery agencies on various considerations.

Regional Fishery Bodies (RFBs) contribute to the international governance of fisheries, particularly for those exploiting highly migratory resources or managing resources straddling across exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Improving the global governance of fisheries requires increasing the number of RFBs and the associated areas of competence at sea for these resources. RFB summary descriptions present an overview of each RFB, detailing specific roles in fisheries management.

Maps As fisheries are fundamentally spatially distributed, responsible management requires a solid understanding of the underlying spatial dimension of fishery resources. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) provide the technology for mapping the distribution of aquatic resources, their environment, fishery management units, production systems, etc. which can support decision-making. FAO plays a unique role in providing such information which helps map global trends.