Commission

Commission membership is open to Members of the United Nations, especially coastal States, States whose vessels engage in fishing in the Convention Area as well as to Regional Economic Integration Organizations.

The Commission normally holds its Regular Session on an annual basis and convenes special sessions, as appropriate, at the request or with the approval of the majority of the Members. It seeks to promote the conservation and rational management of living marine resources through, inter alia, drawing up binding measures related to the regulation of fishing methods, fishing gear and minimum landing sizes, together with the establishment of open and closed fishing seasons and areas. It also strives to implement a fishing effort control regime by Operational Units through the regulation of catch and fishing effort and their allocation among Members.

Sessions of the Commission are attended by delegates, their alternates, experts and advisers. Each Member has the right to one vote except in the case of a Regional Economic Integration Organization (REIO) which is entitled to the number of votes equal to the number of its Member States which are also Members of the Commission. Competence and voting power over specific Session issues are indicated by REIOs prior to the Session; REIOs cannot exercise their votes when their Member States exercise theirs and vice versa.

Bureau

Title	Name	Country	Election date	e-mail
Chairperson	Mr Mohamed Hadj Ali Salem	Tunisia	January 2006
1st Vice-Chairperson	Mr Riccardo Rigillo	Italy	January 2006
2nd Vice-Chairperson	Mr Ivan Katavic	Croatia	January 2006

Secretariat

Title	Name	e-mail
Executive Secretary	Dr Alain Bonzon
Deputy Executive Secretary/Adviser fisheries management	Mr Abdellah Srour
Bio-statistician	Dr Matthew Camilleri
Aquaculture specialist	Mr Fabio Massa
Programmer / system analyst	Mr Roberto Emma
Data management consultant	Mr Federico De Rossi
Secretaries	Ms Gaelle Hermanus Ms Cristiana Fusconi