Sustainable fisheries, including through the 1995 Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, and related instruments A/RES/68/71 aquaculture-producing countries, will make a significant contribution to meeting future demands in fish consumption, bearing in mind article 9 of the Code, Reaffirming the importance of sustainable aquaculture to food security, and concerned about the potential effects of genetically engineered aquatic fish species on the health and sustainability of wild fish stocks, Calling attention to the particular vulnerabilities of small island developing States, other developing coastal States and subsistence fishing communities whose livelihoods, economic development and food security are heavily dependent on sustainable fisheries and will suffer disproportionately if sustainable fisheries are negatively affected, Welcoming in this regard the third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, to be held in Apia from 1 to 4 September 2014, which will focus on small island developing States as a special case for sustainable development, in view of their unique and particular vulnerabilities, Calling attention to the circumstances affecting fisheries in many developing States, in particular African States and small island developing States, and recognizing the urgent need for capacity-building, including the transfer of marine technology and in particular fisheries-related technology, to enhance the ability of such States to exercise their rights in order to realize the benefits from fisheries resources and fulfil their obligations under international instruments, Recognizing the need to adopt, implement and enforce appropriate measures to minimize by-catch, waste, discards, including high-grading, loss of fishing gear and other factors that adversely affect the sustainability of fish stocks and ecosystems and, consequently, can also have harmful effects on the economies and food security of small island developing States, other developing coastal States and subsistence fishing communities, Recognizing also the need to further integrate ecosystem approaches into fisheries conservation and management and, more generally, the importance of applying ecosystem approaches to the management of human activities in the ocean, and noting in this regard the Reykjavik Declaration on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem, 6 the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations related to guidelines for the implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management and the importance of this approach to relevant provisions of the Agreement and the Code, as well as decision VII/11 7 and other relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Recognizing further the economic and cultural importance of sharks in many countries, the biological importance of sharks in the marine ecosystem as key predatory species, the vulnerability of certain shark species to overexploitation, the fact that some are threatened with extinction, the need for measures to promote the long-term conservation, management and sustainable use of shark populations and fisheries, and the relevance of the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1999, in providing guidance on the development of such measures, _______________ 6 7 E/CN.17/2002/PC.2/3, annex. See United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/7/21, annex. 5/31