CCFFP35 / Fish Committee to discuss adding new sardine species to standard

The Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products begins its 35th session on Monday 20 September 2021. Meeting for the first time by correspondence via the Codex online platform, CCFFP35 will evaluate if the Standard for Canned Sardines and Sardine-Type Products (CXS 94-1981) can be amended to include the fish species S. lemuru (Bali Sardinella) in the list of Sardinella species.

Norway hosts the fish committee and Chairperson Vigdis Veum Møllersen spoke to the Codex Secretariat about the work ahead:

Q: How will you approach including a new species in the Codex Standard?

A: An inclusion procedure was developed and discussed for a long time and then finally included in the Procedural Manual. So we have actually a very specific procedure on how to conduct this work in the fish Committee.

Q: How will the Committee operate?

A: We are in a very interesting situation, because I think this is the first committee which is actually trying out a new draft procedure developed by the Codex Committee on General Principles and going through the Commission for adoption in November.

Q: How can Codex Members and Observers get involved?

A: The first thing I would recommend participants to do is actually to look at the Codex web page for the fish committee where all the documents are presented. I think it's also important to read the Procedural Manual guidance for committees working by correspondence which will clarify quite a lot for those who are new to this approach.

Q: What is your plan for working by correspondence?

A: Our plan is actually to try to make this similar to a physical meeting, meaning you open an agenda item, you have it open for discussion for a period of time - in our case 24 hours for each item - then as Chairperson I will aim to have a conclusion prepared by 14:00 the same day. This conclusion will then be open for comments too. The timetable is so important because this is how we try to manage the issues, because they are interlinked and you need to finalise one in order to get to the next one.

Q: When will the work be completed?

A: We start 20 September and we will adopt the report on 25 October 2021. But we have planned more sessions in the future because there is a an expectation that there will be an electronic working group on specific technical issues which will then report back with a recommendation to the next session of the committee.

Learn more

Follow working documents on the CCFFP35 meeting page

Video interview with the Chairperson

Note: edited to correct the report adoption date to 25 October 2021