Compiling, analysing and disseminating fishery data and information is at the heart of the Division's activities.

Achieving the Fisheries Division mission to facilitate and secure the sustainable development and utilization of the world's fisheries and aquaculture depends on how effectively and efficiently the Division compiles and collates fishery data and information, analyses and integrates this data and information, generates new information products that are relevant and usable and makes available the information products to a targeted audience. 

Thanks to a diversity of global or regional fishery databases, including statistics on production, fleet, trade, etc... fishery and aquaculture country profiles, various collections of species, fishing technology, or governance fact sheets, complemented with GIS information, the Division continuously monitors the status and trends of the sector. More specifically, this monitoring evolves from assessment of fishery resources, analyses on fishing practices, policy and socio-economic surveys, commodity markets or seafood quality and safety watching.  This source of knowledge is further elaborated in the form of objective reviews, prognoses, policy briefs and strategic advice.

In order to develop further its role as a knowledge source and sharing mode for fisheries and aquaculture, the Division's information strategy consists of three main pillars:

• improving quality of fisheries data and information collated from a diversity of sources ranging from national agencies to IGOs or NGOs, through the promotion of information standards, the application of adequate quality control, the development of information partnerships for data exchange.
• developing an information systems infrastructure able to provide all users with easy access to unbiased and integrated information, while streamlining information flows and making contribution of information more cost efficient.
• packaging and presenting appropriately data and information in forms and media that respond to the information needs of target audience, so that to make it  meaningful and usable in the context of users.

Finally, the Division assists member countries and fishery bodies in their efforts to gather and provide reliable information in conformity with international norms and standards.