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News from the open access movement


Monday, August 27, 2007

More on the Aquatic Commons

Jean Collins, Information Sharing Via The Aquatic Commons, FAO Aquaculuture Newsletter, No. 37, undated.  (Thanks to The Lubin Files.)  Excerpt:

...Aquatic Commons [is] an Open Access digital repository for the aquatic sciences, including fisheries and aquaculture.

One of the characteristics of the literature of fisheries and aquaculture – in particular the practical and management rather than the scientific aspects – is that it does not easily find its way into commercial journals. The results of research and the development lessons learned are often lost because of inadequate opportunities to publish, especially but not only in developing countries. It is precisely this unique, locally produced and diffi cult to locate ‘grey literature’ which the Aquatic Commons intends to capture.

The lack of access to timely and accurate information has been identified by many countries as one of the constraints to the implementation of the 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. The Aquatic Commons is seen as an opportunity to achieve the improved capture, dissemination and preservation of fi sheries and aquaculture information, based on the principles of equal ownership and resource sharing. Its specific aims include:  To:

  • improve sharing of information on fisheries and aquaculture management;
  • facilitate the sharing of knowledge and lessons learned;
  • ensure equal participation and coverage of the literature from developing and developed countries; 
  • empower managers and resource users to publish their findings;
  • provide free and Open Access to information for all; 
  • enable the use and validation of research results and avoid costly and wasteful duplication of effort; and 
  • ensure the preservation of information and its availability for future generations....

PS:  For background, see the Aquatic Commons proposal from its two leading partners, IAMSLIC (International Association of Aquatic and Marine Science Libraries and Information Centers) and the UN’s FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), blogged here in May.