The main purpose of these Technical Guidelines is to provide general advice in support of implementation of Articles 11.2 “Responsible international trade” and 11.3 “Laws and regulations relating to fish trade”, of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. These guidelines assist in the further dissemination, understanding and implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries worldwide. The guidelines are particularly important for two reasons: i) fish and fish produ cts are among the most traded agricultural and food commodities with more than one-third of production entering international trade. This makes it especially important to ensure that all those involved in the sector operate according to the same set of rules; and ii) trade in fish and fish products is also very important for developing countries. Fifty percent of international trade in fish and fish products originates from developing countries. This is an important source of revenue , employment and foreign exchange for these countries.