The guidelines cover all types of bycatch including discards, referring to fish that are caught accidently and then thrown back into the sea either dead or dying.

Bycatch may also include endangered species, juvenile fish, turtles, seabirds, and dolphins, and currently may be in excess of 20 million tonnes a year, the Rome-based UN agency said in a statement.

"These are the first guidelines to cover all species encountering fishing gear," said FAO fishing technology expert Frank Chopin.

"The guidelines extend the principles of fishery management to all species and all areas of concern."

The guidelines agreed by fisheries experts from 35 countries who met at the FAO last month were another important step towards applying an ecosystem approach to fisheries management, he added.

Chopin also said care had been taken so that the guidelines would not place an undue burden on poor artisanal fishermen and on developing states.

"The guidelines emphasize doing an assessment of the situation first to see if there is a problem. The social, economic and biological impacts of applying these guidelines need to be studied in each case," he said.

The FAO said the guidelines would be presented for endorsement to the Committee on Fisheries at the end of the month.

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