FIRMS is operated under a Partnership Arrangement which was launched in February 2004 upon signature of the Arrangement by the first five FIRMS Partners. The Partnership was launched with FAO and regional fishery body institutions. It will be opened at a later stage to national institutions. The Fishery Resources Monitoring System (FIRMS) provides information organised through fact sheets which describe the overall situation for marine resources (area of distribution, habitat and biology, exploitation, etc. for single species) and fisheries (fishing area, fishing techniques, exploitation, etc.).