New recommendations drafted to ensure sustainable fisheries in Mediterranean and Black Sea
Earlier this month, 20 countries and the European Union worked towards enhancing the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture by adopting 17 pivotal decisions, including 12 binding recommendations, during the 47th session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) held in Rome.
The GFCM is the regional fisheries management organization with the authority to issue binding recommendations for fisheries and aquaculture development in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
At its annual session, GFCM members engaged in discussions to review and endorse proposals for recommendations and resolutions, all based on the best available scientific advice.
Healthy seas and productive fisheries
The percentage of stocks experiencing overfishing in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea has dropped to its lowest level in a decade – less than 60 per cent – but fishing pressure is still at twice the level considered sustainable, as highlighted in the GFCM flagship publication The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries 2023. To meet this challenge, the GFCM works on all aspects relevant to sustainable fisheries management.
Decisions that have been adopted include the reinforcement of measures addressing the management of numerous GFCM priority species including European eel, red coral, blackspot seabream, European hake, Norway lobster, European sprat, turbot, rapa whelk, piked dogfish, and sturgeons.
In the Adriatic Sea, the finalisation of a rigorous management strategy evaluation process supported a landmark decision to establish single species harvest control rules and annual catch limits for sardine and European anchovy, moving away from the joint catch limits enforced until now and promoting ecological sustainability and economic stability.
Meanwhile, in the Black Sea, a small increase in catch limits was adopted for turbot – a key species that has seen a threefold decrease in fishing mortality and a threefold increase in biomass and is now approaching sustainability as a result of the adoption of a multiannual management plan in 2017. This decision aims to incentivise fishers and deter illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, while enhancing data collection on fishing effort and discards, and identifying further technical measures to mitigate bycatch.
New fisheries restricted area in the Mediterranean
Spatial management was also in the spotlight, as countries agreed to create a fisheries restricted area (FRA) in the Otranto Channel in the Adriatic Sea. This decision establishes a core area where bottom trawling activities are banned in order to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems formed by bamboo coral and enhance the productivity of marine living resources through the protection of essential fish habitats, such as those of deep-water red shrimps. It also delineates a buffer area, where fishing activities are regulated.
This is the eleventh FRA established by the GFCM and will be comparable in size with the country of Luxembourg.
Support for sustainable growth of aquaculture
Aquaculture was another crucial component of the discussions held recently, with countries recognising the progress made towards enhancing the sustainable development of the sector, as well as the numerous assistance programmes established across the region in the past year.
To address the fact that certain factors trigger emerging diseases that threaten the sector’s productivity and growth, countries agreed to set up a network for monitoring aquaculture diseases and minimising risks associated with trade.
Principles for responsible investment in aquaculture were also adopted, aimed at enhancing the sector’s attractiveness to investors and highlighting its role in food security.
Advances in compliance and enforcement to fight IUU fishing
The annual session prioritised strengthening compliance to ensure member countries effectively implement GFCM decisions, thus supporting their commitments to developing and regulating fisheries and aquaculture operations.
Important advances have taken place in recent years and the GFCM has assisted many countries in updating their national laws to specifically target IUU fishing as well as in implementing GFCM measures such as the Regional Plan of Action to combat IUU fishing in the GFCM area of application.
Last year marked the launch of a new phase towards a more modern framework which allows for closer monitoring of countries’ compliance with GFCM decisions. The session largely discussed how to provide countries and the GFCM with the necessary means to advance rapidly on this issue.
Countries highlighted that it is essential to enhance compliance assessments and advance the operationalisation of monitoring, control and surveillance tools, such as inspection schemes and sightings.
