At the meeting on 8 November, Albania, Algeria, the European Union and its Member States, Egypt, Montenegro, Morocco and Türkiye received accolades for compliance with GFCM regulations to deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Photo: General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM)
The future of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and Black Sea region was in the spotlight in recent days, as members of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) met for the organization's 47th annual session in Rome.
At the session on 8 November, twenty countries, together with the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, adopted 17 key decisions aimed at bolstering sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, and approved 12 binding recommendations to address pressing environmental and economic challenges.
"This annual session concluded a year of intense, collaborative efforts and demonstrated the continued commitment of GFCM members to address the ever-increasing challenges facing the fisheries and aquaculture sector in our region,” said Miguel Bernal, GFCM Executive Secretary, in a press release.
In recent years, the rate of overfishing in the Mediterranean and Black Sea has declined to its lowest point in a decade, at less than 60%, although fishing pressures still exceed sustainable levels by about twice the recommended rate, the GFCM noted.
In response, the GFCM has decided to tighten management rules for various 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 GFCM has also established specific catch limits and single-species harvest rules for sardine and anchovy, while in the Black Sea, a slight increase in turbot catch limits was approved to encourage sustainability and deter illegal fishing practices. The GFCM noted that the population of turbot has significantly rebounded due to a multiannual management plan begun in 2017.
"This decision aims to incentivize 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," the GFCM stated in a press release.
GFCM members also approved a fisheries restricted area (FRA) in the Otranto Channel in the Adriatic Sea. This new zone, the eleventh FRA desginated by the GFCM, covers an area comparable to Luxembourg, and prohibits bottom trawling to safeguard sensitive ecosystems, particularly bamboo coral and habitats essential to deep-water red shrimp populations.
At the meeting, GFCM members recognized advancements in sustainable aquaculture, and discussed the need to protect the sector from climate-induced risks such as disease, deciding to establish a regional network for monitoring aquaculture health in order to mitigate these threats.
The members also adopted a set of principles for responsible investment in aquaculture, which the GFCM said aim to enhance the sector’s attractiveness to investors and highlight its role in food security.
Another top priority of this year's session was to enhance compliance with GFCM regulations and deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
"Important advances have taken place in recent years and the GFCM has been instrumental in the progress made by 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 illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the GFCM area of application," the GFCM stated.
These efforts were recognised by "compliance accolades" for integrating GFCM’s decisions into national policies and improving data reporting, awarded to Albania, Algeria, the European Union and its Member States, Egypt, Montenegro, Morocco and Türkiye during the session.
The GFCM members emphasized the need for better compliance assessment, modern monitoring tools, and closer oversight to uphold sustainable fisheries and aquaculture practices.
The GFCM stated that all the decisions adopted at the annual session "are geared towards putting the long-term future of the region’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors on a sustainable footing".
“Looking forward, I am confident we can raise the bar and together meet the challenges before us. I would also like to recognize and congratulate those who collectively contribute to our efforts, from experts and administrators to fishers and farmers, for their strides and commitment to our ever-growing work, as the ultimate beneficiaries of our decisions,” said Fouad Guenatri, Head of Studies and Synthesis, Ministry of Fisheries and Fisheries Production, Algeria.