FAO Fisheries Commission supports a course in Spain to mitigate fishing impacts

The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has presented the course titled Technical Measures and Innovative Strategies for Mitigating the Impacts of Fishing.

This course will take place in Zaragoza, Spain, from September 16 to 20, 2024 with the collaboration of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), in collaboration with the Balearic Islands Oceanographic Centre of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO, CSIC).

Nine international fisheries experts from IEO will talk about technical measures and innovative strategies to mitigate the impacts of fishing; better understand issues and principles related to fisheries selectivity, discards, and bycatch.

Additionally, they will train participants to recognize other direct and indirect impacts of fishing on the seabed, vulnerable species, benthic communities and habitats, food webs, and climate change.

Furthermore, the aim of this course is to understand the regulatory framework to improve the ecological efficiency of fishing, with special emphasis on the Mediterranean; obtaining information on international projects addressing discard mitigation, decarbonization, fishing gear circularity, digitalization, and artificial intelligence.

Regarding this initiative, IEO researcher and scientific coordinator of the course, Enric Massutí said: "Having more selective fishing gear and innovative fishing strategies can improve population exploitation patterns, reduce discards and bycatch of vulnerable species, and mitigate the environmental impact of fishing."

Spain has been chosen as the location to host the first restorative aquaculture centre in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It will be located in La Rapita, Cataluña, and is expected to open by the end of 2024.

About CIHEAM Zaragoza

The Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (CIHEAM Zaragoza) is one of the four institutes of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), along with Bari in Italy, Montpellier in France, and Chania in Greece.

Founded in 1969, CIHEAM Zaragoza offers international training and promotes research and cooperation to address the challenges of Mediterranean agri-food systems.

CIHEAM, established in 1962, is a Mediterranean intergovernmental organization composed of 13 member states (Albania, Algeria, Egypt, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Tunisia, and Turkey).