The European Commission welcomed, on Thursday 30 March, the signing of the MedFish4Ever ministerial declaration which contains a raft of initiatives for the next ten years to save the Mediterranean’s fish stocks and protect the region’s environmental and economic wealth.
The targets are ambitious but realistic, the Commission says in a press release.
Over 300,000 people are directly employed on fishing vessels in the Mediterranean and many more indirect jobs depend on the sector. The declaration was signed by Mediterranean ministerial representatives from both northern and southern coastlines. It represents the fruition of a process launched by the European Commission in Catania, Sicily, in February 2016.
Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner Karmenu Vella said that the signatories were “making history”. “In signing the Malta MedFish4Ever Declaration, we are affirming our political will to deliver tangible action: on fisheries and other activities that have an impact on fisheries resources, on the blue economy, on social inclusion, and on solidarity between the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean”. He expressed his hope that this declaration would come to be seen as a “turning point” towards a bright future for fishermen, coastal communities and fishing resources alike.
The signatories pledge, inter alia, to: - ensure by 2020 that all key Mediterranean stocks are subject to adequate data collection and scientifically assessed on a regular basis; - put in place multi-annual management plans for all key fisheries (the Commission has already presented a proposal on small pelagic stocks in the Adriatic); - eliminate illegal fishing by 2020 by ensuring that all states have the legal framework and the necessary human and technical capabilities to meet their control and inspection responsibilities: the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) will lead the development of national control and sanctioning systems; - support sustainable small-scale fisheries and aquaculture by streamlining funding schemes for local projects, such as fleet upgrade with low-impact techniques and fishing gear, social inclusion and the contribution of fishermen to environmental protection.
The effective implementation of the declaration will be made possible by involving fishers, both men and women, coastal communities, civil society, industrial, small-scale, artisanal and recreational fisheries in the process, as well as the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and GFCM. The fall in fish stocks in the Mediterranean is a threat to jobs: around 90% of the stocks assessed are overfished.
The following parties were represented at the Malta MedFish4Ever ministerial conference: the European Commission, eight member states (Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus), seven third countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Albania, Montenegro), the FAO, the GFCM, the European Parliament, and the EU Mediterranean Advisory Council.
The NGO Oceana welcomed the declaration that will see countries pledge to follow scientific advice, to ensure the sustainability of resources and the recovery of heavily overfished stocks. Renata Briano MEP (S&D, Italy) highlighted the socio-economic importance of small-scale fishing (more than 80% of the Mediterranean fleet) and the need to involve fishers as quickly as possible in the decisions that affect their activities. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)