European Commissioner for Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, listed on Wednesday 12 June the many challenges still facing the riparian countries in restoring fisheries resources in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea (see EUROPE 12272/10).
Following the high-level conference on fisheries in the Mediterranean, organised by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) in Morocco on 11 and 12 June, European Commissioner Karmenu Vella welcomed the significant progress made since 2017 (adoption of the MedFish4Ever declaration) and listed the challenges ahead.
“We still catch too much fish: 78% of stocks are still overexploited”, the Commissioner recalled. He called on the countries concerned to assess and address the effects of climate change and pollution and to find a solution to the arrival of so-called 'non-indigenous' species.
In addition, it called for the establishment of new restricted fisheries areas, “which are instrumental for protecting Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems and Essential Fish habitats” and measures to mitigate the impact of recreational fishing, which would represent 10% of total fishing production in the Mediterranean.
Illegal fishing, which “remains a real scourge in the Mediterranean Sea”, should also be urgently eradicated, according to the Commission.
The Commissioner also stressed that, through this conference, “we have initiated the development of the social aspect of small-scale fisheries”, with an emphasis on decent work, working conditions, social protection, the role of women and the need to attract young people to the profession. “We must aim to guarantee the livelihood of coastal communities and ensuring food security”, concluded Mr Vella. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)