The 43rd General Fisheries Commission for Mediterranean (GFCM) Annual Session, held in Athens from 4 to 9 November, resulted in the adoption of 15 recommendations and resolutions proposed by the European Union.
The European Commission, together with the NGO Oceana, welcomed the results of this meeting. The GFCM has adopted historical management plans, including turbot in the Black Sea, red coral in the Mediterranean, blackspot seabream in the Alboran sea, demersals in the Adriatic, deep-water shrimps in the Strait of Sicily. These plans will allow for the implementation of catch certificates and joint inspections.
Management measures concerning the composition, maintenance, identification and retrieval of fish aggregating devices (FADs) were endorsed to better assess their impact on dolphinfish (dolphinfish or mahi-mahi).
The fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities was also enhanced through the better categorisation of cases of non-compliance, the launching of pilot projects on the use of electronic logbook and on the implementation of a centralised vessel monitoring system (VMS). The annual session also focused on the protection of cetaceans and vulnerable species and ecosystems, with the adoption of resolutions mitigating by-catches and preventing significant negative impacts of fishing activities. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)