On Friday 11 November, the European Union and neighbouring countries in the Mediterranean decided to establish five multiannual management plans based on the principles of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
This decision is part of the outcome of the 45th annual meeting of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).
Thanks to the joint efforts of the Commission, Member States and all coastal countries, the GFCM unanimously adopted 21 ambitious measures, 19 of which were presented by the European Union, for the management and control of fisheries, aquaculture and the protection of sensitive habitats in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. The EU also supports the implementation of all measures and the new ‘GFCM 2030’ Strategy with an annual grant of €8 million.
The new multiannual plans will cover the key Mediterranean sub-regions: the Alboran Sea in the Western Mediterranean, the Strait of Sicily, the Ionian Sea and the Levantine Sea. They will help to intensify efforts to reduce overfishing and improve the state of fish stocks in the sea basin, such as deep-water shrimps, hake and red sea bream.
In addition, these plans will consolidate the legal framework for the sustainable exploitation of stocks in order to ensure the profitability of the fisheries sector and a level playing field for the Mediterranean fleets.
In addition, the EU, Morocco and Algeria have agreed on a roadmap for the establishment of the first shared fisheries restricted area (FRA). This area will help to support the new measures in the Alboran multiannual plan for the protection of red sea bream stocks, which are in a critical state.
In order to ensure the proper implementation of management measures and the monitoring of fishing activities, the GFCM adopted two joint international inspection schemes in the Strait of Sicily and the Ionian Sea and decided to ban transhipment at sea, an essential tool in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) activities.
Based on an EU proposal, the GFCM decided to launch an assessment of the potential impact of changing the depth limits of existing fishing restrictions - established by the GFCM at depths below 1000m - with a view to possibly introducing restrictions also in shallower waters. This assessment will require advancing knowledge of the distribution of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), determining the bottom trawling footprint and potential gear-related management measures. There is also an agreement to establish an observatory for non-indigenous species in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. As a first step, it will conduct a pilot study on invasive species that threaten marine ecosystems and local fishing communities. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)