The NGO, Oceana, suggested, on Monday 2 October, that measures to protect fish stocks in the Mediterranean should be accelerated, including the creation of Fisheries Restricted Areas to protect sensitive habitats and species, and the introduction of multiannual management plans for all priority species in the area.
As the Mediterranean states of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) gather on 3 and 4 October for the High-level Conference on MedFish4Ever Initiatives, Oceana wanted to take stock of the commitments made in the 2017 Malta MedFish4Ever declaration.
Of the 20 commitments assessed, seven have been fully achieved, eight partially achieved, and three are lacking any significant progress, reports Oceana, which also recommends, in cases of serious non-compliance, that vessels be placed on the GFCM’s list of illegal fishing vessels and that Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) be operational on all vessels over 15 metres. For Oceana, by-catches and discards of vulnerable and protected species such as sharks and rays, seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals should be reduced and eliminated.
Link to the Oceana report: https://aeur.eu/f/8ti (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)