As fisheries ministers meet in Malta for the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) high-level conference on MedFish4Ever initiatives, on Tuesday 3 October, NGOs called for an end to illegal bottom trawling, which is destroying protected areas in the Mediterranean.
The Med Sea Alliance coalition (https://aeur.eu/f/8u7 ), which brings together a number of NGOs, wants the fisheries ministers concerned to adopt decisive measures to put an end to bottom trawling in the Mediterranean in areas where it is already banned. Fisheries ministers are being asked to recognise that illegal bottom trawling operations are indeed taking place in the Mediterranean and that this destructive practice is endangering ecosystems.
At present, 73% of the Mediterranean fish stocks assessed are exploited beyond the thresholds of ecological viability. Marine protected areas (MPAs) and other types of spatial closure to fishing are effective tools for rebuilding fish stocks and protecting sensitive habitats. Although regulations prohibit trawling in certain areas or at certain times, Med Sea Alliance has evidence that bottom trawling is practised in areas where it is prohibited. The day before, Oceana had called for measures to protect fish stocks in the Mediterranean (see EUROPE 13262/11). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)