Brussels, 16/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - At its annual general meeting in Rome on 9-12 January, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) adopted a number of important measures to protect fish stocks and improve control. Created in 1949, the GFCM is a regional fisheries organisation, with the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and their adjacent waters as the zone over which it has responsibility. It brings together 24 countries, which include the European Community, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia, along with Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, Syria and Libya.
European Fisheries Commissioner, Joe Borg, welcomed the commitment shown by all GFCM member countries towards “an effective management policy for fisheries resources in the Mediterranean”. The main decisions taken at the GFCM annual general meeting were:
Compliance: the parties have officially put the “compliance committee” in place. This committee will be responsible for monitoring compliance with stock conservation measures (taken by the GFCM) and developing a control and inspection scheme to better combat illegal fishing activities.
Bluefin tuna: the GFCM adopted (last November's) recommendations from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) on setting up a recovery plan for bluefin tuna stocks (see EUROPE 9315).
Data collection: members decided to set up a database to develop a management programme for fishing effort.
Bottom trawl nets: taking their inspiration from EU decisions on technical fishing measures in the Mediterranean (see EUROPE 9312 on the political agreement at the Fisheries Council), GFCM members will implement, on a voluntary basis, the 40mm square mesh in trawl ends.
Sustainable aquaculture: over 50% of fisheries products from the Mediterranean basin now come from aquaculture. The tasks and mandate of the GFCM's Committee on Aquaculture have been reviewed and three working groups created to examine the sustainable development of aquaculture, marketing and the selection of aquaculture sites.
Marine mammals: the GFCM will strengthen cooperation with parties to the “Pelagos Agreement”, which provides a sanctuary for marine mammals in the Ligurian Sea and the northern Tyrrhenian Sea.
Black Sea: the GFCM will strengthen cooperation with Black Sea states, with the aim of developing a management policy for fisheries resources in this region. (lc)