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Mitigating interactions between endangered marine species and fishing activities 2015-2018

ACCOBAMS-GFCM project - Main outcomes

Year of publication 2019

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 9

Author ACCOBAMS and GFCM

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) This guide was presents an overview of the outcomes of the project “Mitigating interactions between endangered marine species and fishing activities”, covering the period from 2015 to 2018. The project was launched to improve efforts to conserve endangered marine species listed in Annex II of the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (SPA/BD Protocol), by promoting responsible fishing practices in selected fisheries in the western and central Mediterranean. It was coordinated by the Secretariats of the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area (ACCOBAMS) and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), in collaboration with the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC). The project had two objectives: 1) to learn more about how endangered marine species were being affected by fishing activities, and how fishers were being affected by incidental catches and depredation; and 2) to promote the introduction of fishing-tourism and opportunistic whale watching, as a way of generating additional income for fishers, reducing the fishing pressure on targeted fish stocks and, potentially, decreasing their negative interactions with endangered species. In this context, the project implemented eight pilot actions in selected fisheries to serve as practical case studies creating a base of preliminary information as a starting point, developed capacity-building and ecotourism initiatives and published outreach materials.

Statutory body / Meeting title General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM)

Language English

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