Mid-term stratregy (2017-2020) towards the sustainability of Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries: five targets, selected outputs, proposed actions

Abstract

Thirteen years after the adoption of the Declaration of the Ministerial Conference for the Sustainable Development of Fisheries in the Mediterranean (2003 Venice Declaration), great strides have been made in promoting responsible fisheries practices. In particular, the role of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been crucial in promoting common rules and strengthening regional cooperation in the Me diterranean and the Black Sea. However, fisheries in the area still face serious challenges, as roughly 90 percent of the region’s scientifically assessed stocks are considered to be fished outside safe biological limits. Such alarming trends not only negatively impact the fisheries sector itself, but they also hinder attempts to ensure secure livelihoods and food security, through blue growth initiatives, for the coastal communities in the region. As a response to these challenges, the GFCM has launched the “mid-term strategy (2017-2020) towards the sustainability of Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries” in order to define a course of decisive action aimed at reverting the alarming trend in the status of commercially exploited stocks. Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the mid-term strategy seeks to improve Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries and contribute to the sustainable development of coastal States. Through the implementation of the following five tar gets, the mid-term strategy is expected to ensure that, by 2020, the alarming trend in the status of commercially exploited stocks is reversed: TARGET 1: Reverse the declining trend of fish stocks through strengthened scientific advice in support of management TARGET 2: Support livelihoods for coastal communities through sustainable small-scale fisheries TARGET 3: Curb illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, through a regional plan of action TARGET 4: Minimize and mitigate unwanted interact ions between fisheries and marine ecosystems and environment TARGET 5: Enhance capacity-building and cooperation