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Report of the thirty-sixth session, Marrakech, Morocco, 14-19 May 2012









FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean. Report of the thirty-sixth session. Marrakech, Morocco, 14–19 May 2012. GFCM Report. No. 36. Rome, FAO. 2012. 71 pp.


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    FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean. Report of the thirty-seventh session. Split, Croatia, 13–17 May 2013 2014
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    The thirty-seventh session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), including the fourth session of the Committee on Administration and Finance (CAF) and the seventh session of the Compliance Committee (CoC), was attended by representatives from 21 Contracting Parties, one non-GFCM Member country, and 11 observers. The Commission reviewed the intersessional activities of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and the Committee on Aquaculture (CAQ) as well as the outcome s of the Task Force established to modernize the GFCM legal and institutional framework. Among the measures adopted this year by the Commission, a recommendation on a multiannual management plan and on transitional conservation measures for fisheries of small pelagic stocks in the Adriatic Sea has set actions aimed at minimizing the threat of overfishing and stock decline and encouraging the sustainable exploitation of these important target species while maintaining stable yields. In the Black Sea area, the Commission adopted a recommendation on the establishment of minimum standards for bottom-set gillnet fisheries for turbot and conservation of cetaceans, in order to guarantee the protection of juvenile turbots until they reach the reproductive size therefore contributing to the renewal of this population in the Black Sea. This measure also foresees standards for turbot fisheries aimed at reducing by-catch of cetaceans. In addition to these binding recommendations, the Commission ap proved two resolutions to promote the implementation of marine protected areas (including Fisheries Restricted Areas – FRAs) and to adopt guidelines on the management of fishing capacity according to resource availability in order to strengthen the control and monitoring of fishing effort and fishing capacity. Another outcome of the session was the adoption of guidelines on precautionary conservation measures aimed at minimizing undesirable effects on stocks and improving fisheries economic prof itability. In the field of aquaculture, taking into account the key role to be played by this sector towards food security and economic growth and recognizing the need to foster its sustainable development in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, the Commission agreed to establish the first multi-stakeholder platform involving all players in the sector. The Commission adopted its 2013 autonomous budget, amounting to US$1 940 973, along with its programme of work for the intersession, including un der the first GFCM Framework Programme for 2013–2018. The creation of five new working groups was agreed: three working groups on methodologies for socio-economic analysis, on small scale/artisanal fisheries and on recreational fisheries under the Subcommittee on Economic and Social Sciences (SCESS), one transversal working group on marine protected areas involving all subcommittees, and a working group for the revision of the GFCM Agreement. This year’s session was marked by substantial steps f orward to support the reform process launched in 2009 with the aim to modernize the institutional framework and ensure a more efficient functioning of the GFCM. The working group for the revision of the GFCM Agreement will be called to play a substantial role in this reform process, which should lead to enhanced sub-regional cooperation, the set-up of efficient mechanisms to ensure compliance to binding decisions, the establishment of a roadmap to fight illegal fishing, thus leading to improved long-term sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. An extraordinary session, to be held in 2014, will examine the outcomes of this reform process.
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    Report of the thirty-ninth session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), Milan, Italy, 25-29 May 2015
    General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean
    2016
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    The thirty-ninth session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), including the sixth session of the Committee on Administration and Finance (CAF) and the ninth session of the Compliance Committee (CoC), was attended by representatives from 23 Members, 3 non-Members as well as 7 intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. In the context of the amendment process of the GFCM legal framework, the Commission examined and adopted by consensus its new rules of proced ure and financial regulations, in line with the new GFCM Agreement entered into force on 20 May 2014 . During the session, the cooperating non-contracting party status was granted to Georgia and Ukraine in light of their increasing involvement in GFCM activities in the Black Sea. Moreover, in order to enhance cooperation with partner organizations, the Commission, based on a proposed set of objectives and activities, requested the GFCM Secretariat to finalize and sign, on behalf of GFCM/FAO, fou r new memoranda of understanding with MedPAN, ATLAFCO, OceanCare and EATIP. A set of important measures for the management and conservation of fisheries resources in both the Mediterranean and the Black Sea were discussed and agreed upon. In particular, the Commission adopted four recommendations, namely: Recommendation GFCM/39/2015/1 establishing further precautionary and emergency measures in 2016 for small pelagic stocks in the Adriatic Sea (GSA 17 and GSA 18); Recommendation GFCM/39/2015/2 o n the establishment of a set of minimum standards for bottom trawling fisheries of demersal stocks in the Strait of Sicily, pending the development and adoption of a multiannual management plan; Recommendation GFCM/39/2015/3 on the establishement of a set of measures to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in turbot fisheries in the Black Sea and Recommendation GFCM/39/2015/4 on management measures for piked dogfish in the Black Sea.
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    Rapport de la trente-huitième session. Siège de la FAO, Rome, 19-24 mai 2014 2014
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    The thirty-eighth session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), including the fifth session of the Committee on Administration and Finance (CAF) and the eighth session of the Compliance Committee (CoC), was attended by representatives from 22 Members, 3 non-Members, 15 intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. In the light of the outcomes of its third extraordinary session (Greece, April 2014), the Commission endorsed its amended Agreement, which sets ambi tious goals based on principles such as the subregional approach, multiannual management and stakeholders’ involvement. In recognition of the importance attached by the Commission to cooperation with partner organizations, three memoranda of understanding were officially entered into with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the International Union for Conservation of Nature – Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) and the Centre for Marketing Information and Advisory Services for Fish ery Products in the Arab Region (INFOSAMAK). This session was also the occasion to progress in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing though the adoption of guidelines relating to vessels monitoring systems (VMS), a roadmap to fight IUU fishing in the Mediterranean Sea and a GFCM IUU vessel list to be widely disseminated. Important decisions, such as a recommendation concerning the identification of noncompliance, were also taken to ensure better compliance with GFCM decisions, in particular within the clarification process expected to result, in 2015, in the identification of cases on non-compliance by both Members and non-Members. Regarding the management of fisheries, the measures adopted by the Commission include a recommendation on precautionary and emergency measures for 2015 on small pelagic stocks in GSA 17. The Commission also endorsed guidelines for the management of Mediterranean red coral populations, practical guidelines for artificial reefs in the Mediterranean and Black Sea and the new GFCM Data Collection Reference Framework (DCRF). Acknowledging the crucial role of smallscale fisheries in the region and the need to develop governance in this sector, the Commission also supported the launch of the first regional cooperative programme for the promotion of sustainable small-scale fisheries. In the field of aquaculture, the Commission recalled the need to support its sustainable development in the region and welcomed the launch of a n ew Aquaculture multi-stakeholder platform (AMShP) as well as guidelines for the sustainable management of coastal lagoons. Moreover, it acknowledged the key elements for guidelines on a harmonized environmental monitoring programme (EMP) for marine finfish cage farming in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Finally, the Commission decided to reconduct Mr Abdellah Srour as Executive Secretary of the GFCM from June 2016 until 2021. It adopted its 2014 autonomous budget, amounting to USD 2 245 916, an d discussed the possibility of shifting to the adoption of a triennial budget in the future. The programme of work for the intersession, including under the first GFCM Framework Programme, was also approved.

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