EU to press for improved fisheries management in the Mediterranean and Black Seas - Fisheries - European Commission

Press release - 11/5/2012

The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) will meet in Morocco, Marrakesh from 14 to 19 May 2012. The European Commission represents the EU at the meeting.

The agenda includes the review of the work concerning the Black Sea, advice on fisheries conservation and management, and the cooperation with other international partner organisations. The GFCM will also discuss the future role of the Task Force, established in 2011 to modernise the GFCM and its institutional and legal framework. The Task Force's work carried out so far will be validated at a dedicated meeting on 11-12 May.

The EU intends to table a number of proposals:

• conservation and management measures for red coral, sharks and cetaceans, in line with the scientific advice of the GFCM Scientific Advisory Committee;
• a set of minimum standards for fisheries management in the Black Sea;
• guidelines for an improved decision making framework and presentation of scientific information for multiannual management plans.

The EU hopes that through close coordination and cooperation with the non-EU partners the joint measures are agreed to improve sustainability of fishing activities and to preserve the environmental richness of the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

The GFCM is a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation for the Mediterranean and Black Sea and connecting waters. It has 24 members, including the EU and 9 EU member states (Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain). Japan, Russia, Georgia and Ukraine are observers.

• GFCM website