MedPAN’s Post

📣 The creation of a first fisheries restricted area (FRA) shared between EU and non-EU countries. 👏 At the 47th annual meeting of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), 4-8 November, Rome), the EU and neighbourhood countries agreed on important measures in favour of sustainability of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.  👉 The new FRA in the Otranto channel of the South Adriatic is a result of close scientific cooperation between Italy and Albania. It will protect vulnerable marine ecosystems, particularly bamboo coral (Isidella elongata) and essential fish habitats of demersal species The adoption of this new FRA, in addition to the existing Jabuka Pomo FRA, establishes the Adriatic as the subregion with the highest coverage of sea bed protection in the Mediterranean. Well done ! MedPAN FAO Specially Protected Areas Regional Activity Centre

Great results of the 47th #GFCM annual session: ✔️The creation of a first fisheries restricted area (FRA) shared between EU and non-EU countries. The new FRA in the Otranto channel of the South Adriatic is a result of close scientific cooperation between Italy and Albania. It will protect vulnerable marine ecosystems, particularly bamboo coral (Isidella elongata) and essential fish habitats of demersal species. The adoption of this new FRA, in addition to the existing Jabuka Pomo FRA, establishes the Adriatic as the subregion with the highest coverage of sea bed protection in the Mediterranean. ✔️Subregional cooperation: under the EU’s leadership, the GFCM adopted a set of advanced measures for the Adriatic Sea, setting a strong precedent for other areas in terms of development of holistic approach for fisheries management, based on a new harvest strategy for the long term sustainability of the stocks and long term profitability of the fleets. ✔️Moving ahead the sustainability agenda in the Black Sea: the GFCM adopted important management measures for the main commercial species in the Black Sea, as well as conservation measures for sensitive species. ✍🏻

A new report “Rethinking Fisheries Subsidies”, analysed fisheries subsidies for the period 2014-2020 in 12 major Mediterranean economies revealing that over €1.3 billion (47% of overall amount) had been used to subsidise fuel, seafood processing and boat construction and renovation. Only € 957 million (36%) were used to improve fisheries management and controls or on biodiversity protection. Although small-scale fishers make up the vast majority of the Mediterranean fleets and generally have a lower environmental impact than industrial fishing, small vessels (below 12 mt) received a negligible 3% of EU public support. https://lnkd.in/dYjeqaSG

Scientists call on intergovernmental body to conclude fisheries subsidies agreement Fisheries scientists and marine biologists are calling on the World Trade Organization (WTO) to approve additional regulations that eliminate harmful fisheries subsidies. In a commentary published in the journal npj Ocean Sustainability over 30 renowned researchers remind the WTO that well-managed wild fisheries are pillars supporting food and nutrition security, livelihoods, equity, and cultural heritage, particularly in the Global South, and call on the intergovernmental body to conclude fisheries subsidies agreement negotiations and craft the supplementary regulations essential for lasting sustainability and equity in the ocean. The researchers call on World Trade Organization member countries to take more decisive action to eliminate harmful subsidies at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) that will take place from 26 to 29 February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/ef3qEB9X #FisheriesSubsidies #fisheriesmanagement #fisheries #marineconservation #oceanconservation #WTO #oceanmanagement Ussif Rashid Sumaila UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Dirk Zeller Jessica Meeuwig Vania Andreoli

One of the main threats to the future of artisanal fisheries in Africa is overcapacity and overfishing by foreign-owned industrial vessels accessing African waters through various types of arrangements. As World Trade Organization members are gathered in #AbuDhabi to discuss fisheries and agriculture issues, it is essential that they negotiate new disciplines to tackle subsidies that cause overcapacity and overfishing, in particular subsidies to foreign vessels. Almost two years ago, an agreement was announced with much fanfare that included a first package of disciplines on fisheries subsidies. This agreement, however, still needs 40 members more to ratify it in order to enter into force. In any case, from the perspective of African artisanal fisheries, while there are advances, such as the prohibition of subsidies for fisheries on overexploited stocks, the agreement still does not address the presence of foreign fleets in African waters that compete with artisanal fisheries for access to resources, and also, in the case of coastal trawlers, destroy artisanal fishermen's fishing gear and cause collisions, sometimes resulting in fatalities. Check the policy brief we published at the occasion, which raises key issues for African artisanal fisheries: https://lnkd.in/e2c6qgv9

Balancing Profit and Sustainability: The Complex World of International Fisheries Agreements #FisheriesAgreements #SustainableFishing #MarineConservation #DistantWaterFishing #GlobalOceans #UNCTAD UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

#FiTI & the Irish Embassy in Tanzania have agreed to continue our partnership to strengthen #ClimateActions through #TransparentFisheries management in #AfricanSIDS 🇨🇻 🇰🇲 🇬🇼 🇲🇺 🇸🇹 🇸🇨! Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are prominent custodians of our blue planet. Consequently, marine fisheries tend to have greater national significance for SIDS. However, fishery resources continue to decline globally, including in SIDS, and many SIDS are ill-prepared to adapt to the critical challenges the climate crisis poses to their fisheries. This three-year programme will work closely with African SIDS to: 🐟 Enable national stakeholders to strengthen governance of fisheries management by increasing the accessibility, credibility and usability of national fisheries management information 🐟 Support national stakeholders to determine and start implementing recommendations to mitigate and adapt to threats to sustainable fisheries posed by climate change 🐟 Strengthen the link between transparency and fisheries-related climate actions through the adoption of respective transparency requirements in the FiTI Standard "Ireland recognises the importance of the fisheries sector and marine resources to communities and ecosystems in supporting climate resilience, food security, livelihoods and sustainable economic growth." - Mary O'Neill, Ambassador of Ireland to Tanzania Irish Aid https://lnkd.in/g7DdmE5t

Scientists call on intergovernmental body to conclude fisheries subsidies agreement Fisheries scientists and marine biologists are calling on the World Trade Organization (WTO) to approve additional regulations that eliminate harmful fisheries subsidies. In a commentary published in the journal npj Ocean Sustainability over 30 renowned researchers remind the WTO that well-managed wild fisheries are pillars supporting food and nutrition security, livelihoods, equity, and cultural heritage, particularly in the Global South, and call on the intergovernmental body to conclude fisheries subsidies agreement negotiations and craft the supplementary regulations essential for lasting sustainability and equity in the ocean. The researchers call on World Trade Organization member countries to take more decisive action to eliminate harmful subsidies at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) that will take place from 26 to 29 February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/ef3qEB9X #FisheriesSubsidies #fisheriesmanagement #fisheries #marineconservation #oceanconservation #WTO #oceanmanagement

Stop harmful fisheries subsidies! I invite you to spend four minutes reading the following: Mundus maris - We need an ambitious agreement to stop harmful fisheries subsidies (https://lnkd.in/egSJYbmh) #overfishing #illegalfishing #IUUfishing #fisheriessubsidies #fisheriesmanagement #wto

WTO Fisheries Stall, Plurilateral Deal Is Next Best Option https://lnkd.in/dwv9dWRn