FAO's General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) announced that it has selected Palazzo Blumenstihl in Rome as the site of its new headquarters, following a decision during the GFCM's extraordinary session there in late February. GFCM is the intergovernmental organisation in which all the countries bordering the Mediterranean and Black Sea, co-operate to create a system for managing shared resources. The objectives and the functions of the GFCM, are: to promote the development, conservation and management of living marine resources; to formulate and recommend conservation measures and to encourage training cooperative projects. The Commission is the principal organ and the main decision-making body. During the February meeting other issues discussed included the ecosystem approach to fisheries, deepsea fishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Networks for responsible fisheries
Regional Fisheries Bodies (RFBs), such as the GFCM, allow governments to cooperate closely on management of fisheries at the regional level. Worldwide, there are some 39 RFBs in operation. Eleven of them were established by the FAO and while operating within the FAOs' framework they function largely independently. Examples of regional fisheries bodies are: ADRIAMED: Scientific Cooperation to Support Responsible Fisheries in the Adriatic Sea; COPEMED: Advice, Technical Support and Establishment of Cooperation Networks to Facilitate Coordination to Support Fisheries Management in the Western and Central Mediterranean; ICCAT: Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.
The GFCM is composed of a number of subsidiary bodies: Committee on Aquaculture (Caq) estabilished in 1995, Scientific Advisory Committee (Sac) established in October 1997 and the Ad hoc Technical Panel to advise the Sac in the review of the State of resources and thus in the formulation of management measures for consideration by the Commission.
The Mediterranean Fishery
During his speech Signor Paolo Scarpa Bonazza Buora, under secretary of state at the Italy's Ministry for Agricultural and Forestry Policy, and in charge of fisheries and aquaculture, outlined the challenges of Mediterranean fishery: "The emerging aspects are examined as a model of economic activity historically rooted in the social texture of the Mediterranean Region," Sgr. Scapa Bonazza said.
The importance of the fishery industry goes beyond its economic consequences. This activity is integrated in policies for the environment and the conservation of the biological resources of sea, it has a strategic role in the food policies of all the Mediterranean countries, it poses political and management problems since many fishing resources are shared by countries, as in the case of migratory species.
Therefore, he said: "We need to create a system of common rules with the active participation of the different States and with the participation of the stakeholders" Sgr. Scarpa Bonazza said. The GFCM is identified as the appropriate tool that has already been tested, in order to build an appropriate management model in the Mediterranean. It is also recalled that the rules must take into consideration local specificity and that there should be a greater participation of the stakeholders, he added.
At the Venice Ministerial Conference on the sustainable development of fisheries in the Mediterranean (25, 26 November 2003) the agreed declaration identified some issues: concrete proposals on scientific evaluation of migratory and shared stocks in the Mediterranean; concrete proposals on managing migratory and shared stocks based on fishing effort rules and technical measures like protected areas and policy guidelines on a control scheme using new technologies for inspection at sea and in port finally. But probably the most important issue was -- and it is again -- the effective measures against IUU fishing.
IUU Fishing Activity
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is not a new issue in the GFCM context. 'Implementation of the International plan of action to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing: relationship to, and potential effects on, fisheries management in Mediterranean' is one of the most important studies written by Judith Swan, FAO Consultant, in 2005 and discussed in GFCM extraordinary session in Rome. "There are many potential effects on fisheries management of implementing, through GFCM. The international plan of action to prevent, deter and eliminate (IPOA)--IUU and related areas of the IPOA--Capacity" is written in the conclusions of the study. An overall objective would be to restore the health of the Mediterranean fish stocks and achieve long-term conservation and sustainable use of the resources through effective implementation. Depending on the measures and actions agreed, the following areas could be affected in a positive manner.
* Management: Improved and integrated management, especially for shared and high-seas fish stocks.
* Enhanced cooperation: It has the potential of building alliances that extend past the GFCM area and positively affecting global efforts to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing activities.
* Strengthened implementation of flag State responsibility
* Institutional strengthening
* Strengthened national fisheries management
* Focus for development assistance: Focus for development/technical assistance, thereby improving national and regional fisheries management.
The measure of success in this regard will depend on the commitment and vision of GFCM members, and long-term planning. The GFCM's members are: Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the European Commission, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey.
