The European Commission has confirmed that its proposal for fishing opportunities for 2023 for the Mediterranean and Black Sea has now been adopted, advising that the move promotes the sustainable management of the regions’ fish stocks and delivers on the political commitments made in the MedFish4Ever and Sofia Declarations.
It also reflects the Commission’s ambition to make fisheries in these two sea basins sustainable – in line with the 2030 Strategy of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), which is the regional fisheries management organisation competent for the conservation and management of fish stocks in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas.
“With this proposal we pursue our ambitious objective to reach sustainably managed fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas, in line with scientific advice. We must continue building on the positive trends of recent years and undertake more efforts to ensure stocks recovery for the benefit of local communities,” said EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius.
The Commission proposes to use the same tools introduced in the 2022 fishing opportunities based on the latest scientific advice, e.g., fishing effort for trawlers and longliners as well as catch limits for deepwater shrimp. These measures were established under the Western Mediterranean multiannual management plan (MAP) for demersal stocks, with the aim of reaching the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) by 1 January 2025 at the latest.
In the Mediterranean Sea, the proposal incorporates measures for red coral and dolphinfish, in line with adopted GFCM decisions. For the stocks where the GFCM transitional measures are expiring at the end of 2022 (such as blackspot seabream and deepwater shrimp stocks in the Ionian, the Levant Seas and the Strait of Sicily), the proposal will be updated after the 2022 GFCM annual session, where new decisions are expected to be adopted.
For the Adriatic Sea, the proposal continues the implementation of the GFCM MAP for demersal stocks and the GFCM MAP for small pelagic stocks.
For small pelagic stocks, the proposal continues the implementation of the transitional period of the MAP. It includes a further level of reduction of catches, based on the transitional internal share between the member states, as well as the fleet capacity ceiling for vessels targeting small pelagics.
For demersal stocks, it proposes a decrease of the fishing effort in line with the future GFCM decision and the goal to reach MSY by 2026. The decision will be adopted at the 2022 GFCM annual session.
In the Black Sea, the proposal includes catch limits and quotas for turbot and sprats. For sprats, the Commission proposes to maintain the same catch limit as in 2022. For turbot, the levels of the total allowable catch (TAC) and quotas will be set and adopted at the 2022 GFCM annual session.
The Commission’s proposal will be complemented at a later stage, based on the results of the GFCM annual session (7-11 November 2022) and the scientific advice for demersal stocks covered by the Western Mediterranean MAP, which is expected for 28 October.
The Council will discuss the Commission’s proposal on 12–13 December and establish the allocation of fishing opportunities. The regulation should apply as of 1 January 2023.
