Report | May 30, 2016

40th GFCM Session. Time for action to recover stocks and protect juveniles

The 40th meeting of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and Black Sea (GFCM) represents an opportunity for its Contracting Parties to consolidate the role of this Regional Fisheries Management Organisation, by translating the recently reformed Agreement into effective fisheries management.

In recent years, GFCM has made progress in its approach to fisheries management, sealed by the 2014 adoption of a new agreement which binds Contracting Parties of GFCM to halt overfishing and ensure that the precautionary approach is incorporated into fisheries management.

With 97% of the stocks under its purview assessed as overexploited, GFCM’s implementation of the Agreement is a priority and a matter of urgency.