Fisheries and aquaculture measures in the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) area

 

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 on certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) Agreement area concerning management measures for the sustainable exploitation of fishery resources in the Mediterranean

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATION?

• It lays down rules for conservation, management, exploitation, monitoring, marketing and enforcement measures for fishery and aquaculture products as established by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and connecting waters.
• It applies to all commercial fishing and aquaculture activities, as well as to recreational fishing activities where specifically provided for, conducted by EU fishing vessels and nationals.
• The regulation has been amended by Regulations (EU) 2015/2102 and (EU) 2019/982, generally to extend conservation, management and control measures in response to evolving conditions in the waters concerned.

KEY POINTS

Fisheries restricted areas

Fisheries restricted areas are in place to protect essential fish habitats, vulnerable marine ecosystems and deep-sea sensitive habitats.

Fishing with towed dredges and bottom trawl nets are prohibited in the following deep-sea fisheries restricted areas:

• Lophelia reef off Capo Santa Maria di Leuca;
• the Nile delta area cold hydrocarbon seeps;
• the Eratosthenes Seamount.

Fishing with bottom trawl nets are prohibited in the following restrictive areas in the Strait of Sicily:

• East of Adventure Bank;
• West of Gela Basin;
• East of Malta Bank.

Additional restrictions

• Jabuka/Pomo Pit area in the Adriatic Sea: seasonal net restrictions, and fishing limited to authorised vessels;
• restrictions in the Gulf of Lions;
• spatial or temporal restrictions in the Alboran Sea and the Gulf of Gabès;
• temporal closure and other measures in the Black Sea apply during the spawning season of turbot in the Black Sea;
• fishing fleet capacity and fishing restrictions for blackspot seabream in the Alboran Sea;
• dolphinfish fisheries using fish aggregating devices are prohibited from 1 January to 14 August;
• minimum conservation reference size for Black Sea piked dogfish.

Fishing gear restrictions

The regulation outlines restrictions on:

• mesh size and use of trawl nets and gill-nets fisheries in the Black Sea;
• use of towed dredges and trawl nets fisheries.

Conservation and sustainable exploitation of red coral

The regulation outlines rules and restrictions including:

• fishing authorisations;
• minimum depth for harvesting;
• minimum basal diameter of colonies;
• permitted harvesting gear: only hammers to be usedby authorised persons;
• temporal closures;
• recording of catches;
• landing of catches at designated ports only;
• transhipment operations at sea prohibited.

Incidental catches

In the case of incidental catches, the following species have to be released unharmed and alive, as far as possible:

• seabirds;
• sea turtles;
• monk seals;
• cetaceans;
• protected sharks and rays.

Any incidental catch must be recorded in an on-board logbook, with information on the circumstances, including gear type.

Management of small pelagic stocks in the Adriatic Sea

The reference fishing capacity for small pelagic stocks is established on the basis of the number of vessels officially listed by the EU countries concerned. National authorities must ensure that the overall fleet capacity does not at any time exceed this reference fishing capacity.

Register of authorised vessels

Before 1 December of each year, each EU country must supply a list of the vessels of more than 15 metres in length flying its flag and registered in its territory that it authorises to fish in the GFCM Agreement area.

Fishing authorisations

Lists of operating vessels with fishing authorisations must be communicated as regards: blackspot seabream in the Alboran Sea, demersal stocks in the Strait of Sicily, turbot in the Black Sea, red coral, dolphinfish, fishing in the Jabuka/Pomo Pit area.

Inspections in the Strait of Sicily

The regulation introduces an international joint inspection and surveillance scheme in international waters in the Strait of Sicily and details the procedures to follow for the conduct of inspections and the detection of infringements.

Non-EU vessels

EU countries can deny non-EU vessels access to port services, including refuelling and resupplying services, if the vessel does not comply with this regulation or is unauthorised.

Cooperation and information

The European Commission and EU countries must share information with the Executive Secretary of the GFCM, in particular by using relevant databases and requesting cooperation and cooperating to promote the effective implementation of the regulation.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

The original regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 has applied since 19 January 2012.

Amending rules have applied since 28 November 2015 (Regulation (EU) 2015/2102 concerning the sustainable exploitation of red coral and mitigating incidental catches of seabirds, turtles, monk seals and cetaceans) and 10 July 2019 (Regulation (EU) 2019/982 minimising incidental catches of certain sensitive marine species and negative environmental impacts of fishing on marine habitats).

BACKGROUND

See also:

• General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).

MAIN DOCUMENT

Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) Agreement area and amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 concerning management measures for the sustainable exploitation of fishery resources in the Mediterranean Sea (OJ L 347, 30.12.2011, pp. 44-61)

Successive amendments to Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Regulation (EU) 2019/982 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 amending Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 on certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) Agreement area (OJ L 164, 20.6.2019, pp. 1-22)

Regulation (EU) 2015/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 October 2015 amending Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 on certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) Agreement area (OJ L 308, 25.11.2015, pp. 1-10)

Council Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 of 21 December 2006 concerning management measures for the sustainable exploitation of fishery resources in the Mediterranean Sea, amending Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1626/94 (OJ L 409, 30.12.2006, pp. 11-85). Text republished in corrigendum (OJ L 36, 8.2.2007, pp. 6-30)

See consolidated version.

last update 22.10.2019