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

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) 2023/2124 on certain provisions for fishing in the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean Agreement area

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATION?

• The regulation lays down rules for the application, in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, of the conservation, management, exploitation, monitoring, marketing and enforcement measures for fishery and aquaculture products as established by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).
• It applies to all commercial fishing and aquaculture activities, along with some recreational fishing, conducted by European Union (EU) fishing vessels and nationals of EU Member States. It does not apply to operations purely for scientific investigation with permission from the relevant Member State.

KEY POINTS

Management, conservation and control measures for particular species

The regulation sets out rules for targeted, incidental and recreational fishing in the Mediterranean Sea, as detailed in Annex I. This includes special rules for:

• European eel, including authorised fishing gear and mesh size, rules for authorised transitional and brackish waters and designated landing points to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing;
• giant red shrimp, blue and red shrimp in the Levant Sea, Ionian Sea and the Strait of Sicily, including authorised vessels and designated landing points;
• demersal* fish stocks, including European hake and deep-water rose shrimp in the Strait of Sicily and the Adriatic Sea, with rules on spatial or temporal restrictions, designated landing points, inspection authorisation and fisheries management;
• small pelagic* stocks, including sardine and anchovy in the Adriatic Sea, with rules on capacity, control and management;
• blackspot seabream in the Alboran Sea, including technical and conservation measures, fleet management, control and enforcement, and scientific monitoring;
• common dolphinfish, with a closed season for using fish aggregating devices between 1 January and 14 August each year and other management measures;
• turbot, including monitoring, control and surveillance to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing, along with mandatory closures during spawning season;
• piked dogfish minimum conservation reference size.

Conservation and sustainable exploitation of red coral in the Mediterranean Sea

The regulation outlines rules and restrictions including:

• authorisations and permitted harvesting gear;
• minimum depth for harvesting and diameter of colonies;
• temporal closures;
• recording of catches, catch limits and traceability;
• landing at designated ports only, with transhipment* operations at sea prohibited.

The regulation also puts in place measures to:

• reduce the impact of fishing activities on certain species, as follows:
  • sharks, skates and rays must not be retained on board, transhipped, landed, transferred, stored, sold or displayed, or offered for sale, with Member States ensuring a high level of protection in designated areas,
  • incidental catches: seabirds, sea turtles, monk seals and cetaceans must be released unharmed and alive, as far as possible;
• establish fisheries restricted areas to protect essential fish habitats, vulnerable marine ecosystems and deep-sea sensitive habitats;

• establish spatial or temporal closures;
• clarify the use of fishing gear in certain areas.

The regulation also contains various control measures, including the following.

• Register of authorised vessels. By 30 November each year, every Member State must provide a list of authorised vessels in the GFCM Agreement area. This list must include all vessels registered within their territory and exceeding 15 metres in length that fly their national flag.
• Port state measures for non-EU vessels. Member States 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.
• Reporting obligation of presumed IUU fishing. Member States must provide evidence of any suspected IUU fishing to the European Commission at least 140 days before the GFCM’s annual session.
• Cooperation and information. The Commission and Member States must share information with the GFCM Secretariat to promote the effective implementation of the regulation.
• Regional research programme. Member States engaged in commercial fishing activities targeting blue crab in the Mediterranean Sea or the rapa whelk in the Black Sea must participate in the research programme aiming for their sustainable exploitation.

Finally, this regulation repeals Regulation (EU) 1343/2011 on certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM Agreement area.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

It has applied since 1 November 2023.

BACKGROUND

For further information, see:

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

KEY TERMS

MAIN DOCUMENT

Regulation (EU) 2023/2124 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 October 2023 on certain provisions for fishing in the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) Agreement area (recast) (OJ L, 2023/2124, 12.10.2023).

last update 24.04.2024