GFCM/XXVII/2002/2  |
| GFCM/XXVII/2002/2 |
GENERAL FISHERIES COMMISSION FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN |
Twenty-seventh Session |
Rome, Italy, 19-22 November 2002 |
INTERSESSIONAL ACTIVITIES (2001-2002) |
I. INTRODUCTION
1. The report on intersessional activities is a standing item of the agenda for the sessions of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM). It covers activities of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and of the Committee on Aquaculture (CAQ). As a detailed report is given in document GFCM/XXVII/2002/4, this document simply provides a summary of major SAC and CAQ issues and activities since the 26th Session of the Commission (Lacco Ameno, Ischia, Italy, 10-13 September 2001). The summary does not cover many of the activities which were carried out by the ADRIAMED, COPEMED and MEDSUDMED regional projects, however, since these are described in the reports of the Fifth Session of SAC (GFCM/XVII/2002/Inf.4) and in the report of the Third Session of CAQ (GFCM/XVII/2002/ Inf.4).
II. ACTIVITIES OF THE SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SAC)
2. The Fifth Session of SAC was held in Rome, Italy, from 1 to 4 July 2002.The Session was attended by delegates from 16 Members of the Commission and by an FAO Permanent Observer Nation as well as by observers from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
3. The mandate of SAC for the intersessional period was specifically laid down in Appendix G of the Report of the Twenty-sixth Session of GFCM. It also comprised those complementary or transversal issues across Sub-Committees for which the Commission called for follow-up action by SAC. These included: Bluefin Tuna penning/farming1; the application of ecosystem approach to fisheries management in the Mediterranean2; identifying the basic parameters for defining the Operational Units (OUs)3; project proposal on the Mediterranean Fishery Statistics and Information System (MEDIFSIS)4; private sector participation in GFCM activities5; and the Joint EIFAC/GFCM Working Group on Sturgeon6.
Meetings
4. SAC and its Sub-Committees and their Working Groups continued to work intensely during the intersessional period, which was effectively only nine months. In addition to meetings carried out by the FAO regional projects in support of GFCM activities, a total of fifteen meetings were convened during this period, as indicated in the following table.
5. Over the years, it has been seen that, while participation in activities of SAC follows the procedure detailed in Rule X of the Rules of Procedure of the GFCM, participation in activities of the working groups has been essentially voluntary. While it is recognized that this voluntary participation has contributed significantly to the output of SAC, it should be noted that such participation is often uncertain and unbalanced in terms of participation by members and at variance with he Rules of Procedure of the Commission. The guidance of the Commission is sought on this issue. Furthermore, the Commission may wish to direct that the Coordinators of the Sub-Committees participate in the activities of SAC at the expense of the Commission. Similarly, thought should be given to facilitate the coordinating responsibility of the Chairperson of SAC.
Transversal issues assessed by SAC
6. An increasing number of issues and scientific activities fall under the mandate of two or more sub-committees. In this respect, following a joint initiative of the SAC Chairman and GFCM Secretariat, a coordination meeting of the Sub-Committees was held immediately following their respective annual meetings held concurrently in Barcelona, Spain, from 6 to 9 May 2002. At its Fifth session SAC acknowledged, as essential for its proper functioning, the formalisation by the Commission of such a coordination meeting.
7. The sustainability of the Bluefin tuna resource and, in particular, the developments in penning/farming, was reviewed in-depth at the Sixth Session of the GFCM/ICCAT Working Group on Stocks of Large Pelagic Species and thereafter by the Sub-Committee on Stock Assessment. Pen culture of Bluefin tuna is spreading very rapidly across the region, as reflected by the large increase in the number of cages in the Mediterranean within the period 1996-2001. SAC further noted many of the related and rapidly evolving problems that make the assessment and management of the bluefin stock more difficult in the region. It prepared draft terms of reference7 for a multidisciplinary Ad Hoc Working Group, to be coordinated between SAC, CAQ and the ICCAT Standing Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS), to develop Technical Guidelines on Sustainable Tuna Farming/Fattening Practices in the Mediterranean.
8. With regard to an ecosystem approach to fisheries management, the Chairman of SAC convened a small focus group and contacted experts of the region, including the RAC/SPA and FAO's Fisheries Department. Scientists from the Sub-committee on Marine Environment and Ecosystem participated in a workshop organized by UNEP/RAC/SPA (Tunis, Tunisia, June 2002) on ecosystem approach and indicators of bio-diversity. At its Fifth session, SAC expressed the view that a "corpus of scientific information" needed to be built before models and instruments for implementing the approach could be suggested. When technical guidelines prepared by FAO and practical improvements on the approach are made available, the Commission may envisage testing the approach in the Mediterranean. The draft report of the FAO Expert Consultation on Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (Reykjavik, 16-19 September, 2002) is available as document GFCM/XXVII/2002/Inf.8.
9. With regard to defining the basic parameters for identifying Operational Units (OUs), the economic structure of the OUs were further specified. Thirteen fleet segments mainly based on "métiers" and vessel length were identified, and related socio-economic indicators were confirmed. However, SAC stressed the need to further specify the characteristics of OUs, in particular through defining its spatial dimension in relation to the concept of Local Operational Units (LOUs).
10. As requested, the draft Project proposal entitled "Mediterranean Fishery Statististics and Information Systems" (MEDIFSIS) was submitted to potential donors by the GFCM Secretariat. The aims of MEDIFSIS are to empower GFCM with a tool to manage the flow of data and information required for sound fisheries management, and to establish common minimum standards for catch and effort data. A proposal on an updated and simplified version of the project was described to SAC. The Committee was further informed that the project would call upon resources and efforts from the EC, FAO Regular Programme, ADRIAMED, COPEMED and MEDSUDMED and that the updated version of the project document (document GFCM/XVIII/2002/Inf.7) would soon be finalized, targeting for its signature before the end of 2002.
11. At its Fifth session, SAC dedicated a specific item of its Agenda to the question of promoting greater participation of the private sector in research activities of the Commission, as a follow-up to GFCM encouragements in this respect. There was general consensus on the need to enhance cooperation, particularly in the collection of basic data and techno-economic assessments in support to the management planning process. SAC suggested a step-by-step approach, starting with assessing the nature of cooperative arrangements in all GFCM countries, and through closely monitoring related initiatives from ADRIAMED and COPEMED. In this respect, at sub-regional level, COPEMED will initiate, in 2003, a series of regular fora with the industry. During the Second ADRIAMED meeting with the Adriatic Fishery Associations held in Pula, Croatia, 12-13 September 2002, a Regional Committee of Adriatic Fishery Associations for Responsible Fisheries was established.
12. SAC also reviewed the terms of reference of the Ad Hoc EIFAC/GFCM Working Party on the Management of Sturgeon which was formally established by EIFAC at its Twenty-second Session (Windermere, 12-19 June 2002), following the concurrence of GFCM expressed at its Twenty-sixth Session (Ischia, Italy, 2001). SAC considered, however, that restocking and reintroduction programmes having impact on fisheries management practices should also be considered by the Working Party, which was moreover invited to pay attention to Northern Aegean sturgeon stocks.
Other SAC intersessional activities
13. Within the collaborative framework of the Sub-Committee on Statististics and Information, a representative of SAC participated in the FAO/FIGIS - FIRMS Methodological Workshop (FAO Headquarters, 1-5 July 2002). Strengthenened partnership between GFCM and FIGIS was anticipated.
14. The GFCM Secretary reported to SAC on his participation in the inception workshop of the newly launched regional project "Control of eutrophication, harzardous substances and related measures for rehabilitating the Black Sea ecosystem (Phase I)" which is funded by the Global Environment Fund (GEF). It was noted that the fisheries component of the project focuses on support for resuming negotiations toward the establishment of a Black Sea Fisheries Committee under the aegis of the Black Sea Economic Commission.
15. Finally, the following observations related to the work of the sub-committees were noted by SAC:
· Sub-Committee on Stock Assessment. The assessment of shared stocks is a growing activivity but is still limited because of insufficient data as well as the absence of precise GFCM decisions for some stocks. In relation to the Commission's request for stock assessment methodology, three documents8 were reviewed by SAC. The Committee recommended, whenever possible, that a number of methods should be applied before results and subsequent management recommendations could be put forward. In this way, more accurate scientific evidence could be obtained to reach agreed objectives.
· Sub-Committee on Economic and Social Sciences. Although a good collection of economic and social information on the OUs in the Western Mediterranean (Alboran Sea and Gulf of Lions), the Adriatic and the Gulf of Gabès was achieved, national data on OUs from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea were generally not available, preventing SAC from building a full consensus on the OU composition;
· Sub-Committee on Marine Environment and Ecosystems. Progress in the collection of requested data and information has been difficult in the absence of proper working group(s) to support intersessional work;
· Sub-Committee on Statistics and Information. Limited progress in data processing is due both to the failure of GFCM members to provide necessary data to SAC9 and to support the funding of MEDIFSIS. The building-up of a common data collection system and an integrated GFCM databank was therefore delayed.
III. ACTIVITES OF THE COMMITTEE ON AQUACULTURE (CAQ)
16. The activities undertaken by the three networks associated with CAQ prior to September 2001 were presented to the Commission at its Twenty-sixth Session10. The following summarizes intersessional activities carried out between September 2001 and September 2002, i.e., until the Third Session of the Committee on Aquaculture which was held from 25 to 27 September 2002, in Zaragoza, Spain11 and involved four main areas: (i) follow-up to the consultation on Article 9 of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries; (ii) the network on Information Systems for the Promotion of Aquaculture in the Mediterranean (SIPAM); (iii) the network on Socio-Economic and Legal Aspects of Aquaculture in the Mediterranean (SELAM); and (iv) the network on Technology of Aquaculture in the Mediterranean (TECAM), dealing with technical and biological aspects of aquaculture development. These activities should be assessed in conjunction with document GFCM/XXVII/2002/Inf.4, which includes the recommendations of the Third Session of CAQ.
Follow-up on the Consultation on Article 9
17. A regional project idea was presented during the Second Session of CAQ in support of the implementation of the Plan of Action for responsible aquaculture in the Mediterranean. It was not developed further as funding was not identified. As a result, it has not been possible to act on a series of priority activities including the development of producers' associations or linkage and promotion to existing associations operating in the Mediterranean and Black Sea region. Activities focused on interactions of aquaculture and capture fisheries have also been left aside (See also paragraph 31 below). Nevertheless, the Plan of Action provided the framework for the selection of the activities implemented by the three CAQ networks.
Main activities of the SIPAM Network
18. The activities of the SIPAM network are determined on a yearly basis at the National Coordinators and Steering Committee meetings. This Committee met in Rome, Italy, from 10 to 12 January 2002 and from 17 to 18 June 2002. During the period under review, SIPAM has been in full operation and working through the Regional Centre located in Tunis, Tunisia, and the National Centres in the 16 participating countries.
19. During the intersession, the SIPAM Regional Coordinator visited Romania and Lebanon to link these countries to the SIPAM Network. Both countries nominated National Coordinators and installed the SIPAM software. SIPAM was activated in Albania and was also presented to Slovenia, with the assistance of the FAO-ADRIAMED project. Efforts towards reactivating the participation of Greece have been taken, although the related mission has been rescheduled to take place after the Third Session of CAQ. In addition to the countries mentioned, preliminary actions have been taken to invite both Syria and Israel to join SIPAM.
20. Member countries have benefited from the training provided, at their request, to install and operate the SIPAM software. This was provided mainly by the Regional Centre staff. In Albania for example, within the framework of the technical assistance of the ADRIAMED project, the SIPAM system was installed and operations started. Moreover, an Ad Hoc SIPAM portal maintenance training course was organized in Rome, Italy from 28 to 31 July 2002 for the SIPAM Regional Centre Programmers, with the view to enabling them to properly and independently update the records and all pages of the SIPAM portal and sub-portals. During the same time the first draft of the SIPAM-on-the-Web technical manual was completed.
21. The access to the SIPAM database, however, up to the first half of 2002 has been limited, with little dissemination of data outside the SIPAM national contacts. This was definitively enhanced with the creation of the SIPAM portal (www.faosipam.org), financed by FAO Regular Programme budget. The first release of the portal was demonstrated during the Sixth SIPAM Annual Meeting in Rome (10-12 January 2002). The portal was launched and made public in July 2002. This first version was loaded exclusively with complete and verified data. The latter release required a change in work methodology of the SIPAM Regional Centre which now requires a regular and continuous input at the national level, rather than receiving data on an annual basis.
22. The "SIPAM National Coordinators Fora" was established as a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas among the National Coordinators to facilitate the future development and improvement of the SIPAM portal. During the last SIPAM Steering Committee meeting, it was suggested that the first two technical fora would be on 'Health' and on 'Marketing and Trade'. These two fora would be running as soon as the moderators were identified.
23. Action has also been taken towards the expansion phase of the portal, which includes the effective linkage to the FAO Fisheries Global Information System (FIGIS). Such expansion will enable SIPAM and FIGIS to communicate and exchange data and information, as required. The Regional Centre also completed the filtering of all the SIPAM databases (i.e., on Pathology; Marketing; Bibliography; and the Legal data base) with a view to preparing the SIPAM web site release, which would only include complete records.
24. The Regional Centre has also initiated action aimed at establishing a regular and dynamic communication flow with other partners to ensure a timely and regular supply of news items. So far, in addition to FIGIS, four partners (ASFA - Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts; CIHEAM - International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies; EAS - European Aquaculture Society; EU - European Union) have been identified, and sub-portal space has been allocated in the SIPAM portal. All of the above partners have agreed to provide, on regular basis, information on their organization and activities of direct relevance and interest to the Mediterranean and Black Sea region. Moreover, AAPQIS (Aquatic Animal Pathogen and Quarantine Information System) will be next on the list of the sub-portal partners. The new AAPQIS Internet site is expected to be released by the end of 2002. Preliminary discussions with Spain have also been initiated to link to SIPAM the forthcoming SIPIA (Sistema de Información y Promoción de la Innovación en Acuicultura) of the Observatorio Español de Acuicultura. It is expected that SIPIA would at some stage be able to feed complete Spanish national data into SIPAM at regular intervals.
25. In order to assist the SIPAM Regional Centre to maintain liaison, a user-friendly software application that would enable all SIPAM sub-portal partners to autonomously update their own sub-portal pages is to be developed, depending on the availability of funds and the willingness of the partners to take on the task.
Main activities of TECAM and SELAM Networks
26. During the period under review, one seminar and a workshop to improve members competence were organized organized by the CIHEAM through the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (CIHEAM-IAMZ), with the collaboration of the FAO Fisheries Department.
27. The TECAM Advanced Seminar on Mollusc Production in Mediterranean Countries (Zaragoza, Spain, 27-31 May 2002) focused on recent information on shellfish culture with particular emphasis on production techniques, site selection and evaluation, management, regulation and legislation. Sanitary control for molluscs and quality control and certification for consumers, as well as economics, market and trade, were also an integral part of the seminar.
28. The TECAM Survey on Mediterranean Aquaculture Diagnostic Laboratories was finalized. As a result of this project, a Directory of Mediterranean laboratories working on diagnosis of fish and shellfish diseases has been prepared.
Other Activities
29. Under the support of the European Commission (the 5th RTD Framework Programme - 5FP - Quality of Life Programme) an International Symposium on the Domestication of the Bluefin Tuna (BFT) was held in Cartagena, Spain, from 3 to 8 February 2002. Among the 200 experts attending, there were also numerous scientists from the CAQ networks. The aim of the Symposium was to bring together all sectors directly or indirectly involved in the activities related to Bluefin Tuna farming/fattening. The event aimed at providing a platform that would facilitate discussions on the potential and limitations of culture development of this finfish species.
30. In addition, a Workshop on Mediterranean Fish Nutrition was held in Rhodes, Greece, from 1 to 2 June 2002 prior to the Tenth International Symposium on Nutrition and Feeding in Fish (Rhodes, 2-7 June 2002). It was organized by the Mediterranean Network on Aquaculture Nutrition, which is supported by the CIHEAM through the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (IAMZ). The workshop was attended by more than 80 participants from Mediterranean countries and aimed primarily at reviewing the current state of knowledge on nutritional requirements of Mediterranean species as well as aquafeeds.
31. Other TECAM and SELAM priority activities forecasted to follow-up on the Consultation on Article 9 of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries could not be materialized, due to lack of funding. These include :
· Workshop on databases on marketing of aquaculture products (SELAM);
· Training workshop for the establishment of selective breeding programmes (TECAM);
· Expert Consultation on interactions between capture fisheries and aquaculture (TECAM and SELAM);
· Workshop on the use of vaccines and chemiotherapy in Mediterranean aquaculture (TECAM and SELAM);
· Workshop on Sustainability Indicators in the Mediterranean12.
Relations with other Institutions
32. In keeping with the aims of the TECAM and SELAM networks in strengthening collaboration between Mediterranean institutions involved in aquaculture, CIHEAM-IAMZ actively sought the participation of relevant national institutions or associations, such as the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) and the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) in its work. In this regard, EAS has extended "Special Membership Offer" to aquaculturists from Non-EU Mediterranean Countries.
IV. SUGGESTED ACTION BY THE COMMISSION
33. The Commission is invited to review and discuss this document on the intersessional activities of its Committes, taking into consideration the Report of the Fifth session of SAC and of the Third Session of CAQ and to provide guidelines and suggestions on issues of particular relevance.
2 Paragraph 47 of the report of the 4th Session of the SAC, endorsed by the Commission at its 26th Session
3 Paragraph 53 of the Report of the 26th Session
4 Paragraph 27-30 of the Report of the 26th Session
5 Paragraphs 61-64 of the Report of the 26th Session
6 Paragraph 24 of the Report of the 26th Session
7 Appendix G of the Report of the Fifth Session of SAC.
8 These documents are respectively: a) Pere Oliver, "Methods for assessing Mediteranean Fisheries"; Jordi Lleonart "Overview of stock assessment methods and their suitability to Mediterranean Fisheries"; c) Lembo et al, "Mediterranean stock assessment : current status, problems and perspectives". There have been made available to Session.
9 As requested under paragrapg 35 of the Report of the 26th Session.
10 Paragraph 55 to 59 of the Report of the 26th Session.
11 This meeting was made possible through the combined financial support from the Government of Spain and FAO Fisheries Department and with the logistical support from CIHEAM-IAMZ.