Bucharest, Romania – A High-Level Conference Towards Enhanced Cooperation on Black Sea Fisheries and Aquaculture will take place in Bucharest, Romania, from 24 to 25 October 2016. In light of the many challenges still to be faced in the area to ensure responsible fisheries and sustainable aquaculture practices, the time has come to increase efforts and reinforce dialogue among the different actors in order to promote the sustainable management of Black Sea living marine resources and guarantee healthy marine ecosystems.

Acknowledging that a concerted action is needed to address the situation, high-level representatives from the Black Sea region will meet to discuss how to enhance their cooperation and will seek agreement on possible actions and solutions. Today, the Black Sea is indeed exposed to many threats that need to be addressed urgently. Overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, pernicious discarding practices, ghost fishing, marine pollution, uneven development of aquaculture and invasive species are the most important threats, although not the only ones.  

The high-level event will be preceded by an expert meeting which will focus on technical and scientific issues related to living marine resources and their ecosystems, the assessment and eradication of IUU fishing and the responsible development of aquaculture in the Black Sea. Approximately 100 participants are expected, which include top officials and representatives from relevant administrations in the Black Sea region, international organizations, experts from universities and academia, funding agencies and civil society organizations. It is hoped that, together, the participants will come up with a common vision and commitment to enhance their efforts to secure a brighter future for fisheries and aquaculture in the area.

This event is organized by the government of Romania, upon invitation of H.E. Achim Irimescu, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Romania, and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in cooperation with the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS), the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (BSC), the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) and the International Organisation for the Development of Fisheries in Central and Eastern Europe (EUROFISH).

Further information and the programme are available on the meeting’s webpage:

http://www.fao.org/gfcm/meetings/blackseaconference2016/en/