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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The fifth meeting of the Subregional Committee for the Adriatic Sea (SRC-AS) of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was held online on 20–23 April 2021. The aims of the meeting were to: i) compile relevant information on the status of Adriatic Sea fisheries and provide advice to the GFCM Scientific Advisory Committee on Fisheries (SAC), including on urgent actions towards sustainability and, following the requests made by the Commission, in particular in relation to small pelagic and demersal fisheries in the subregion; ii) identify priority topics for the subregion, including in relation to data collection, provision of advice and implementation of management measures; and iii) prepare a draft work plan to address priority issues for the consideration of the SAC. The SRC-AS formulated draft advice on issues related to fisheries in the subregion, including a summary of the status of the stocks, the assessment and management of small pelagic and demersal resources in the subregion as well as the fisheries restricted area in the Jabuka/Pomo Pit. It further provided insights into the identification of conservation priority areas hosting essential fish habitats and/or vulnerable marine ecosystems, the implementation of a data call to feed the GFCM Database on Sensitive Benthic Habitats and Species, and the implementation of a vulnerability assessment of Mediterranean fisheries to climate change in the Adriatic Sea subregion. The work plan for the 2021–2022 intersession was discussed and approved.