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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The first meeting of the Working Group on Recreational Fisheries (WGRF) of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) Scientific Advisory Committee on Fisheries (SAC) was held online on 25–26 February 2021. The meeting i) reviewed advances and preliminary results from the application of the Handbook for data collection on recreational fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea through select pilot studies; ii) discussed future data collection and end-user needs, including main coastal species addressed by recreational fisheries (RF); iii) analysed interactions between RF and small-scale fisheries (SSF), including the outcomes of a desk study carried out at the regional level; and iv) discussed future work to address SSF and RF interactions, including work on common main coastal species. 

The WGRF endorsed the Handbook for data collection on recreational fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, as well as the continuation of the pilot studies underway in the region. The importance of further strengthening RF data collection was stressed, in view of improving advice on the scope and impacts of RF. To this end, it was agreed to assess which, if any, Data Collection Reference Framework (DCRF) priority species were present in RF. Furthermore, based on agreed criteria, a list of additional species of main interest for RF was identified. It was agreed that efforts should be made to compile available information on these species, in view of providing a preliminary appraisal of RF impacts and to guide future work of the WGRF. Regarding interactions between RF and SSF, the WGRF underlined the need to support efforts to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in coastal fisheries, to improve knowledge on the impacts of both SSF and RF and to address conflicts through strengthened scientific advice and engaging SSF and RF stakeholders in participatory processes. Noting that many RF target species were also targeted by SSF, the WGRF included among its criteria for selecting species of main interest for RF whether a species was of particular interest to SSF. Furthermore, the WGRF experts suggested collaboration with the Working Group on Small-Scale Fisheries (WGSSF) to further compile information on the main species of interest for the SSF sector. Finally, the WGRF discussed and proposed a work plan for the 2021–2023 intersessions to be submitted for the consideration of the SAC.