General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean - GFCM

Report of the second meeting of the Working Group on Fishing Technology (WGFiT)

Thu, Apr, 2021, 9am - Fri, Apr, 2021, 5am

Download the report (available only in English): PDF


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The second meeting of the Working Group on Fishing Technology (WGFiT) of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) Scientific Advisory Committee on Fisheries (SAC) was held online on 8–9 April 2021. The meeting reviewed advances in fishing gear technology to improve the selectivity and rational exploitation of fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, particularly with respect to the mitigation of adverse impacts of fisheries on juvenile fish, the mitigation of discards, and the mitigation of incidental catch of vulnerable and sensitive species (i.e. seabirds, cetaceans, sea turtles, elasmobranchs). The meeting also exchanged experiences in relation to the marking of fishing gear, as per Recommendation GFCM/42/2018/11 on the regional marking of fishing gear. Finally, the meeting discussed advances in the development of a Mediterranean and Black Sea catalogue of fishing gear, as well as relevant work on fishing technology and marine litter. The WGFiT applauded the numerous efforts underway in the region to enhance knowledge about bycatch – including discards and the incidental catch of vulnerable species – and the selectivity and mitigation measures to address these issues. The need to synthesize and share information about these studies, through a repository, was underlined in view of working more efficiently. Based on the results of past studies, the WGFiT proposed minimum technical specifications to be implemented in bottom trawl nets, namely i) mandatory 40 mm square mesh size in the codend, ii) that the rest of the net has a mesh size greater than 50 mm for diamond-mesh or greater than 40 mm for square-mesh, and iii) a minimum length of the codend (sensu stricto) of 2 m. The WGFiT also proposed the development of a large scale, multi-annual pilot study on selectivity for bottom trawl fisheries exploiting demersal stocks in the Strait of Sicily  (geographical subareas 12 to 16), as well as a pilot project to test mitigation measures for the incidental catch of cetaceans in Black Sea turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) fisheries. In view of incentivizing the adoption of selectivity measures, the WGFiT proposed that the training of fishers, and the certification of products coming from fisheries using selective gear, could be explored. Similarly, an award to regularly recognize best practices in the application of selectivity measures by fishers was proposed.  The WGFiT applauded the work underway to develop a regional catalogue of fishing gear and encouraged contributions by experts towards the finalization of this work. Finally, the WGFiT considered it necessary to develop future measures to limit ghost fishing and also supported efforts to test experimental trawl gear to remove marine litter from the seabed. The WGFiT discussed and proposed a work plan for the 2021–2023 intersessions to be submitted for the consideration of the SAC.