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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The fifth meeting of the Subregional Committee for the Central Mediterranean (SRC-CM) of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) Scientific Advisory Committee on Fisheries (SAC) was held online, on 9–11 March 2021. The aims of the meeting were to: i) compile relevant information on the status of central Mediterranean fisheries and provide advice to the SAC, including on urgent actions towards sustainability and following the requests made by the Commission, in particular in relation to  European hake (Merluccius merluccius), deep-water rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris)and deep-water red shrimps (Aristaeomorpha foliacea and Aristeus antennatus); 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-CM 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 deep-water red shrimp in the eastern-central  Mediterranean, 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 central Mediterranean subregion. The work plan for the 2021–2023 intersession was discussed and approved.