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General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean

European Union
Supporting GFCM strategic action through select activities for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. 

As an involved contracting party and key donor to the GFCM, the European Union – through the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) – provides annual voluntary contributions for the implementation of structural and strategic activities of the GFCM workplan, facilitating a steady advance towards the common objectives and priorities of the GFCM Membership, in line with the vision set by the MedFish4Ever and Sofia declarations.

Support to achieving GFCM 2030 Strategy targets

Total contribution USD 36 000 000
Duration 2021–2027
Beneficiaries Countries of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (national administrations in charge of fisheries and aquaculture, relevant national institutes, experts and stakeholders of the fisheries and aquaculture sector).
Outputs
  1. Enhanced science-based fisheries and ecosystem management through improved stock assessments, management advice, adaptive measures, biodiversity conservation and mitigation of negative interactions between fisheries and ecosystems.
  2. Strengthened compliance and monitoring systems by building national and regional capacities and promoting effective monitoring, control, and surveillance frameworks.
  3. Sustainable and resilient aquaculture development supported through improved governance, responsible investment, sustainable practices, technology uptake, and increased public perception.
  4. Improved livelihoods and participatory governance in fisheries communities through value chain development, enhanced socioeconomic data, and greater engagement of fishers in participatory management processes.
  5. Capacity development effectively underpinning scientific advice through support of the MedSea4Fish and BlackSea4Fish programmes to fisheries monitoring, training and capacity-building, and infrastructure.

 

Highlights throughout the years 

Document page with institutional logos, blue headings, and multiple columns of small text.
Operationalizing the GFCM 2030 Strategy
2025

March 2022–February 2025

Latest news

New GFCM publication showcases results of research programme on red coral in the Mediterranean Sea
29/07/2026

Red coral (Corallium rubrum) is an emblematic species of the Mediterranean Sea, long valued and harvested in the region for millennia. In the...

Bulgaria pioneers sea-farmed trout and integrated aquaculture in the Black Sea
28/07/2026

The pilot initiative, carried out in the coastal town of Kavarna, also delivered Bulgaria's first integrated multitrophic aquaculture system, combining...

Rebuilding aquaculture in Libya: a Mediterranean story of cooperation in action
01/06/2026

Since 2018, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has...

Support to the implementation of the mid-term fisheries and aquaculture strategies

Total contribution EUR 20 100 000
Duration 2017–2020
Beneficiaries Countries of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (national administrations in charge of fisheries and aquaculture, relevant national institutes, experts and stakeholders of the fisheries and aquaculture sector).
Outputs
  1. Scientific advice in support of fisheries management strengthened, through improved fisheries data systems, stock assessments, research programmes and scientific surveys.
  2. Sustainable small-scale fisheries supported to improve livelihoods for coastal communities, through implementation of the RPOA-SSF, enhanced socioeconomic knowledge, social development actions, and stakeholder engagement.
  3. Modular monitoring, control and surveillance enhanced at the regional level to support the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, through compliance monitoring and strengthened vessel monitoring tools.
  4. Unwanted interactions between fisheries and marine ecosystems and environment monitored, through bycatch monitoring, spatial management tools, research on non-indigenous species, and marine litter reduction initiatives.
  5. Sustainable aquaculture development promoted through improved governance, market-oriented aquaculture, enhanced data systems and awareness-raising activities.
  6. Regional and subregional cooperation and capacity strengthened through ad hoc support, operational subregional technical units and promotion of strategic GFCM commitments and regional policy frameworks.

Highlights throughout the years 

Related news

SOMFI2020 | Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries are turning the corner on overexploitation
14/12/2020

New report shows that while most fish stocks remain overexploited, the number of stocks subject to overfishing has decreased for the...

How an invasive sea snail triggered cooperation in the Black Sea
31/10/2020

BU | FR | TR | UK From 200 m all the way down to its deepest point of 2 200 m, the Black Sea is nearly as lifeless as a...

Launch of an interactive tool to map initiatives addressing small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea
25/03/2020

The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) has launched an online interactive tool to map initiatives and projects addressing...

Launch of a forum dedicated to small-scale fishers
26/02/2020

The GFCM is launching this week a forum devoted to small-scale fisheries. The SSF Forum will offer workshops and sessions to small-scale fishers and...

Adoption of a record number of measures benefiting the Mediterranean and the Black Sea
08/11/2019

Athens | On the occasion of the forty-third session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), representatives of 22 countries...

MedFish4Ever signatories renew their commitments to a sustainable future for Mediterranean fisheries
17/06/2019

Rome. Mediterranean countries and the European Union have pledged to pursue and strengthen their commitments agreed under the declaration that was signed...

Contact

Margherita Sessa
Programme and Liaison Officer

GFCM 2030 Strategy
GFCM 2030 Strategy