General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean - GFCM

Monitoring discards in Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries

Discards – the part of the catch that is not retained on board, which may include target species or any other (commercial or non-commercial) species that are returned to the sea, dead or alive – usually result in a reduction of harvesting opportunities and may have negative consequences on fish stocks, ecosystems and the marine environment. In the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, studies on discards have mostly only covered a small portion of the region’s fishing activities, and discard rates are often poorly estimated or totally unknown.  

To address these knowledge gaps, the GFCM launched the ‘Monitoring discards in Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries’ programme. The programme operates in countries where data collection on discards did not exist, needed to be expanded, or needed standardization. Enabling the collection of comparable data allows for regional analyses and contributes to the formulation of more comprehensive scientific advice on the status of the stocks and fishing activities.  

IMPLEMENTATION AREA:

 

SCOPE:
Collect harmonized data on discards in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea

DURATION: 

2018 - ongoing

FOCUS COUNTRIES: 

Albania · Algeria · Egypt · Lebanon · Montenegro · Morocco · Tunisia · Turkey · Ukraine

 

OBJECTIVES

  • Ensure minimum common standards for the collection of discards data and allow for repeatability and comparisons among fisheries across the region, thus offering a harmonized basis of knowledge, information and evidence for decision-making
  • Provide a framework for the development and implementation of an efficient, standardized data collection and monitoring system for discards through on-board observations, questionnaires at landing sites and self-sampling activities.
  • Identify and describe the discard behaviour of the main fleet segments, per GFCM subregion, country and geographical subarea [GSA]
  • Estimate the quantity and quality of the species discarded (e.g. priority, commercial and non-commercial species)
  • Identify characteristics of current fishing practices that lead to discarding (e.g. fishing area, seasonality, vessel carrying capacity, market factors)
  • Incorporate discard estimates in stock assessments

MAIN OUTPUTS

 

  • Developed and published a standard methodology for the collection of discards data on board, at landing sites and through self-sampling, with a view to enabling comparable monitoring programmes and regional analyses to support scientific advice 

  • Held training sessions on the application of the standard methodology and the establishment of a discards monitoring programme at national level  

  • Planned and executed data collection activities, including joint design of sampling plans, identification and preparation of observer teams, procurement of necessary equipment etc.  

  • Ran awareness campaigns on discards  

  • Analyzed data to define trends in areas, gears and species subject to discarding 

  • Presented results to SAC subregional committees to support technical recommendations on the reduction of discard rates  

 

 

Read:

 

Monitoring incidental catch of vulnerable species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea: methodology for data collection

Monitoring discards in Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries: methodology for data collection

 

KEY CONTACTS

Paolo CARPENTIERI
Fishery resources monitoring specialist

With the financial support of :