European hake (Merluccius merluccius), Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus), common sole (Solea solea), deep water rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) and red mullet (Mullus barbatus) are key demersal species in the Adriatic Sea, targeted mainly by bottom trawl fisheries, including otter trawls and beam trawls.
In 2019, the GFCM adopted a multiannual management plan for the long-term sustainable exploitation of these five target species in the Adriatic Sea, establishing a comprehensive framework for technical, effort and spatial measures to support stock recovery and sustainable fisheries.
The management plan represents a milestone in continued cooperation under the GFCM framework, which also led to the establishment of fisheries restricted areas in key habitats, namely the Jabuka/Pomo Pit in 2017, the Bari Canyon in 2021 and the Otranto Channel in 2024.
Main provisions
- Two-step approach comprising:
- an initial transitional fishing effort regime from 2020 to 2021 aimed at decreasing effort by setting percentages
- yearly fishing effort quotas from 2022 to 2026 based on an annual assessment of the status of key stocks
- Fleet capacity limitations, set at the levels recorded in national registers in 2015 or at the average from 2015 to 2017
- Minimum conservation reference sizes for the five target species
- Spatio-temporal restrictions to protect areas and periods recognized as important for the juveniles of demersal stocks, as well as for migration routes and spatial patterns of juvenile distribution
- Measures addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities, such as designated landing and transshipping times and locations, electronic catch declarations, authorized vessels and use of vessel monitoring systems
- Establishment of an inspection scheme to ensure compliance with existing conservation and management measures
- Framework for area based management and spatial protection, including provisions to promote the establishment of fisheries restricted areas for demersal fisheries, particularly in the northern and southern Adriatic Sea, and options for spatio-temporal restrictions to protect important spawning and nursery areas
Objectives
- Ensure that exploitation levels reach levels consistent with maximum sustainable yield for the five target species in the Adriatic Sea by 2026
- Guarantee a low risk of stock collapse while maintaining sustainable and relatively stable fisheries
Resources
Contact
Marin Mihanovic
Fishery Officer – Subregional Coordinator for the Adriatic Sea Unit
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