GFCM High-level conference towards enhanced cooperation on Black Sea fisheries and aquaculture
A declaration to boost regional cooperation in the sector
Abstract
The High-level conference towards enhanced cooperation on Black Sea fisheries and aquaculture was organized in Bucharest, Romania, from 24 to 25 October 2016 by the GFCM in partnership with the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS), the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (Black Sea Commission), the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) and the International Organisation for the Development of Fisheries in Central and Eastern Europe (Eurofish), and in collaboration with the Romanian Government. More than 100 participants attended the conference and discussed about the main challenges and future prospects for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in the Black Sea. Participants included representatives from GFCM contracting parties (Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey and the European Union), cooperating non-contracting parties (Georgia and Ukraine), non-contracting parties (Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia and the Russian Federation), international organizations, non-governmental organizations, universities and academia. The conference was structured around an expert meeting, divided into three round-table panel discussions, followed by a high-level session where strategic aspects related to cooperation in fisheries and aquaculture at the regional level were tackled. The event was marked by the unanimous adoption of a declaration to enhance cooperation in tackling the most urgent challenges to achieving sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. This declaration marked a strong political commitment to increase collaboration with a view to promoting the rational exploitation of marine living resources, the sustainable development of aquaculture and the mitigation of threats facing the marine environment and vulnerable species so as to ensure healthy and productive ecosystems in the region.
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