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ABSTRACT

The thirty-fourth session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) was attended by representatives from 17 Contracting Parties as well as from 9 observers. The Commission also hold the first session of its Committee on Administration and Finance (CAF) and the fourth session of its Compliance Committee (CoC). It reviewed the intersessional activities of its scientific and technical subsidiary bodies and adopted three management decisions concerning the establishment of a GFCM logbook, the management of fishing capacity in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and the identification of non-compliance with GFCM binding decisions. It also endorsed three Recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) regarding the management of swordfish and bluefin tuna fisheries and on selected Shark species associated with tuna fisheries in the GFCM competence area. The session acknowledged the progress on the performance review of the GFCM launched in 2009, to be continued in 2010, renewed the bureau of its Compliance Committee and agreed on the new approach to the functioning of its SAC-Working groups on stock assessment. The Commission further noted the positive progress in the field of sustainable aquaculture. During this session, the 2010 programme of work of the GFCM subsidiary bodies was approved by the Commission which also adopted the 2010 autonomous budget at the level of US$ 1 624 000. Finally the Commission decided that the election of the Executive Secretary would be done during the thirty-fifth ordinary session scheduled to be held in 2011, according to the established procedure and that the Deputy Secretary shall continue filling this position until completion of the selection process and appointment of the new Secretary. The Commission amended its Rules of procedure and extended the mandate of the GFCM Bureau untill the thirty-fifth session.