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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Workshop on the Decarbonization of the Fishing Industry (WKDECA) was held at FAO headquarters, Rome, Italy, in hybrid modality, on 14 and 15 March 2023. The workshop reviewed the concept of decarbonization in general and the relevance of the sector in terms of fleet emissions data, and mobile and static gear impact on carbon emission and carbon sinks, including the status of decarbonization measures, instruments, and agreements in the Mediterranean and Black Sea region. The workshop went on to evaluate decarbonization activities already taking place in the fishing industry, reviewing several research projects, pilot studies and trials at sea that are currently underway in Algeria, European UnionItaly, European Union-Croatia, European Union-Spain and Türkiye, as well as further afield. Participants discussed the scope of potential synergies with other GFCM expert groups and existing monitoring programmes, in areas such as discards, biological sampling and the bycatch of vulnerable species, to include the collection of basic information on fuel consumption and fleet emissions, particularly in areas and on fishing activities where data are most limited. A plan of action towards a low-carbon future for regional fisheries will gather future steps for decarbonizing the Mediterranean and Black Sea fishing fleet.