Surveys and research

AdriaMed develops capacities for knowledge-based decision-making and functional aquaculture and fisheries management, ultimately contributing to enhanced food and nutrition security for people in partner countries.

The Adriatic Sea is a semi enclosed basin characterised by the presence of several shared stocks, that calls for coordinated studies and management.

Over more than 25 years, AdriaMed has vigorously promoted scientific cooperation between Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro and Slovenia and the conduction of coordinated research and surveys at sea. This is done by:

• enhancing regional capacity on marine resources appraisal and fisheries and aquaculture monitoring (environment, social and economic dimension), paving the way for harmonized management;
• supporting generation of new scientific knowledge on fisheries and aquaculture, fisheries resources and ecosystems for management decision
• advancing the ecosystem approach to fisheries and aquaculture by promoting the integration of the human dimension in fisheries and aquaculture management (e.g. multilateral and multi-level discussions) for the identification of broader management strategies;
• promoting the sharing of data, knowledge and expertise to enhance fisheries management discussion in the FAO regional fisheries management body in the Mediterranean (GFCM);
• consolidating studies and knowledge for the provision of the scientific advice in support of aquaculture and fisheries management.

The activities included, among others, a full programme for the standardisation of methods and procedures involving all Adriatic research institutions and studies and research on: the definition of limits and borders of statistic geographic aeras, shared fishery resources identification and appraisal, genetic stock structure, fisheries and fisheries resources biology, abundance spatial distribution (~40 surveys at sea), mapping of essential habitats for fisheries target species; mapping of critical areas to be subject of fisheries restrictions, compilation and updating of existing information into bibliographical reviews, identification of criteria and indicator for the interaction between fisheries and aquaculture, fisheries and aquaculture economy and social characteristics.