MAIN RESULTS
CURRENT UNDERSTANDINGS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF ECOSYSTEM APPROACH TO FISHERIES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AND BLACK SEAS: SUMMARY AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION ON THE ANTHROPOGENIC ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS AND RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
The 1st Workshop of Workpackage 2 ("Current understandings in the framework of Ecosystem Approach of Fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Seas: summary and critical analysis of the available information on the anthropogenic ecosystem impacts and resource assessment") was held at FAO/GFCM headquarters in Rome on 30-31 May 2012.
The main objective of workshop was to perform a common task, with all the partners, to summarize and critically analyse the current understandings on EAF available for the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
The Workshop was attended by 21 participants representing all the partners of CREAM. The synthesis of the information received from the partners on the understandings, at partner/country level, related to EAF and fishery management aspects was discussed.
In total, 180 files have been compiled by all the partners involved in WP2. Existing information available at country level, from research and monitoring projects was explored, as well as other types of activity.
Broad and, in many cases, very detailed information has been gathered, even though a rather heterogeneous picture on how the EAF issues are addressed in each country has emerged. Each partner was requested to act as an expert to evaluate, by means of an overall assessment of the activities/projects or initiatives performed in his country, the capacity to address several issues related to the implementation of EAF in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. These issues were grouped into the following main topics, which reflect the FAO's Technical Guidelines in research for the EAF implementation:
1) Fisheries structure and fleets.
2) Fisheries impacts and other anthropogenic impacts.
3) Species/habitat knowledge.
4) Socio economic aspects and modeling (ecosystem and bioeconomic).
5) Assessment of management measures.
6) The management process.
7) Monitoring and assessments.
The capacity to address each issue has been evaluated according to a qualitative scale (from "none" to "high") translated into a simple score system (from 0 to 3).
The results were presented according to radar graphs in a semi-quantitative manner. This exercise provided an overview of the CREAM expert's evaluation on the capacity to address the EAF issues in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
The results highlighted an overall low-medium degree of fulfilling the requirements of EAF in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, with some differences related to the different issues considered. In general, the highest scores were reported for the knowledge related to fleet structure/behaviour as well as species/habitats, while the lowest scores were noticed for modeling, socio-economic and management issues. These results despite being only semi-quantitative, provided an initial global picture on a wide geographical level, which can provide useful information to properly address the implementation of EAF in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
