MAIN RESULTS
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ADOPTED IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES/GSAS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN AND BLACK SEAS
A Workshop was held in, Malta, on 18th April 2013. The main objective of workshop was to perform a common task, from the partners, to summarize and critically analyse, from a comparative perspective, the management systems in force in each country/GSA of the Mediterranean and Black Seas
Preparatory work was done during the two months before the workshop, collecting information from all the partners of CREAM about the main fishing management measures existing in the Mediterranean and Black Seas at country/GSA level. Standardised forms/tables were prepared and distributed to all partners who were asked to provide detailed information on the current management systems, according to their knowledge.
In general, very detailed information was received from the partners, proving an exhaustive picture of the measures and provisions related to fishery management in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. As a general picture, the fishing regulations contain many common aspects among all the areas considered. In general, in all the countries the current management measures foresee limitations of the fishing capacity, implemented through regulations of the number of licenses or according to a level of the total GT of the fleet considered.
Only in some countries (e.g. Spain, Greece), are limitations of the fishing capacity of the single vessel (with a limit of 500-600 hp) are in place, even though the partners commented that this measure is not fully enforced.
Fishing activity, in particular of trawling and purse seining, is regulated everywhere; in general by a maximum number of fishing days per week. Only in a few cases (e.g. in some GSAs of Spain) there is a limitation of the fishing hours per day (12 hours per fishing trip, with some local exceptions).
Technical measures, mainly concerning the mesh size or the length/drop of set nets are present in almost all the GSAs considered. The EU Mediterranean countries are standardised by means of the EU Regulation 1967/2006 (only in a few cases have some restrictions to this provision been noticed). More diversity was reported for the non EU countries.
Spatial restrictions are present everywhere, in particular for trawling or for bottom gears (usually in the coastal waters). The EU Reg. 1967/2006 also has provisions regarding spatial restriction and sensitive habitats.
No Take Zones have been established in a few areas in the recent years, mainly targeted to the protection of essential fish habitats, as nursery or spawning grounds of economically relevant species.
A large number of small MPAs exists in the Mediterranean, but they are of little relevance to EAF.
Temporal restrictions are present practically everywhere, especially for trawling. Seasonal closures are implemented in many countries, with some differences in their application on a yearlu basis. In the EU countries, the seasonal closure for trawling ranges from a minimum of 30-40 days in Italy and Spain to 120 days in Greece and 160 days in Cyprus.
