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Introduction
The sub-regional project “Scientific
and Institutional Cooperation to Support Responsible
Fisheries in the Eastern Mediterranean- EastMed” is a
partnership between the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Rural Development
and Food of Greece, the Ministry of Agriculture- Food
and Forestry Policies (MiPAAF) of Italy, the EU
Directorate General of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
(DG-MARE), and the countries with waters included in the
GFCM Geographical Sub-Areas (GSAs) 19-20 and 22-28. The
Project executed by FAO and funded by Greece, Italy and
DG-Mare, will support the development of
regionally-consistent fisheries management plans among
the Eastern Mediterranean countries. It is planned to
run for five years, at an estimated total cost of USD
4.8 million. The project is operational since September
2009. EastMed with the other members of the
Mediterranean Projects “family” , such as AdriaMed,
ArtFiMed, CopeMed, MedFisis, MedSudMed and Med-LME
together form an integrated and coordinated whole,
supporting the Mediterranean countries in achieving
sustainable fisheries management in the region.
Most of the countries in the Eastern
Mediterranean sub-region, due to various reasons
including lack of financial resources, have been
sidelined where international and regional cooperation
for fishery research and management is concerned. The
GFCM has repeatedly noted the under-representation of
participants from the Eastern Mediterranean countries in
its meetings. In some cases Fisheries is not nationally
monitored, coordinated or managed. There are also
important gaps in information in fishery statistics,
stock assessment, fishery bio-economic assessment,
marine ecosystems and especially in social and economic
data.
Since the 24th GFCM session the
necessity for a regional project to be developed in the
Eastern Mediterranean was highlighted. During the
Ministerial Conference on Sustainable Fisheries in the
Mediterranean (Venice, November 2003), Italy and EC
expressed their intension to support financially a
project in the eastern part of the Mediterranean in
order to support the strengthening of a
Mediterranean-wide management framework. In 2004 the
Government of Italy supported the formulation of the
preparatory phase which was completed in 2006. During
the 29th GFCM Session in February 2005, Greece announced
the co-funding of the project and offered to host the
project headquarters in Athens. The project document was
circulated among the potentially participating countries
and was also presented during a country meeting in Rome
(June2006). |
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EastMed
The project’s longer-term development
objective aims at contributing to the sustainable
management of marine fisheries in the Eastern
Mediterranean, and thereby at supporting national
economies and protecting the livelihoods of those
involved in the fisheries sector. The project’s
immediate objective aims at supporting and improving the
capacity of national fishery departments to increase
their scientific and technical information base for
fisheries management and to develop coordinated and
participative fisheries management plans in the Eastern
Mediterranean sub-region.
In order to achieve its objectives, the
project will work closely with the Fisheries Departments
with which it will be in contact through the National
Focal Points and it will function through the national
Fisheries Directors. Its Coordination Committee will
establish and support the Country Participatory WGs
(CPWGs) for ensuring the stakeholders involvement and
operate data collection programs on statistics and
information, on Stock Assessment, on Marine Environment
and Ecosystems, on Economics and Social Sciences.
The project includes 4 components:
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Institutional strengthening
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Staff training and Development
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Data Collection and Analysis
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Increased Participation and
Cooperation.
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Project Component 1:
Institutional
Strengthening
This component will ensure that the
Fisheries Departments of the Eastern Mediterranean
countries have the institutional structure, financial
capacity and technical competences necessary to
undertake the fundamental elements of fisheries
management, and can collect fishery statistics, perform
fisheries assessments and characterize marine
ecosystems.
The project will recruit an
institutional consultant for a period of three months to
provide assistance to the countries in analyzing the
institutional framework of the fisheries departments and
to identify existing weaknesses and gaps. |
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Project Component 2: Staff Training and
Development
This component will develop the
capabilities of the national administrations staff. The
project will offer on-the-job training, national and
sub-regional workshops and opportunities for the fishery
administration staff to participate in regional
management meetings. The training will concern
scientists and managers, field staff and technicians. |
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Project Component 3:
Data Collection and Analyses
By the end of the project, it is
anticipated that each country will have fully functional
data collection and processing programs and the required
expertise in each of the following three disciplines:
Fishery data collection:
The program will contribute to
temporary pilot activities whose aim is to set up a
regular monitoring system based on:
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The recording of national fishing
fleet characteristics as required, complementing the
work undertaken trough the MedFisis project.
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The recording of commercial catch
(or landing) data and fishing effort statistics,
possibly completed with the relevant biological
data.
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The recording of basic economic
data such as fish prices, fuel, and other fixed and
variable costs.
Fishery and stocks assessment
data analysis
This sub-component primarily consists
in organizing workshops designed for scientific and
managerial staff familiar with the issues and techniques
relevant to fisheries management and as used by the
GFCM.
Two themes are foreseen:
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Fisheries and stocks assessment
methods relevant to the Eastern Mediterranean
sub-region.
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Preparation of sub-regionally
consistent multi-disciplinary fisheries management
strategies and options.
Characteristics and components
of marine ecosystems
This sub-component incorporates the
following additional issues:
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Identification of pelagic and
demersal essential fish habitats, which are
fundamental to the life cycle and production
dynamics of the fishery resources.
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Increased knowledge of the
bio-ecology and population dynamics of commercial
fish species, also taking in consideration the
Lessepsian (Red Sea immigrant) species.
Options will be investigated on the
co-financing or for providing additional funds for the
trawl surveys, which give fisheries-independent
estimates of fish abundance. |
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Project Component 4:
Increased participation and Cooperation
This project component will support
processes that encourage participation and cooperation
within the wider context of fisheries management. To
achieve this:
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The project will establish and
support Country Participatory Working Groups (CPWGs)
in each country to facilitate communication among
all the relevant stakeholders involved in the
fishery sector.
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The project will provide support
when necessary and if appropriate to the Eastern
Mediterranean countries. It will allow them to
actively take part and contribute to the work of the
GFCM SAC and of its subsidiary bodies.
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The project will promote
sub-regional cooperation and collaboration for
fishery research, monitoring and management, and use
expertise to enable contributions and responses to
global policies agendas.
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