EU work in the Black Sea
Christos Maravelias
Unit D1 – Fisheries Management Mediterranean & Black Sea
DG MARE, European Commission
Sustainable Fisheries in the Black Sea, 7th June 2017, European Committee of the Regions
"Bucharest declaration"
 At the High Level discussions there was full agreement on the
common responsibility of all parties to ensure sustainable
development of the Black Sea and work together in a coherent
and collaborative manner for that purpose.
 At the request of the European Commission it was agreed that
GFCM will evaluate in 2 years the implementation of the
"Bucharest declaration" with the aim of organising a follow up
Conference in 2018 on the Black Sea fisheries Governance.
 GFCM also got support from all parties to launch a dedicated
project in the area, the BlackSea4Fish project
funding of this project will be covered partly from the EU
2016-2017 additional grant to GFCM
Sustainable Fisheries in the Black Sea, 7th June 2017, European Committee of the Regions
"BlackSea4fish project"
 This cooperative regional project for the Black Sea was created
under the umbrella of the GFCM and with the aim of supporting
the work of the Working group of the Black Sea (WGBS)
The project’s long-term objective is to contribute to the
management of fisheries in the Black Sea, thereby supporting
national economies and protecting the livelihoods of those
dependent on the fisheries
 Target groups of the project will be decision-makers, managers
and fishers
Sustainable Fisheries in the Black Sea, 7th June 2017, European Committee of the Regions
EU MS contribution to total catches
Bulgaria + Romania (%)
Anchovy
< 1-2
Horse mackerel
< 1-2
Rapana
~ 25
Sprat
~ 9–13
Turbot
~ 10
Piked dogfish
~ 40
Source: Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries
(STECF) – Black Sea assessments (STECF-15-16). 2015.
Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, EUR
27517 EN, JRC 98095, 284 pp.
Sustainable Fisheries in the Black Sea, 7th June 2017, European Committee of the Regions
EU instruments towards fisheries sustainability
in the Black Sea - CFP
 Additional commitments (turbot) in the frame of the Regulation
fixing for 2017 the fishing opportunities :
keep at 2016 levels the fishing authorisations for Turbot
keep at 2016 level their respective number of designated ports for
landings
to continue the strict policy adopted in 2016 for the recording of all
catches, including below 50 kg, in the LB, LD and SN
to increase by 20%, as compared to 2016, the number of market
inspections and inspections at sea, including during the closed season
to increase by 20% joint inspection actions under the coordination of
EFCA
Sustainable Fisheries in the Black Sea, 7th June 2017, European Committee of the Regions
EU instruments towards fisheries sustainability
in the Black Sea - CFP
to establish during 2017 a pilot project on evaluation of discards in the
Rapana whelk fishery, in order to evaluate the impact on juveniles of
turbot and dogfish
to ensure that all static gears are properly marked and identified in
accordance with European Union rules and to take all necessary
follow-up actions
to put in place new public awareness actions to inform the public about
the technical conditions and closed season applying to Turbot fishing
activities
to work with the Commission and the EFCA in implementing
Recommendation GFCM/40/2016/6, the possible preparation of a
proposal for a GFCM multi-annual plan for turbot and fight against IUU
Sustainable Fisheries in the Black Sea, 7th June 2017, European Committee of the Regions
EU instruments towards fisheries sustainability
in the Black Sea - CFP
 Additional commitments (picked dogfish) in the frame of the
Regulation fixing for 2017 the fishing opportunities :
to limit their respective catches of in 2017 to the 2015 level of their
catches and to inform the Commission on a quarterly basis of the
actions taken to meet this objective
to continue implementing the strict policy adopted in 2016 for the
recording of all catches, including below 50 kg, in corresponding
logbooks, landing declarations and sales notes of all authorised vessels
as well as vessels having by-catches of dogfish
Sustainable Fisheries in the Black Sea, 7th June 2017, European Committee of the Regions
EU instruments towards fisheries sustainability
in the Black Sea - CFP
 Control issues in support of sustainable fisheries
To address the misreporting and IUU fishery of turbot in the Black Sea,
the implementation of control and monitoring measures established
since 2012 should be continued.
The EU will seek to ensure that GFCM pay particular attention to the full
compliance of its members and Cooperating non-Members of GFCM to
implement the actions established in the roadmap for fighting against
IUU in the Black Sea as adopted in 2013 and to implement the midterm strategy 2017-2020 adopted by GFCM in 2016.
Sustainable Fisheries in the Black Sea, 7th June 2017, European Committee of the Regions
EFCA - BLACK SEA WORKPLAN 2015 - 2018
EFCA provides assistance to BG and RO since 2012. This support is mainly
based on:
• the preparation of joint actions within the annual plan of control in turbot
fisheries in the Black Sea,
• the development of a risk assessment methodology and
• the organization of training seminars for inspectors on regional and
national level.
Within the existing PACT (Partnership, Accountability, Cooperation and
Transparency) BG and RO have requested assistance by EFCA in preparation
and coordination of fishing control activities in 2017. Last January a meeting
between MS and EFCA was organized and within the issues discussed was the
schedule of joint missions for 2017 Black Sea.
Sustainable Fisheries in the Black Sea, 7th June 2017, European Committee of the Regions
EU instruments towards fisheries sustainability
in the Black Sea - CFP
Black Sea Advisory Council (BlSAC) – some activities
foreseen in the context of the Work programme
Implementation of the landing obligation in the Black Sea
Active role towards regional cooperation on conservation measures
(article 18 of the Basic regulation) - regionalisation
Close cooperation with relevant bodies, e.g. EC, EP, GFCM, EFCA,
Scientific bodies, other AC, other countries of the Black Sea basin
- Implementation of the Marine Strategy framework directive
Other topics
relevant for
BlSAC:
- Socio-economic and environmental factors related to rapana
whelk and turbot
- Management of the maritime spatial planning
- Involvement on control and data collection actions
BlSAC, at EC request, set up a WG on Access to waters/resources to discuss:
a) their position on the evolution of the Rapana whelk catches,
b) access to waters of neighbouring countries (BG/RO)
c) the Natura 2000 recently defined zones.
Sustainable Fisheries in the Black Sea, 7th June 2017,
European Committee of the Regions
Conclusions
•
Urgent to implement the objectives of "Bucharest Declaration"
notably the scientific advice, the development of a MAP for turbot
and the fight against IUU.
•
EU and its Member States (Bulgaria and Romania) made a lot of
effort to reduce the fishing effort and the IUU activities in order to
achieve the objective of MSY of the fisheries stocks in the Black Sea.
•
Nevertheless the EU catches of turbot represent less than 10% and
we need the same commitments by the other riparian countries.
•
All the Parties involved in the fisheries in the Black Sea to live up
with their commitment and to implement ASAP concrete actions to
ensure the sustainable development of the fisheries in the area.
Thank you for your attention
Christos Maravelias,
Contact:
[email protected]
Common
Fisheries
Policy