Report | October 31, 2022

Call for the GFCM to increase transparency and tackle IUU fishing

Ahead of the 45th Commission of the GFCM in Tirana, Archipelagos, ClientEarth, the Environmental Justice Foundation, Oceana and The Nature Conservancy, who work together under the Med Sea Alliance to protect the Mediterranean Sea against the impacts of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing are calling on the GFCM to take ambitious measures to tackle IUU fishing.

Halting destructive fishing practices in the Mediterranean is a prerequisite for ensuring the survival of its unique biodiversity, but also of the communities that rely on marine resources.

Proper implementation and compliance with the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) regulations on Fisheries Restricted Areas is crucial, to ensure their effective impact on stock recovery, as more than 75% of Mediterranean fish populations remain subject to overfishing. It is thus of the utmost importance for the GFCM CPCs to act swiftly and decisively on IUU fishing, and implement GFCM commitments.