ON a visit to Italy, Joe Borg, EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, encouraged stakeholders to play their part in the adoption of the measures proposed by the Commission to protect fish stocks and reduce the adverse impact of overfishing in the Mediterranean. Stakeholders also had an important role to play in ensuring the successful application of measures for sustainable fisheries and, through dialogue, encourage the development of common measures throughout the Mediterranean.
Mr Borg said that catches had been declining over the past twenty years in the Mediterranean and urgent action was needed to avoid the problems experienced with some of the most commercially important stocks in the North Sea and the Atlantic. The measures proposed by the Commission had specifically been designed for the Mediterranean. They would put in place an integrated and flexible framework that takes account of the differences between fisheries, stocks and habitats. International dialogue and co-operation were the key to the future of Mediterranean fisheries. In this context, Mr Borg welcomed the strengthening of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) and the creation of Medisamak which gathers Mediterranean fishermen’s associations. Commissioner Borg also said that he looked forward to the creation of the Regional Advisory Council for the Mediterranean.
“Fishing plays an important role in the Mediterranean. We must therefore do our utmost to secure its future. We need, first, to ensure the adoption and application of measures to maintain sustainable fisheries in our waters and, second, dialogue with our partners around the Mediterranean to develop fisheries management measures for the whole region”, Commissioner Borg said to stakeholders at a meeting in Rome today.
This is Mr Borg’s first visit to Italy as EU Commissioner. The visit started in Venice on Wednesday where he met with Italy’s Fisheries Secretary, Mr Scarpa Bonazza who will accompany him throughout his visit. On Thursday Commissioner Borg visited two aquaculture plants in Valle Morosina and Valle Figheri, where he underlined the importance of aquaculture as a source of both quality fish products and jobs. EU support for aquaculture would continue particularly with regard to reducing its impact on the environment, Mr Borg said. He then travelled to Rome where he met with Members of Parliament and representatives of the fishing industry before meeting with Minister for Agriculture and Forestry Policies, Mr Alemanno.
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