Transparency and compliance weaknesses in GFCM Fisheries Restricted Areas: How continuous IUU fishing inside the Strait of Sicily FRAs undermines fisheries sustainability and the credibility of the GFCM

Monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) are crucial to ensuring proper fisheries management and rebuilding stocks, particularly in the Mediterranean Sea, where 75% of stocks are considered overfished. The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and Black Sea (GFCM) has taken significant steps in recent years to improve MCS of the fisheries in its area of competence, through various binding decisions that strengthen the compliance framework of fisheries management. Steps taken include the adoption of a Regional Plan of Action (RPoA) to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as a mid-term strategy (2017–2020) towards the sustainability of Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries, which includes specific actions and targets on IUU fishing. Spatial fisheries closures – also called Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs) – are one of the most effective measures adopted by the GFCM to protect essential habitats for fish stocks in sensitive areas or unique deep-sea ecosystems. Nevertheless, IUU fishing cases have been reported within these areas, and related MCS efforts have been inconsistent and uneven. In 2016, the GFCM adopted three FRAs in the Strait of Sicily, protecting nursery grounds for hake and shrimp for the first time. These three FRAs are the main focus of this report, which presents an analysis by Oceana of potentially illegal fishing by bottom otter trawl vessels inside FRA boundaries, based on publicly available satellite data accessed through the Global Fishing Watch website. Oceana detected over 126 hours of apparent illegal fishing activity that took place between the beginning of July 2019 and the end of December 2020. 2021 is a key year for the GFCM. A new strategy for the coming years is to be adopted in June, including roadmaps for FRA monitoring and the implementation of MCS measures. This study highlights continued apparent illegal fishing inside FRAs, which shows the importance of continuously reinforcing controls, increasing transparency, and deterrent sanctioning by GFCM Members, in order to more effectively deliver on the aim of sustainable fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Oceana’s recommendations against continued illegal fishing in the GFCM area: • Improve the public GFCM Authorised Vessel List (AVL) – make it complete, accurate, transparent, and functional, especially for vessels authorised to fish in FRAs. • Strengthen monitoring, control and surveillance – extend AIS requirements to all GFCM vessels over 15 metres in length, and require Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) for all GFCM fishing vessels. For fishing activities within and around FRAs, the GFCM should adopt stricter VMS and AIS reporting requirements to closely monitor vessels that are authorised to fish in those areas, such as an increased ping frequency to improve MCS, with real-time alerts for vessels entering the FRAs (including buffer areas). • Adopt effective sanctions for non-compliance – establish sanctions for non-compliant vessels or Contracting Parties that fail to report the required information.Funding Acknowledgement: LIFE19 NGO/FPA/ES/000004 – Fundación Ocean