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The Director General of the General Directorate of Environment of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr. He participated on 4 October 2023 in the High Level Conference MedFish4Ever.
The Conference, hosted by the Government of Malta and organised by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) together with the European Commission (Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries), focused on the progress made and the need for new solutions to address the challenges that have emerged since the signing of the MedFish4Ever Ministerial Declaration in 2017 by 16 Mediterranean countries. This Ministerial Declaration is an important milestone as it set a ten-year vision for the sustainability and prosperity of the fisheries and aquaculture sector and the conservation of the Mediterranean's valuable marine ecosystems and the services they provide.
The need for continued commitment by all parties to implement the MedFish4Ever Declaration that laid the foundation for the sustainability of the fisheries sector, to safeguard and protect Mediterranean ecosystems and services for coastal communities and future generations, and to address any illegal activities by strengthening a culture of compliance was stressed.
As presented at the Conference, progress has been made in the last six years since the signing of the Declaration in both fisheries and aquaculture. In fisheries, enhanced cooperation between countries has led to regional governance through which key fisheries are managed effectively, including through a growing culture of compliance. Conference attendees saw how in recent years scientific management plans have contributed to the sustainability of some key commercial stocks, how fisheries control, surveillance and enforcement have been strengthened, and how these are working to reverse negative trends in overfishing. Also, efforts to protect vulnerable species and ecosystems have increased.
In his intervention, Mr. Hadjipanagiotou said that over the last six years, we have been working to achieve the objectives of the MedFish4ever Declaration and, although important steps have been taken, nevertheless, the status of some stocks remains vulnerable, leading to difficulties in the sustainability of the fisheries sector in the Mediterranean. In order to achieve the objectives of the Declaration, we are taking further steps and strengthening our efforts.
As Mr. Hadjipanayotou stressed, Cyprus is continuing its data collection programme under the EU Regulation to collect reliable scientific data to support the assessment of Mediterranean stocks and the impact of fisheries on the ecosystem. At the same time, since 2019, we have significantly improved and enhanced our knowledge of recreational fishing, which is an important activity in Cyprus and recently, we have implemented an ambitious project, with an online catch reporting application for recreational fishermen. Through this application we are able to collect catch data and monitor the catches targeted by amateur fishermen. This will help to monitor and better regulate recreational fishing activities in Cyprus and the fish stocks they target.
He further stressed that the MedFish4Ever Declaration has brought us one step closer to the fight to eradicate Illegal, Illegal and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Mediterranean, one of the biggest challenges we face, but we believe there are still steps to be taken. IUU fishing has been and remains the major problem for sustainable fisheries, undermining all actions, measures and efforts to restore fish stocks. This is even more evident in the Mediterranean, where IUU fishing exploits the lack of uniform application of rules and technical measures, as well as the lack of control and technology tools and cooperation between coastal states. To this end, Cyprus is taking further measures to ensure effective monitoring and control of its vessels and catches. Within this framework, remote electronic monitoring (REM) systems have been deployed on the part of the Cyprus fleet operating in international waters and targeting stocks under management plans in order to ensure better monitoring of their activities.
Continuing, Mr.Hadjipanayotou pointed out that it is widely known that effectively Managed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), associated with closed areas, provide a number of benefits, such as the conservation and In addition, they are sites for scientific research and provide opportunities for education and training and contribute to the development of socio-economic activities and the blue economy, such as marine tourism.
To this end, Cyprus has designated MPAs with various protection regimes, such as SPAMI, marine Natura 2000 network sites, MPAs with artificial reefs and a Prohibited Offshore Fishing Area (FRA) covering the marine Mount Eratosthenes, which represent approximately 19% of the total marine area of Cyprus, including the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic, making a substantial contribution to the EU Biodiversity Strategy which sets a target of protecting 30% of Europe's seas by 2030.
In conclusion, Mr. Hatzipanayiotou stated that the Republic of Cyprus is making great efforts and remains committed to achieving the common objectives, in a spirit of good cooperation, to improve the state of fish stocks, the sustainability of the fisheries sector, especially the small-scale fleet and the elimination of IUU fishing.
On the sidelines of the MedFish4Ever Conference, an award ceremony for innovative practices in fisheries and aquaculture was also held and the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment received the award for the innovative project it developed on "Use of remote electronic monitoring, including CCTV technology, as a control and monitoring tool".
(BG)
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