The Working Group on Fishing Technology should hold a meeting in 2020 to advise the Scientific Advisory Committee on Fisheries on concrete and directly implementable selectivity measures that would allow mitigating the adverse effects of fisheries on juvenile fish; bycatch of unwanted fish species; and incidental catch of vulnerable and sensitive species, such as seabirds, cetaceans and marine reptiles. The outcomes of the Working Group on Fishing Technology should aim at maximizing the impact of the proposed measures focusing on the priority species listed in the GFCM mid-term strategy; fishing gear responsible for most catches in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea; fishing gear having most impact on juvenile fish and bycatch of unwanted fish species, as well as on the incidental catch of vulnerable and sensitive marine species; and fishing gear for which scientific knowledge is mature enough to rapidly translate into selectivity devices fitted to the fishing gear.
2019-01-01