Small fishers join forces in ‘Malta Commitment’ for better dialogue

Over 160 participants from Albania, Algeria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Mauritania, Montenegro, Morocco, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom as well as international and EU institutions met in St Julian's, to share experiences and take steps towards a sustainable future for small-scale fisheries in the region.

The First Regional Symposium on Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries saw the first concrete initiatives being launched for better management of Mediterranean fisheries.

"It is a first, and I have to say that the results of the meeting are beyond our expectations", said Abdellah Srour, Executive Secretary of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).

"Everybody showed an incredible level of attention and interest, we have clearly seen that we are all sharing the same concerns and vision, from fishermen to governments. There is a genuine and widespread interest in ensuring a future for small-scale fisheries in the region".
The Mediterranean and Black Sea fishing fleets are made of about 90,000 vessels and the small-scale segment represents more than 80% of the entire fleet. Small-scale fisheries include a great number of fishing techniques and use over 50 types of fishing gear to adapt to target species according to the fishing season.

Despite their socio-economic importance, small-scale fisheries do not always receive the attention they deserve. Small-scale fishers are often excluded from public policy processes and decision-making, they face difficulties in exploiting resources that are depleting and there is a lack of an integrated vision for the management of the sector. Moreover, issues related to the welfare of small-scale fishers and their communities, their social protection and safety are insufficiently addressed and little is known about these aspects.

"It happens often that we walk many times through the same place without seeing it. The same happens to small-scale fisheries: they are so obvious that they cannot be seen," Sid Ahmed Ferroukhi, the Algerian Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister, said.

The symposium intended to put fishermen at the centre of discussions and decisions.

"It is the first time that small-scale fishermen are invited to the meeting of a regional fisheries management organization. This is a great opportunity for us to meet, discuss and find solutions together", added Chabou Mohammed Bachir, President of the Moroccan Federation of Fishermen. "Without small scale fishermen there is no future for fisheries in the Mediterranean."

The symposium was marked by the Malta Commitment, an initiative from small-scale fishers present at the meeting, to establish a cooperation platform between the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean to strengthen the representatives of the sector in decision-making and contribute to achieve sustainability in fisheries.

"In talking with fishermen from both sides of the Mediterranean, we have realized that our ideas, our vision and our interests are just the same," said Ramon Tarridas, President of the Mediterranean Platform of Artisanal Fishers.

Among the main conclusions of the symposium, co-management was endorsed as a model to follow in order to successfully deliver sustainable fisheries in the region.

"Through co-management we have a unique opportunity to ensure a sustainable future for fish and fishermen. By designing and implementing management measures altogether, fishers, scientists, civil society and governments can really make the difference. This model is already delivering promising results in the Mediterranean region," said Susana Sainz Trapaga, Fisheries Policy Officer at WWF Mediterranean.