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The 2030 Strategy takes an integrated approach towards the many threats to the marine environment, working to conserve biodiversity and provide maximum sustainably yields, on the basis of enhanced oriented research and data collection in support of science-based fisheries management plans.

Good fisheries management needs effective compliance and enforcement mechanisms, and these are the focus of the second of the targets. The Strategy lays the ground for GFCM members to take strong action against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, stamping out crime and ensuring only legal products reach the market. Centralized monitoring, control and surveillance technology, with joint compliance and enforcement policies transposed into national laws, create a level playing field for legitimate fishers.

Meanwhile aquaculture has its own unique requirements, and these inform the third target. While creating long-term governance and responsible investment frameworks, the Strategy promotes new technology and best practices through the GFCM’s regional knowledge-sharing hubs and aquaculture demonstration centres. Their work will further strengthen sector resilience and sustainability against a backdrop of continued growth, and encourage community involvement in its development.

Thriving communities and better livelihoods right along the value chain – particularly in small-scale fisheries, the backbone of the industry – are the fourth target. The GFCM is finding new ways to help fishers improve their revenues, from increasing the value of their catches to diversifying their activities – and by making fisheries sustainable in the long term, the revenues will be sustainable too. On shore, greater involvement in local management decisions and stronger social protection structures will both contribute to making fisher livelihoods more secure.

Finally, one of the GFCM’s greatest strengths is the way in which it brings together a hugely diverse range of actors, from governments and fishers to academia and NGOs, all of whom have important contributions to make to shared objectives. The fifth target is focused on using GFCM expertise and convening power to build capacity and provide technical support at the national and subregional levels to ensure policy commitments made by the GFCM Membership are met, establishing a level playing field across the region.