Mandate

Established in 1997, the mandate of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Fisheries (SAC) is to provide scientific, social and economic advice relating to the work of the Commission, as well as support the implementation of multiannual management plans, taking into account a subregional approach. The SAC shall, in particular:

• collect and assess information on catches, fishing effort, fleet capacity and other data relevant to the conservation and management of fisheries;
• assess the status and trends of relevant populations of living marine resources, ecosystems and fisheries-related human components, using the appropriate indicators and in relation to agreed biological and/or management reference points;
• provide independent advice to facilitate the adoption of recommendations concerning the sustainable management of fisheries and ecosystems at the regional and subregional levels, including relevant biological, environmental, social and economic aspects, the ecosystem approach to fisheries, the impact of IUU fishing and the assessment of biological and ecological implications under different management scenarios;
• keep abreast of cooperative scientific and technical research projects and programmes of interest to the Committee;
• undertake any other functions or responsibilities as may be conferred on it by the Commission.

Structure

The SAC operates through:

• Subregional committee for the Western Mediterranean (SRC-WM)
• Subregional committee for the Central Mediterranean (SRC-CM)
• Subregional committee for the Adriatic Sea (SRC-AS)
• Subregional committee for the Eastern Mediterranean (SRC-EM)

The subregional committees rely on the technical input of working groups (stock assessment, marine environment, small-scale and recreational fisheries, fishing technology etc.) and on ad hoc workshops.

The SAC uses the GFCM Data Collection Reference Framework (DCRF) to support contracting parties and cooperating non-contracting parties in complying with recommendations for the collection and submission of fisheries data to the GFCM. The DCRF is regularly reviewed by the SAC and updated as required.

Bureau

The SAC is coordinated by a Bureau:

Election date: November 2023

Reports

You can access the reports from all GFCM statutory meetings here.

Mandate

Established in 2006, the Compliance Committee (CoC) is responsible for assessing and ensuring compliance with GFCM decisions and also provides advice and technical assistance in relation to national legislation, the application of GFCM recommendations, monitoring, control and surveillance issues as well as the fight against IUU fishing. The CoC shall, in particular:

• assess, on the basis of all available information, compliance by contracting parties, cooperating non-contracting parties and relevant non-contracting parties with recommendations adopted by the Commission;
• request clarifications and express concern to contracting parties, cooperating non-contracting parties and non-contracting parties in cases of non-compliance, prima facie, with recommendations adopted by the Commission;
• submit to the attention of the Commission cases in which contracting parties or cooperating non-contracting parties are not compliant with recommendations adopted by the Commission, or cases in which activities by non-contracting parties undermine the effectiveness of such recommendations and adversely affecting the objective of the Agreement, in order to facilitate their identification;
• provide additional information, as it considers appropriate or as may be requested by the Commission, relating to the implementation and compliance with recommendations adopted by the Commission, as well as with the provisions of the Agreement;
• provide independent advice on an institutional and legal basis to facilitate the adoption of recommendations, including in connection with aspects related to monitoring, control and surveillance, and technical assistance and capacity building activities to support these aspects;
• undertake other functions or responsibilities as may be conferred on it by the Commission.

Structure

The CoC operates, inter alia, through:

• Working Group on Vessel Monitoring System and related control systems (WGVMS)
• Working Group on IUU Fishing (WGIUU)

The database of GFCM decisions and the databases of national legislations are repositories of the CoC complete with up-to-date standardized information on all relevant regulations in place in GFCM countries.

Bureau

The CoC is coordinated by a Bureau:

Election date: November 2023

Reports

You can access the reports from all GFCM statutory meetings here.

Mandate

Established in 1995, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Aquaculture (CAQ) is responsible for providing technical advice and promoting the sustainable development and responsible management of marine, brackish and inland aquaculture in a way that is consistent with an ecosystem approach to aquaculture and that takes into account the specific regional, subregional and local characteristics. The CAQ shall, in particular:

• monitor sustainable aquaculture development, following its progress and trends including through the identification, use and regular update of environmental, economic and social indicators;
• collect and assess information and data with regard among others to production statistics, market data, post harvesting, culture systems, technologies used, farmed species, environmental and aquatic animal health issues;
• provide independent advice on a technical and scientific basis to facilitate the adoption of recommendations concerning the sustainable development of aquaculture with regard to biological, environmental, social and economic issues;
• identify and promote the development and implementation of cooperative scientific and technical research projects and programmes;
• carry out any other functions or responsibilities as may be conferred on it by the Commission.

Structure

The CAQ operates through Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) that provide guidance and expertise in their respective domains:

• TAG on aquatic animal health and biosecurity (TAG-AHB)
• TAG on governance and responsible investment in aquaculture (TAG-GRIA)
• TAG on innovation and technology (TAG-IT)
• TAG on spatial planning for aquaculture (TAG-SPA)
• TAG on value chain and market access (TAG-VCMA)
• TAG on environment and climate change (TAG-ECC). TAG-ECC is cross-cutting and works across all other TAGs.

The CAQ runs a number of regional Aquaculture Demonstration Centres to promote modern technologies and best practices in aquaculture.

The GFCM collects data and information on all aspects of aquaculture through the Information System for the Promotion of Aquaculture in the Mediterranean (SIPAM).

Bureau

The CAQ is coordinated by a Bureau:

Election date: September 2019

Reports

You can access the reports from all GFCM statutory meetings here.

Mandate

Established in 2009, the mandate of the Committee on Administration and Finance (CAF) is to:

• review administrative matters relating to the Executive Secretary and the Secretariat staff;
• oversee the correct application of the Rules of Procedure and the Financial Regulations;
• review the implementation of the annual programme of work and the budget of the Commission, as adopted at its previous session;
• analyse and make recommendations to the Commission on the draft programme of work and budget as proposed for adoption at the session of the Commission;
• submit to the Commission proposals concerning the need, as appropriate, for the amendment of the Rules and the Financial Regulations;
• undertake other functions or responsibilities as may be conferred on it by the Commission.

Bureau

The CAF is coordinated by a Bureau:

Election date: November 2022

Reports

You can access the reports from all GFCM statutory meetings here.

Mandate

The Working Group on the Black Sea (WGBS) was created by the GFCM in 2010 as an ad hoc mechanism for scientific work and decision-making for Black Sea riparian states: the issues in the region necessitated a regionally influential, widely recognized institutional arrangement. WGBS objectives are to provide scientific advice to the GFCM on matters linked to fisheries management and conservation, including biological, social and economic aspects.

Structure

The WGBS operates on the basis of the technical work of established working groups (stock assessment, small-scale fisheries, etc.) and ad hoc workshops.

The implementation of WGBS activities benefits from the support of the BlackSea4Fish project and a team based in the GFCM subregional technical unit for the Black Sea (BSU) in Burgas, Bulgaria.

The GFCM Data Collection Reference Framework (DCRF) is the instrument of the WGBS to support contracting parties and cooperating non-contracting parties (CPCs) in complying with existing recommendations for the collection and submission of all fisheries data to the GFCM. The DCRF is regularly reviewed by the SAC in light of possible requirements emanating from the Commission, including through new recommendations, and upon WGBS advice for Black Sea matters.

Bureau

The WGBS is coordinated by a Bureau:

Election date: 8 November 2024

Reports

You can access the reports from all GFCM statutory meetings here.