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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Working Group on Fishing Technology (WGFiT) of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was held in Rome, Italy, in hybrid modality on 15 April 2024. In order to provide advice to the twenty-fifth Scientific Advisory Committee on Fisheries (SAC) to be held in 2024, the main objectives of the WGFiT 2024 were: i) to discuss and promote advances in fishing gear technology to improve the selectivity of fisheries in the region; and ii) to review and discuss gear optimization for efficiency and reduction of emissions. Participants welcomed the work conducted in various regions of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea to test technical selectivity measures (sorting grids, different mesh sizes, etc.) aimed at reducing discards and the incidental catch of juvenile commercial species during fishing activities. They also appreciated the efforts made to investigate the behavior of different fish species in the gear using underwater cameras. The WGFiT also expressed its appreciation for the work done in the framework of decarbonization of the fishing sector through gear modifications and other innovative solutions for emission reductions and it recommended promoting exchange of knowledge across the region. The group welcomed the proposed methodology for better investigating and mapping the fuel consumption and carbon emissions of fishing vessels and fishing gear in the Mediterranean and Black Sea using ad hoc questionnaires. The WGFiT remarked how existing monitoring programmes (i.e. on discards, biological sampling, incidental catch of vulnerable species), as well as the current scientific surveys at sea and socioeconomic surveys, could be a good starting point for collecting information on carbon emissions by fishery, especially in areas where this information is currently limited. The need to synthesize and share information arising from fishing technology and decarbonization studies through a regional platform was underlined towards increased efficiency. Finally, the WGFiT discussed and proposed actions for the 2024–2025 period to be submitted for the consideration of the SAC.