MedReAct and FishSec call on the GFCM Compliance Committee to fully implement the long-term management measures for European eel.
Distinguish delegates,
since 2018, the Mediterranean region has been moving ahead on the management of European eel, adopting some of the most progressive measures to support the recovery of this critically endangered species.
However, the status of European eel remains extremely worrisome, with abundance dropping to less than 10 percent of its historical levels.
On behalf of the European Eel Alliance, MedReAct and FishSec therefore urge CPCs to fully and speedly implement the long-term eel management measures adopted by the GFCM last year. Full implementation, reporting, control and compliance are fundamental to supporting the recovery of this iconic species.
To this end, the 45th session of the GFCM requested the Compliance Committee to assess by 2023, the implementation of European eel annual fishing closures and of the recreational fishing ban.
While this task regrettably was not carried out in 2023, we acknowledge the compilation of the pilot compliance summary table presented at this meeting. However, we note that many CPCs have yet to implement the long term management measures for European eel, and for several others compliance information is still missing or partial.
We kindly call upon the CoC to fulfil its role and ensure full compliance of and reporting on the adopted long-term management measures, and we wish to remind that the current measures remain far from aligned with the scientific advice and are therefore unlikely to secure eel recovery, making full implementation a baseline requirement.
