The Adriatic Recovery Project calls upon Commissioner Vella and Croatia to promote the establishment of an international Fisheries Restricted Area in the Central Adriatic
15 July 2017. On the eve of the EU Fisheries Council (Bruxelles, 17 July 2017), which will examine the latest status of Mediterranean fisheries[1], the Adriatic Recovery Project calls upon Commissioner Vella and Croatia to promote the establishement of an international Fisheries Restricted Area (FRA) in the Central Adriatic Jabuka/Pomo Pit, closed to all demersal fisheries, such as trawling and longliners.
Last May the Scientific Committee (SAC) of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), endorsed the Adriatic Recovery Project’s proposal for the establishment of a FRA closed to all demersal fisheries in the Pomo/Jabuka Pit, and submitted it to the next Conference of the GFCM (Montenegro, 16-20 October 2017). This measure would allow for the protection of the most important nursery and spawning grounds of Adriatic overexploited species, such as European hake and Norway lobster. In addition, the establishment of a FRA closed to demersal fisheries, would create a level playing field in the area by extending the fishing ban, introduced last May by Croatia, to all Mediterranean fleets.
“We consider the establishment of the Jabuka/Pomo Pit FRA, closed to all demersal fisheries, the first testing ground for the European Commission willingness to implement the Med4Fish Declaration, adopted last March in Malta. We now look at the Commission to propose the establishment of the FRA at the GFCM Conference, with measures based on SAC advice. Anything else short of a full ban on demersal fisheries will be considered a poor compromise and will not provide the full protection needed for the critical habitats and species present in the area ” – said Domitilla Senni from MedReAct/Adriatic Recovery Project.
English version with map: CS_ 1307017 Jabuka-EN
Croatian version: CS Pomo 15.7.2017 HR
The Adriatic Recovery Project is an alliance of NGOs and scientific institutions to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems and fish essential habitats of the Adriatic Sea. The Project is coordinated by MedReAct, in partnership with Legambiente, Marevivo, the Stanford University and the Marche Polytechnic University.[1] Communication from the Commission on the State of Play of the Common Fisheries Policy and Consultation on the Fishing Opportunities for 2018.
