The ECOSAFIMED project succeeds in promoting responsible and sustainable practices among the fishing sector for the conservation of marine ecosystems

The project “Conservation of ecosystems and sustainable artisanal fishing in the Mediterranean basin (ECOSAFIMED)” carried out in Spain, Italy and Tunisia has aimed to conserve marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean basin and promote artisanal fishing practices that make the protection of marine fauna compatible. To this end, an assessment of the state of benthic communities in different parts of the Mediterranean has been carried out, while the impact of some fishing métiers on benthic fauna has been studied, all in collaboration with fishermen, as well as with different national and international organizations.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, through the Biodiversity Foundation, has been the coordinator of this initiative, which has had other partners such as the Spanish National Research Council – Institute of Marine Sciences (Spain), the University of Genoa (Italy) and the National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies – INSTM (Tunisia). The collaboration between all these entities has been fundamental for the exchange of knowledge in marine research, both in methodologies and in the use of innovative technologies, one of the most significant results of the project.
Thanks to the ECOSAFIMED project, a proposal of good practices for the artisanal fleet has been developed in order to improve the conservation of benthic communities in the Mediterranean. The partners have agreed on a series of recommendations for the entire basin, based on the results obtained in different study areas: Cap de Creus, Menorca Channel (Spain), Galite archipelago, Esquerquis bank (Tunisia), Gulf of Patti and Ponza Archipelago (Italy).
These proposals have been agreed with the artisanal fishermen who have participated in the project with the intention of signing voluntary agreements by which they commit to adopt these good practices voluntarily and in the long term.
 
One of the recommendations resulting from the project has been to return the discards of benthic invertebrates and habitat-forming species to the water in a time of less than 30 minutes and in the same place where the capture has been made, as well as to avoid damaging them as far as possible. Scientific studies have shown that the survival of bycatch of benthic species increases if they are returned to the sea as soon as possible, thus reducing exposure to air and temperature changes.
 
Good practices also recommend avoiding fishing in areas where fragile communities have been detected, promoting fishing restriction zones where valuable and sensitive ecosystems have been found, or the use of more selective gear and more efficient net material, since there are experiments that show that the type of gear used plays a very important role in the magnitude of the impact it causes on the seabed.
 
Promoting the periodic maintenance of fishing nets, reducing the impact by reducing the number of fishing operations in the same location during the same season, or reducing the length of fishing gear, are also measures that reduce the impact that artisanal fishing has on benthic communities.
 
Finally, promoting the integration of the knowledge acquired by fishermen in scientific studies and monitoring activities is another of the recommendations that has made it possible to obtain this initiative. The long experience accumulated by fishermen over years of work has to be considered a fundamental source of information. Data on extraordinary catches, the appearance of rare species or the location of extensive populations of structural species or unusual details can be of great help in improving the scientific community’s knowledge of the seabed, allowing the identification of places with a high ecological value that can be considered as areas of special protection.
 
Finally, another of the recommendations derived from the project has been the development of videos that allow, in a simple and direct way, to raise awareness about the promotion of good fishing practicesThroughout this project it has been confirmed that showing videos that clearly expose the scientific basis of certain claims, such as the existence of lost fishing gear, The survival of discarded species or the state of organisms once returned to the sea, get greater public attention and a more positive reception than any type of technical or graphic report. Videos should be considered as a priority communication tool and as a key element when proposing recommendations to fishermen.
The studies carried out within the framework of the project have also made it possible to identify areas of high ecological value that in the future may be subject to specific management that promotes their special protection.
 
THE ECOSAFIMED PROJECT AND THE ENPI CBCMED PROGRAMME
With an endowment of 1.9 million euros, the ECOSAFIMED project promotes responsible fishing practices and communication between research and the artisanal fishing sector in order to contribute to the conservation of marine ecosystems. ECOSAFIMED is one of the 39 projects that were beneficiaries of the 1,095 submitted to the second call of the ENPI CBC MED Program 2007-2013.
 
The European ENPI Mediterranean Basin programme is a cross-border cooperation initiative that is part of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Policy instrument (EIPV-ENPI). The aim of the programme is to promote cooperation between the 3 regions on both shores of the Mediterranean to face common challenges and enhance their endogenous potential.
 
A total of 14 countries are beneficiaries of the programme, representing 76 territories and nearly 110 million inhabitants: Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestinian Authority, Portugal, Spain, Syria and Tunisia.
 
The programme has a budget of 200 million, from the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Policy Instrument and the contribution to each project amounts to a maximum of 90% of the total cost.
 
The funded projects deal with various topics related to the promotion of socioeconomic and territorial development, through support for innovation, and research; sustainable development and energy efficiency throughout the Mediterranean basin; the improvement of the conditions and modalities of movement of people, goods and capital or the promotion of dialogue between cultures and governance.
 
Information on the ECOSAFIMED project and the ENPI CBC MED Programme can be found on the websites of ENPI CBC MED and the EuropeAid Development and Cooperation Office.
 
This publication has been produced with the financial support of the European Union within the framework of the ENPI CBC Mediterranean Basin Programme. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the Biodiversity Foundation and may not be considered under any circumstances to reflect the position of the European Union or the management structures of the Programme.
 
 
For more information: www.ecosafimed.eu │ ecosafimed@fundacion-biodiversidad.es