General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean - GFCM

Pilot study on non-indigenous species in the eastern Mediterranean

Acknowledging the growing prevalence of non-indigenous species (NIS) in the Mediterranean Sea, the  Scientific Advisory Committee on Fisheries (SAC) agreed in 2022 to launch an in-depth reflection on NIS and consolidate a NIS Observatory*. The aims are to integrate all available information, foster engagement between relevant actors at the Mediterranean level and improve understanding of the interactions between NIS and receiving ecosystems, as well as investigate effective management through fisheries management tools and/or nature-based solutions.  

The pilot study is explicitly in line with Target 1 (Fisheries and ecosystems) of the GFCM 2030 Strategy

  • Continue the work already begun towards the establishment of an integrated monitoring platform and monitoring plan for NIS in the eastern Mediterranean, with the aim of later expanding it to other GFCM subregions.  
  • Collect data on NIS (including those from literature and GFCM monitoring activities, through local ecological knowledge [LEK]** studies, participatory mapping, etc.), compile and analyse data, and agree on common indicators.
  • Starting in the eastern Mediterranean, identify potential fisheries management actions.

The pilot study will be carried out in the eastern Mediterranean in the context of MedSea4Fish, the GFCM capacity development programme for the Mediterranean Sea, whose main objective is to support countries and relevant stakeholders in fulfilling their objectives in line with the GFCM 2030 Strategy and create a level playing field that facilitates achieving the sustainability of fisheries at the national, subregional and regional levels. 

Considering the extensive information already available and the data to be collected through GFCM monitoring activities (e.g. surveys-at-sea, incidental catch of vulnerable species and discard monitoring programmes), as well as the relevant results of a five-day training course on the application of the LEK-1 protocol in 2021, the pilot study on NIS in the eastern Mediterranean is based on the following elements

  • Creation of solid national stakeholder networks.
  • Collation and analysis of available information on NIS in eastern Mediterranean partner countries, resulting in an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) baseline report allowing for the identification of further needs at the country level and guiding the potential implementation of country-based pilot studies under the framework of the EAF.
  • Testing of LEK protocols over the course of a whole year to set an effective and long-term participatory strategy on NIS monitoring.
  • Drafting of a proposal for technical recommendations for management by species.
  • Setting up a NIS Observatory that will take over the national networks after the end of the project’s activities, as well as possibly bringing together information collected by other partner organizations across the Mediterranean. 

Objectives:

The pilot study falls under the broader framework of EAF. Its main objective is to contribute to the identification of future management strategies that can be implemented swiftly and adaptively, with a focus on generating key scientific information to support the overall management of NIS through, inter alia, their exploitation, commercialization and valorization, and to understand the impacts of NIS on native species, ecosystems and fisheries.

Area of implementation

Focus Countries and Non-State actor:

Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Palestine, the Syrian Arab Republic, Türkiye

Duration

2024–2026

Activities

The pilot study has five specific objectives, each corresponding to one work package (WP):  

WP 1. Coordination, networking, dissemination and sustainability. 

WP 2. EAF baseline study: collation and analysis of available information, and possible implementation of country-based pilot studies.

WP 3. Testing LEK protocols towards effective and long-term participatory NIS monitoring. 

WP 4. Data analysis and reporting.

WP 5. Proposal of technical recommendations for management by species. 

*NIS Observatory
The NIS Observatory is foreseen as an integrated monitoring platform for NIS that will facilitate the transfer of information and methodological aspects within and across a network of scientific experts and the broader community. It will bring together the results of the pilot project, as well as existing information, from across the eastern Mediterranean, with a view to expanding it to the entire Mediterranean in the future.

**Local ecological knowledge
The GFCM has adopted local ecological knowledge (LEK) as an alternative source of information on the presence, abundance and behaviour of NIS species. Collection of LEK data brings the knowledge of local fishers to the fore and provides additional knowledge to build up suitable models for stock assessment of these species and to take into consideration their impacts (if any) on native species, ecosystems and fisheries.