Overview
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Adriatic small pelagic FIP establishing parties was signed in 2016. Signatories of the MoU are WWF Adria, Ministry of Agriculture of Croatia (Directorate of Fisheries) and omega-3 fishery cooperative. A preassessment and scoping document for this fishery was completed in October 2017. The action plan was developed in May 2017 and the FIP launched a year later. This FIP is focused on the Croatian-authorized purse seine fleet targeting sardine in GSA17 and GSA18. The only type of gear used in this fishery is purse seine.
For full information about the FIP and its progress please refer to the benchmarking files available in the documents section.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Adriatic small pelagic FIP establishing parties was signed in 2016. Signatories of the MoU are WWF Adria, Ministry of Agriculture of Croatia (Directorate of Fisheries) and omega-3 fishery cooperative.
During the project period from May 2018 through May 2022 the FIP will address the following objectives:
- Achieve MSC certification for the Croatian small pelagic purse seine fishery
- Establish co-management principle in managing small pelagic fishery at Croatian national level in order to ensure better compliance between authority, industrial and scientific sector
- Reduce fishing mortality to support stock rebuilding, while maintaining livelihoods
- Develop a socio-economic study in order to determine vessel income and profitability in relation to catch size and fish quality
- Support Croatian small pelagic fleet to reduce catch and improve quality
- Improve/establish market access for premium fish
- Develop better infrastructure for ensuring premium fish at landing sites
- Improve stock assessment and management strategy through supporting ongoing improvements in the methodology for the regional stock assessment and setting of the management targets for the stock
- Develop a national data assessment as a mean to add value to the regional stock assessment process
- Adapt fisheries management measures based on new regional management strategy
- Improve information for stock assessment and adaptive management through ensuring a better understanding of the collection, analysis and interpretation of fisheries data as well as stock assessment techniques
- Improve knowledge of sardine role in the ecosystem, evaluate key LTL status of sardine
- Record information on discards (slipping) and interactions with ETP species through development of data collection protocols, observer programme
- Put in place additional management measures if mortality rates of ETP species are too high