The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) and Friends of Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) (AKTEA, BISAC, CIHEAM Bari, LIFE, MEDAC, MedPAN and WWF) are organizing on 9-10 March 2023 in Rome, Italy a Forum Consultation for small-scale fishing.
Based on the proposal of the Mediterranean and Black Sea SSF organizations attending the SSF Summit (September 2022, Rome, Italy), the GFCM Annual Session highlighted the importance of providing a platform to fishermen for regular exchange between them.
To this end, the upcoming Consultation aims to bring together small-scale fisheries stakeholders from the region to continue the dialogue on common priorities and needs. It will also provide an opportunity for participants to identify capacity building activities to be carried out in the context of the SSF Forum 2023-2024 programme.
The first day of the consultation will present information on the ongoing work of the SSF, including under the Regional Plan of Action for Small-scale Fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Sea ( RPOA-SSF ), and how participants can better engage with SSF organizations to start of a discussion on capacity building needs in the SSF sector.
In the evening, a social dinner will be organized, offering time and space for participants to socialize and discuss the topic informally. The second day will focus on identifying topics of interest to be included in the SSF Forum 2023-2024 agenda, providing some time for participants to discuss in groups, share experiences, good practices and workshop ideas. The next steps and future actions will be discussed, as well as the organization of a similar meeting in the future.
On the Bulgarian side, both at the SSF summit in September 2022 and in the current consultation, a representative of the European Association of Black Sea Fishermen will participate.
