European Parliament resolution of 23 June 2021 on the challenges and opportunities for the fishing sector in the Black Sea (2019/2159(INI))
Date: 2021-06-23
Institutions: Committee on Fisheries, European Parliament
Subjects: Black Sea, biodiversity, conservation of resources, exploitation of resources, fishery management, fishery resources, fishing area, fishing regulations, maritime area, sea fishing








C_2022081EN.01000201.xml










18.2.2022   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 81/2






P9_TA(2021)0307
Challenges and opportunities for the fishing sector in the Black Sea
European Parliament resolution of 23 June 2021 on the challenges and opportunities for the fishing sector in the Black Sea (2019/2159(INI))
(2022/C 81/01)

The European Parliament,






—


having regard to Council Regulation (EU) 2019/2236 of 16 December 2019 fixing for 2020 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Mediterranean and Black Seas (1),










—


having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the common fisheries policy (2),










—


having regard to UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 on life below water,










—


having regard to Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy (the Marine Strategy Framework Directive) (3),










—


having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/982 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 amending Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 on certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) Agreement area (4),










—


having regard to Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (5) (the Habitats Directive),










—


having regard to Directive 2014/89/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 establishing a framework of maritime spatial planning (6),










—


having regard to Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (7) (EMFF),










—


having regard to a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1004,










—


having regard to its legislative resolution of 11 March 2021 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, and amending Council Regulations (EC) No 768/2005, (EC) No 1967/2006, (EC) No 1005/2008 and Regulation (EU) 2016/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards fisheries control (8),










—


having regard to the GFCM’s mid-term strategy (2017-2020) towards the sustainability of Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries, and its decision on a new strategy for 2021-2025,










—


having regard to the GFCM decision on ‘building together a new strategy for Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries and aquaculture’ for 2021-2025, which was taken during the high-level meeting of 3 November 2020,










—


having regard to the Commission’s European Green Deal and EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 proposals,










—


having regard to Ministerial Declarations on a Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea adopted at the meetings in Burgas on 31 May 2018 and in Bucharest on 9 May 2019, which have been signed by all six littoral Black Sea states,










—


having regard to the Charter of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the aims of which is to improve the policy dialogue and numerous policies in the areas of environmental protection and the exchange of statistical data,










—


having regard to the strategic research and innovation agenda for the Black Sea, which was launched in 2019 and is aimed at advancing a shared vision for a productive, healthy, resilient and sustainable Black Sea by 2030,










—


having regard to the declarations of the high-level conferences on Black Sea fisheries and aquaculture held in Bucharest in 2016 and in Sofia in 2018 (the Sofia Ministerial Declaration),










—


having regard to the high-level Black Sea stakeholder conferences on blue economy in the Black Sea held in Bucharest (2014), Sofia (2015), Odessa (2016) and Batumi (2017),










—


having regard to the 1992 Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (the Bucharest Convention) and its Protocols, to which Bulgaria and Romania are parties and for which the European Union has observer status, and also having regard to the work of the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution on the basis of this convention,










—


having regard to the Ministerial Declaration on the Protection of the Black Sea of 7 April 1993,










—


having regard to the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution’s Black Sea integrated monitoring and assessment program for years 2017-2022 (BSIMAP 2017-2022),










—


having regard to the BlackSea4Fish project, which has the financial support of the EU and an annual budget of around EUR 1 100 000 to ensure the sustainable management of fish stocks in the Black Sea,










—


having regard to the GFCM’s 2018 recommendation on a regional research programme for rapa whelk fisheries in the Black Sea, the aim of which is to provide an estimate of the distribution, abundance, size and age structure of the veined rapa whelk population in the participating countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Georgia and Ukraine),










—


having regard to the report by the Commission’s Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries of 11 December 2020 entitled ‘Assessment of balance indicators for key fleet segments and review of national reports on Member States efforts to achieve balance between fleet capacity and fishing opportunities’,










—


having regard to the 2010 report by Parliament’s Policy Department B entitled ‘Fisheries in the Black Sea’,










—


having regard to the 1995 Food and Agriculture Organization Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries,










—


having regard to the reports of the EU-United Nations Development Programme regional initiative (the EMBLAS-I and EMBLAS-II projects), which helped to strengthen the capacities of three countries (Georgia, Ukraine and Russia) for biological and chemical monitoring of water quality in the Black Sea in line with EU water-related legislation and were implemented between 2013 and 2014 (EMBLAS-I) and 2014 and 2018 (EMBLAS-II) respectively,










—


having regard to the GFCM’s 2009 recommendation on the establishment of a list of vessels presumed to have carried out IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing in the GFCM area of application,










—


having regard to the GFCM Regional Repository of National Legislation (GFCM-Lex), an online platform which currently encompasses national legislation on the conservation of marine living resources and ecosystems in three GFCM countries and which the GFCM is aiming to extend to the whole GFCM area (including the Black Sea) in the future,










—


having regard to the 1979 Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Bern Convention), the 1979 Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity and the 2018 pan-European action plan for sturgeons adopted under the Bern Convention,










—


having regard to GFCM’s 2020 report entitled ‘The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries’,










—


having regard to its resolution of 13 September 2011 on current and future management of Black Sea fisheries (9),










—


having regard to its resolution of 21 January 2021 entitled ‘More fish in the seas? Measures to promote stock recovery above the maximum sustainable yield (MSY), including fish recovery areas and marine protected areas’ (10),










—


having regard to the Black Sea Assistance Mechanism, the aim of which is to provide guidance and support to governments, private investors, trade and industrial associations, research institutions, universities and the general public regarding opportunities to engage in blue economy maritime activities in the Black Sea region,










—


having regard to the EU Black Sea Synergy Initiative, and the three Commission reports on the implementation of the Black Sea Synergy of 19 June 2008 (COM(2008)0391), 20 January 2015 (SWD(2015)0006) and 5 March 2019 (SWD(2019)0100),










—


having regard to the EU strategy for the Danube region, which among other things is aimed at facilitating and coordinating key issues such as biodiversity and socio-economic development in the countries of the Danube River basin,










—


having regard to Rule 54 of its Rules of Procedure,










—


having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A9-0170/2021),










A.


whereas the Black Sea is a semi-enclosed sea which is only connected to an ocean by the Mediterranean via the Marmara and the Aegean Seas and is bordered by six countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia), of which only two are Member States (Bulgaria and Romania);










B.


whereas the Black Sea has undergone dramatic environmental changes since the 1960s, resulting from pressures such as eutrophication, the introduction of invasive species and overfishing;










C.


whereas the environmental regime shifts in the Black Sea were triggered by the depletion of top predators in the pelagic food web and the subsequent reduction of planktivorous fish;










D.


whereas the Black Sea has a large anoxic layer (87 %) and whereas its oxic layer has thinned by 20 to 25 metres over the last 20 years; whereas human actions, such as pollution, habitat destruction and overfishing, led to severe ecosystem degradation in the Black Sea in the 1980s; whereas with the exception of a few anaerobic bacteria, marine life is absent at depths of 50-200 m;










E.


whereas eight species fished in the Black Sea are of major interest to the fishing sector (European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), European sprat (Sprattus sprattus), horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus), turbot (Scophthalmus maximus), whiting (Merlangius merlangus), red mullet (Mullus barbatus), veined rapa whelk (Rapana venosa), piked/spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias)), most of which form part of shared stocks, while two species are subject to quotas — sprat, which has an autonomous quota and turbot, which has a total allowable catch quota set by the GFCM; whereas other species, such as spur-dog (shark), whiting and anchovy remain unprotected; whereas the quota for sprat for 2020-2022 is the same as in 2011, at 11 445 tonnes per year for the EU (8 032,5 tonnes for Bulgaria and 3 442,5 tonnes for Romania), while the EU rate for turbot has increased from 114 to 150 tonnes per year and is divided equally between Bulgaria and Romania;










F.


whereas a system of maximum sustainable yields for economically important species in the Black Sea countries will be beneficial for biodiversity, as well as the sustainability of the fishing sector in the mid- and long-term; whereas Romania has put in place a national quota for species other than the two quoted at EU level — such as veined rapa whelks, mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), gobies (Ponticola cephalargoides), striped venus clams (Chanelea gallina), whiting and piked/spiny dogfish;










G.


whereas, according to 2018 figures, annual fish consumption per capita in Bulgaria (7,00 kg) and Romania (7,99 kg) is well below the EU average (24,36 kg), which can be seen as an opportunity for the local fishing sector to grow;










H.


whereas on average, 91 % of the Black Sea fishing fleets of all six littoral countries consist of small vessels; whereas almost 95 % of the Bulgarian fleet and 87 % of the Romanian fleet fall into this category;










I.


whereas, according to the GFCM, the small-scale sector in the Black Sea has a substantial by-catch of vulnerable shark and ray species and marine mammals, such as dolphins and porpoises;










J.


whereas small-scale fishing is characteristic of the Black Sea and Lower Danube regions;










K.


whereas IUU fishing vessels are operating in the Black Sea and the littoral states have little capacity to monitor fishing operations; whereas according to the latest available GFCM data from 4-8 November 2019, 65 vessels have been identified as IUU fishing vessels;










L.


whereas the EMFF allocated more than EUR 88 million to Bulgaria and more than EUR 168 million to Romania for 2014-2020; whereas the absorption rates of both countries, according to the latest available information from 31 December 2020, remain among the lowest in the EU, with Bulgaria having spent only 36,34 % of the allocated funding and Romania having spent only 33,72 %; whereas lower absorption rates could translate into missed opportunities for the fishing communities in these countries;










M.


whereas the Black Sea Advisory Council is operational and participates in the development of EU policies on Black Sea fishing; whereas fisheries management for the Black Sea is performed by the GFCM;










N.


whereas the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution acts on the mandate of the Black Sea countries (Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine), which signed and shortly thereafter ratified the Bucharest Convention; whereas this convention requires all contracting parties to prevent, reduce and control pollution in the Black Sea in order to protect and preserve this marine environment;










O.


whereas climate change is contributing to an increase in the air temperature in the Black Sea region, which has an impact on the sea temperature and consequently affects biodiversity and marine species; whereas this change has an impact on the fishing sector as the resources it depends on are affected;










P.


whereas the Commission has proposed the European Green Deal and the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, which lay the groundwork for legislative packages changing the acquis communataire in relation to the environment; whereas this would create new opportunities and measures to better integrate environmental aspects in sectoral policies, restore species and habitats and promote more environmentally friendly investments and policies;










Q.


whereas the Black Sea’s characteristics, such as its large drainage basin, make it a particularly sensitive area for marine litter pollution and microplastic accumulation; whereas according to the report drawn up as part of the EMBLAS-Plus project on the Black Sea, it contains almost twice as much waste as the Mediterranean Sea, which undoubtedly has consequences for biodiversity, fish stocks and the fishing sector;










R.


whereas the Black Sea has three endemic sub-species of cetaceans — the Black Sea common dolphin (Delphinus delphis ponticus), the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus ponticus) and the Black Sea harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena relicta) — all of which are classified as endangered species and two of which — the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin and the Black Sea harbour porpoise — are covered by the Habitats Directive; whereas all of these are carnivores which feed mainly on fish;










S.


whereas the veined rapa whelk is considered to be an invasive species without natural enemies in the Black Sea, which poses a serious threat to the populations of other organisms; whereas at the same time it has become an important source of income and is a target species for commercial fishing vessels;










T.


whereas the Black Sea ecosystem depends on major European rivers such as the Danube for water inflow; whereas this dependency creates a close link between the ecological status of the Danube and other rivers and the ecological status of the Black Sea; whereas these rivers transport large amounts of natural and anthropogenic debris from inland sources; whereas both the Danube and the Black Sea are home to certain species, including sturgeon (Acipenseriformes) and Pontic shads (Alosa immaculata);










U.


whereas factors such as the degradation of the habitat of these species, disruption of their migration corridors, their over-exploitation for caviar and their flesh, and pollution, have brought Danube and Black Sea sturgeon to the verge of extinction; whereas, due to the drastic reduction in the number of reproductive sturgeons, this species can only very rarely breed in the wild nowadays; whereas both the Danube and the Black Sea once had large populations of sturgeon;










V.


whereas the drastic decrease in the number of spawners, which is associated with population decline, is causing natural reproduction to fail by reducing the chances of the few remaining male and female sturgeons to meet and spawn;










W.


whereas data held by research institutes indicate that populations of sturgeon species are fragmented and missing certain generations, that the natural reproduction of species of sturgeon is deficient, that the number of adults migrating to the Danube for reproduction is extremely low and that five sturgeon species (sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), starry sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus), European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) and beluga sturgeon (Huso huso)) are on the verge of extinction, while the ship sturgeon (Acipenser nudiventris) is already considered extinct;










X.


whereas the EU fishing sector already applies high standards, which need to be reviewed and adjusted in order to ensure environmental and social sustainability along the entire value chain, including labour rights and animal health and welfare, and provide high-quality fishery products;










Y.


whereas the recreational fishing sector can provide opportunities such as activity or income diversification, while being compatible with environmental objectives, given that recreational angling is a very selective form of fishing;










Z.


whereas the COVID-19 pandemic is having a serious impact on the Black Sea fishing sector; whereas analyses have shown that the fishing sector in the Black Sea has suffered drastically during the pandemic, with the work of the operating ships having been reduced by up to 80 %, on top of an initial reduction of around 75 % of production;










AA.


whereas the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of fisheries and aquaculture in ensuring access to food;






Status of stocks of Black Sea species of major economic importance










1.


Underlines the high strategic and geopolitical stakes in the Black Sea basin due, among other things, to the very specific environmental conditions, which demand special attention, a tailored approach, ambitious environmental standards and collective actions aimed at achieving a sustainable blue economy and growth; stresses the need to further strengthen and deepen cooperation among the littoral Black Sea countries with a view to efficiently managing fish stocks and meeting challenges, including through the GFCM; calls in this regard for a regional capacity plan ensuring an appropriate balance among available natural resources, environmental safety and the maintenance of the fleet capacity of all Black Sea littoral countries;












2.


Points out that the Sofia Ministerial Declaration of 7 June 2018 already emphasised the need for a collaborative approach to fishing-related issues in the Black Sea, such as the sustainability of marine resources, improving data collection and tackling IUU fishing; calls on the Commission to publish a report on the implementation of the Sofia Ministerial Declaration;












3.


Highlights the fact that cooperation on an equal footing in the field of fisheries management is needed in the Black Sea region because of the shared stocks and global challenges, which go beyond national borders;












4.


Highlights the fact that for the Mediterranean and Black Seas, all but one of the 65 fleet segments for which the so-called sustainable harvest indicator could be calculated were out of balance in 2018;












5.


Stresses the importance of promoting measures to support the collection and processing of scientific data;












6.


Urges the inclusion of all Black Sea countries in the GFCM-Lex project in order to facilitate the common management of fish stocks and coordinate it in a better and faster way;












7.


Is concerned that after decades of increasing human pressure on the Black Sea marine and Danube River ecosystems and fisheries resources, the latest data suggest that only one stock (sprat) is considered to be sustainably exploited and that other fish stocks are overfished, to the extent that some of them are close to depletion; notes that there have been some positive trends in the past years for some stocks, for example turbot, for which the total allowable catch quota has been increased for 2020-2022, but that there is no significant improvement on a general level for the Black Sea yet; stresses that all stock developments of Black Sea turbot and sprat stocks have to be accompanied by continued protective measures such as management plans;












8.


Recognises the role of the administrations in the whole Black Sea basin, which have different policies, carry out monitoring, control and sustainable management, and contribute to improving the sustainability of the fishing sector;












9.


Calls on the Bulgarian and Romanian authorities to help the sector by securing resources specifically targeted at improving the selectivity of the fishing vessels through better mesh nets; believes that such a targeted measure will reduce the quantities and varieties of unwanted by-catch;












10.


Calls for the institutional and human capital of the Black Sea littoral countries to be integrated for joint research and applied activities aimed at improving the biological resources of the Black Sea and the stocks of the economically important species;












11.


Stresses that the lack of sufficient information on fishing activity, catch quantity, catch composition and its impact on the current state of the fish stocks is a critical issue for the Black Sea region; underlines, therefore, the need for sufficient funding for scientific bodies researching stocks of fish species in the Black Sea, including migratory species such as sturgeon and Black Sea shads, endangered cetaceans and non-fish species (veined rapa whelks, mussels, etc.), as well as linked parameters for the marine ecosystem; demands increased cooperation between Member States on control matters using relevant digital technologies and specific mandatory scientific instruments such as onboard cameras or mandatory onboard observers, where applicable and in line with applicable EU legislation;












12.


Welcomes the regional research programme on the population of the veined rapa whelk initiated by the GFCM as it will help reach a consensus on the species; believes that this will help to develop science-based exploitation, which could bring socio-economic profits to communities and environmental benefits for the Black Sea ecosystem by limiting the impact of this invasive species;












13.


Stresses the importance of introducing a zero-tolerance policy towards IUU fishing in the Black Sea; welcomes the efforts of the GFCM in this regard and urges all littoral states to make and combine efforts to end IUU fishing in their waters;












14.


Urges all littoral states to promote sustainable fishing, which, among other things, includes combating overfishing and/or eliminating by-catch of endangered species, such as sturgeon, shads and others;












15.


Urges all intergovernmental institutions and organs, together with all Black Sea littoral states, among others, to facilitate and monitor their fisheries resources, and in line with their commitments, to share data on them in a thorough and inclusive manner in order to ensure the high ecosystem status of these marine habitats;












16.


Recalls that reliable official statistics, collected regularly through a harmonised methodology among all littoral states, regular monitoring and common regulatory measures are crucial to the success of proper fisheries management in the Black Sea; calls, in this regard, on the respective authorities in both Member States and the cooperating countries to conduct regular and thorough research on the fish resources for which national funding and aid is key;












17.


Stresses the need for local and regional communication cooperation within the different Black Sea littoral states, so that a common and coherent approach to the management of the fish stocks can be executed;












18.


Recalls the potential that new technologies provide and the high added value for the research and planning of fisheries management they can have; recalls that there are projects funded through the EMFF which aim, among other things, at mapping the sea bottom and its research as well as the presence of plastics in it;












19.


Urges the Black Sea littoral states to invest in the digitalisation of statistics and data on the fish stocks in the Black Sea basin in order to make it possible to manage those stocks in a better and more sustainable way; calls for a common methodology on tabling and using this data;












20.


Calls on the fishing industry in the region to consider making use of underrated and unused fish stocks, which are also sources of protein;












21.


Invites the scientific communities in the Member States to research the potential of an oxygen-free environment;












22.


Highlights the role of the non-governmental sector in the decision-making process vis-à-vis the Black Sea; recommends that a mechanism to include the non-governmental sector in this process be set up;












23.


Welcomes the support that was provided to the fishing and aquaculture sectors through the EMFF programmes in order to mitigate the damaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local fishing sector; recalls, however, that not all affected stakeholders could benefit from that support due to administrative requirements and limitations, which has put some in a more unfavourable situation than others;












24.


Underlines the important work that the Black Sea Advisory Council does at both the regional and EU level in providing expertise on the fishing sector and the trends that affect it; calls, in this regard, on the Bulgarian and Romanian authorities to contribute to the functioning of the council to help it to fulfil its functions and also to allow all stakeholders, including small-scale fishers, to take part in the council’s work and decision-making process;






Trade aspects










25.


Stresses that through the fishing sector, seafood can be offered for sale on local markets where consumption rates for such products are low; invites the competent authorities in Bulgaria and Romania to help the fishing and aquaculture sectors to increase awareness about local consumption and the cumulative positive effects sustainable fishing and aquaculture have for the local economy;












26.


Recognises and underlines that Black Sea fisheries make a significant contribution to regional and local economies by generating direct revenue and income, driving wider spending and providing crucial jobs either independently or via cooperation with other sectors such as tourism and transport; calls for cooperation to be strengthened among all sectors that use the marine environment in order to achieve better results and a better balance between the interests of the environment, industry and small-scale fishers;












27.


Recalls that imported products have reduced the popularity of traditionally prepared products and driven their price below the limit of profitability, thereby jeopardising traditional fish-based business models;












28.


Recalls that the fishing fleet of the Black Sea comprises mostly small-scale fishing vessels, which underlines the need for more tailor-made approaches to and policies on this segment of the fishing sector; is worried that small-scale fishers have more unstable and lower incomes compared to those working in other sectors, which makes them vulnerable to unforeseen developments or crises; calls on the competent authorities in the littoral Member States to involve representatives of the small-scale fishing sector in the policy draft and discussions in a transparent and inclusive manner;












29.


Points out that there is rising global demand for protein, to which both the fishing and aquaculture sectors can make a significant contribution; considers that supporting marine aquaculture could help the sector develop and grow in the years to come and could also reduce the pressure on wild fish stocks; is of the opinion that sustainable aquaculture would also require further scientific research on issues such as density and side effects, which need to be taken into account when designing policies for the aquaculture sector in the Black Sea;












30.


Calls on local fishing communities to consider introducing designations of origin for Black Sea products coming from areas of regional or local importance; calls on the local and regional authorities to help these communities in their efforts to do so;






A targeted policy for the sector










31.


Calls on the Member States in the region to consider supporting the sector through its inclusion in their national programmes for 2021-2027 or other national instruments and allocations for campaigns dedicated to the benefits of fish consumption and the importance of sustainable fishing, to support the sector by creating local food chains to facilitate easier access to the market, especially for small-scale fishers, and to develop, improve or facilitate the building of fishery infrastructure (e.g. fish markets or fish auction houses etc.) where applicable; calls on the Member States in the region to invest more in the implementation, monitoring and enforcement of EU environmental and fisheries legislation;












32.


Urges the competent authorities in Romania and Bulgaria to include in their respective European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund operational programmes for 2021-2027 an instalment of a targeted scheme for young fishers in order to rejuvenate the fishing sector, including grants for first-time buyers of a first fishing vessel, and also measures targeted at reducing pollution by providing grants for the replacement of old fishing vessel engines with new more environmentally friendly ones;












33.


Underlines that the pressure to adapt to new challenges should not fall solely on the fishing and aquaculture sectors, as they already apply high environmental and social standards; insists, therefore, that other marine activities should also be focused on, such as recreational fishing, coastal tourism, harbour and shipping activities and resource exploitation activities, which need to raise their standards to ensure a successful blue transition;












34.


Stresses the role of fisheries local action groups in exchanging and promoting best practices of interest for the sciences, local stakeholders and industry among members of the respective fishing communities, and also through international cooperation; urges the competent authorities in Bulgaria and Romania to provide national support for the exchange of best practices with the other Black Sea littoral states, which have good practices in stock management for economically important species such as turbot;












35.


Notes the necessity of preserving good practices in the fishing sector by reducing economic burdens for small-scale fishers and their associations;












36.


Calls for training and education in the sector at both secondary and higher education level to be made more attractive through, for example, targeted information campaigns and open days for prospective students in cooperation with the public and private sector;












37.


Recalls that the low education level of fishers (11 % of Bulgarian fishers and 53 % of Romanian fishers have a lower education level than a secondary school diploma) requires proactive measures on different levels in order to ensure that there is a skilled and well-trained labour force which is familiar with the necessary technical, social and environmental standards, and will help to achieve better levels of sustainability of stocks; calls for a strong societal dimension in the Black Sea region’s sustainable blue growth with respect to key principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, especially with regard to precarious, seasonal and undeclared workers and to the access of women to the sector;












38.


Welcomes the efforts to establish demonstration centres in Romania, Turkey and Bulgaria in cooperation with the GFCM, which have the potential to increase the attractiveness of fisheries for local businesses and stakeholders;












39.


Calls for the full and urgent implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive;






Environment, biodiversity and climate change










40.


Calls for targeted measures and adequate resources to reduce pollution and by-catch of vulnerable elasmobranchs (such as the piked dogfish) and marine mammals, and for a rapid stepping-up of efforts to safeguard the environment and biodiversity throughout the basin through joint programmes and budgets, drawing in particular on the financial resources available under the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund; calls for extensive research on and estimates of plastic pollution and the effects of plastics and other pollutants on living organisms in the Black Sea; calls for the systematic measurement of nitrogen pollution in the Black Sea basin; calls, furthermore, for basin-wide surveys to allow comparisons of marine litter composition and accumulation within and between countries to be made;












41.


Recalls that the fishing and aquaculture sectors are not causing temperature rises and climate change, but rather are suffering from their consequences, such as an increased air temperature, which increases the temperature in the upper layers of the sea;












42.


Calls for the swift setting up of monitoring networks and programmes capable of systematically measuring the state of the environment of the Black Sea, as required by the Bucharest Convention;












43.


Stresses the importance of measures to prevent IUU fishing; urges the littoral states to take a tougher stance on IUU fishing in the Black Sea;












44.


Calls on the Black Sea littoral states to invest in scientific research and data collection on the effects of climate change on the Black Sea and Lower Danube ecosystems; recalls that this should include providing enough resources to the scientific community to conduct on-the-spot research on migratory routes, wintering, feeding and reproductive maturity, which will also have an effect on the characteristics and availability of stocks;












45.


Emphasises that the reduction of land-based pollution is crucial to reduce both eutrophication and the presence of harmful substances affecting the status of living marine resources;












46.


Stresses the importance of marine protected areas (MPAs) in preserving biodiversity and halting or restoring the current loss in the marine environment, and stresses that MPAs are designed to protect habitats of high ecological value; stresses that in order to delineate such areas, socio-economic studies and compensatory solutions for members of coastal communities are necessary; considers that the implementation of any MPA should be based on the best available knowledge in coordination with all stakeholders, such as local authorities, the scientific community and fishers’ organisations;












47.


Is very concerned by the real threat of extinction facing the remaining five sturgeon species in the Black Sea and Danube Delta basin; acknowledges the efforts undertaken by the authorities in Bulgaria and Romania, which introduced complete bans on sturgeon fishing in the Black Sea in 2008 and in the Danube River in 2011, and have just prolonged them for five more years (until 2026); welcomes the efforts to restock these areas with sturgeon, which have been undertaken and supported by experts from non-governmental and state structures and which should be continuously monitored; believes that efforts should also involve aquaculture facilities; calls on all littoral states to introduce strict sturgeon conservation measures and restocking programmes for the whole Black Sea;












48.


Is concerned that the research on climate change and its effects on the Black Sea is not sufficient, and will still be crucial in the years to come; calls on the littoral states to fund such research, covering fish species (their physiology, migratory routes and reproduction) and changes in their food chain, which have an effect on stocks;












49.


Is of the opinion that regular measurements of the dynamics of stocks is necessary for the design of adequate management measures; recalls that due to overfishing and anthropogenic pressure, the stocks of economically significant species are more sensitive and vulnerable to climate change;












50.


Urges the respective monitoring authorities to monitor NATURA 2000 sites and MPAs in the Black Sea effectively;












51.


Invites the Member States to develop ex situ farming of sturgeon aimed at restocking the local population for non-commercial purposes; invites the Member States to provide retraining programmes and access to other livelihoods for sturgeon fishers, with the aim of reducing illegal catch levels;












52.


Invites the Member States to support the creation of migration passes that allow sturgeon and other migratory species to cross the dams at Porțile de Fier (Iron Gates) and Gabčíkovo;












53.


Stresses the urgent need to establish areas in which wild populations of sturgeon, shads and other fish species can recover; calls on the competent authorities in the Member States concerned to come up with a proposal in this direction, which will be beneficial both for biodiversity conservation and fisheries management;












54.


Invites the Member States to explore the possibility of becoming signatories to the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean in order to align the objectives for species and habitat protection set out therein with the objectives of the Bucharest Convention;












55.


Recalls that further scientific research on the population of some molluscs such as the striped venus clam (Chamalea gallina) is needed in order to better map the distribution of the species and also explore the possibility of using it for marine aquaculture;












56.


Invites the Black Sea littoral states to develop a common approach on helping cetaceans to reach stable population levels and improving their conservation status; calls for targeted measures such as acoustic deterrent devices and other adequate resources to improve the status of endangered species in the Black Sea, such as dolphins;












57.


Calls on the Commission and the competent authorities in Bulgaria and Romania to provide funding for research on the state of the Black Sea shads (Alosa spp.) currently listed in Annex V of the Habitats Directive, including scientific and socio-economic analyses assessing the need to move it to Annex II or even Annex I of the directive, if the necessary criteria are met;












58.


Calls on the Commission to urgently consider transferring the sturgeon, which is currently listed in Annex V of the Habitats Directive to Annex II or even Annex I;






Practical action










59.


Calls on the Commission to explore whether a multi-annual management plan similar to those in place in other sea basins could be introduced for the Black Sea;












60.


Notes that every year, in its communication on the state of play of the common fisheries policy and its consultation on fishing opportunities, the Commission reports that stocks in the Black Sea are being overfished; considers, therefore, that urgent action needs to be taken to improve the situation;












61.


Calls on the Commission to assess the state of play with regard to the implementation of the common fisheries policy in the Black Sea, paying particular attention to how coastal Member States used the 2014-2020 EMFF to ensure that stocks were managed sustainably and that biodiversity was improved;




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62.


Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the governments and parliaments of Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Georgia, the Republic of Turkey, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution.






(1)  OJ L 336, 30.12.2019, p. 14.

(2)  OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 22.

(3)  OJ L 164, 25.6.2008, p. 19.

(4)  OJ L 164, 20.6.2019, p. 1.

(5)  OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.

(6)  OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 135.

(7)  OJ L 149, 20.5.2014, p. 1.

(8)  Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0076.

(9)  OJ C 51 E, 22.2.2013, p. 37.

(10)  Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0017.