Mediterranean Echo
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
© Wild Wonders o Xxxxxx xxxx F e urope /Zankl / WWF NEWSLETTER December 2012 Mediterranean echo Newsletter of the WWF Mediterranean Programme • Issue 11 Generate a sea change in Mediterranean marine management • Build a future for Mediterranean landscapes • Secure Mediterranean water resources • Equip Mediterranean ecosystems to adapt to climate change a victory for tuna and a great exaMple for sustainable fisheries ManageMent On the occasion of World Fisheries Day (21 November) it is vital for WWF to reflect upon a recent victory, and the long and arduous journey towards this success. One of the most threatened fish in the world, the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna, could now be on the road to recovery, helped by decision makers who decided to stick to scientific advice when establishing fishing quotas for 2013. WWF celebrated the first positive signs of bluefin tuna stock increase revealed in a recent scientific assessment by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and the fact that, in spite of these first recovery signs, decision makers attending the 2012 ICCAT meeting in November in Agadir (Morocco) decided to strictly follow this scientific advice by setting quotas for the next two years, a neccessary step to achieve the sustainable management of the species. Since 2001, WWF has worked hard to influence the management, trade and consumption patterns of Atlantic bluefin tuna to avert collapse and allow this species to fully recover. We never lost faith in the possibility of saving the most hopeless of fisheries. Seeing what we see today means that all our efforts are finally paying off to give a future to bluefin tuna. We would like this recovery of Atlantic bluefin tuna to become a case study for sustainable fisheries management in the world and call on the EU to follow this example by implementing management plans with a clear timeframe for recovery within its ongoing reform of the EU Fisheries policy. Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries, WWF-Mediterranean © F. Bassemayousse/© F. WWF mediterranean 100th electronic tag deployed on Mediterranean bluefin tuna Since 2008, WWF has been tagging bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and recently deployed electronic tag number 100. Through tagging WWF Mediterranean is studyiing the tuna’s migratory behavior, biology and ecology. It was previously thought that tuna were going back and forth between Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, but according to tagging results such a pattern is not systematic. WWF has also discovered previously unknown feeding areas in the western Mediterranean basin. With more field tagging work, WWF can continue to fill the gaps in what we know about bluefin tuna and increase the chances of the long-term survival of this emblematic fish by better advising fisheries managers. The entire procedure, from hauling the fish on board to its release, takes barely 3 minutes. [email protected] 1 Generate a sea change in Mediterranean marine management bluefin tuna links Watch our latest video and follow the tuna tagging: mediterranean.panda.org/about/ marine/bluefin_tuna/science_in_ action/ See WWF’s report on unreported bluefin tuna trade through Panama: mediterranean.panda.org/?206573/ Panama-trading-in-unreported- SOCIAL BENEFITS bluefin-tuna • awareness • equity • culture USEFUL LESSONS FOR PARTICIPATORY MANAGEMENT PLANNING MPA Not a compendium of guidelines € or recommendations, but a ECONOMIC ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS BENEFITS practical tool for managers, • tourism • refuges NGOs and practitioners involved • fisheries • biodiversity • jobs • resilience in management planning for all protected areas. Making Marine Protected Areas work: lessons learned in the Mediterranean includes case studies from 9 MPAs in Algeria, Croatia, Libya, Marine reserves an antidote to the crisis in the Mediterranean Tunisia, and Turkey. It provides useful examples on how to address For the first time in the Mediterranean, 300 key players involved in common challenges and showcase marine environment conservation met to discuss and develop a joint solutions based on activities, work programme to improve the protection of the Mediterranean Sea. achievements and the experiences The 2012 Forum of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean (25-28 of stakeholders involved in the November 2012 in Antalya, Turkey) is a joint initiative of the Network of MedPAN South Project. Launched Marine Protected Areas Managers in the Mediterranean (MedPAN) and and shared among the marine its partners, including WWF, to develop a concrete plan to protect 10% of conservation community during the the surface of the Mediterranean through an effective network of Marine MPA Forum at the end of November, Protected Areas, by 2020. Public support is instrumental in boosting the the booklet is available in English, designation of marine reserves and their effective management. WWF French and Arabic at: launched an online petition asking Mediterranean government leaders to increase protection of the Mediterranean through a greater commitment www.panda.org/msp to MPAs towards the achievement of the 10% protection target. The petition has obtained more than 22,000 signatures over the last 4 months [email protected] and was presented at the MPA Forum to key decision makers. WWF believes MPAs can be an antidote to the current socioeconomic crisis, being an investment in the Mediterranean region’s future. [email protected] imagine... ...a colossal fin whale plunging deep into the Mediterranean’s azure depths, 22,098 people gulping down soupy, bus-sized mouthfuls of krill. Another hunt takes place above water, as local fishermen haul in sardines with special gear that eliminates accidental bycatch. Divers and tourists marvel at large groupers We count on you to spread the word. Please participate and share the hiding behind rocks and metre-tall pen shells dotting lush meadows of campaign within your own networks: posidonia. This is what life in the Med could be. MPAs can help us get there. www.panda.org/med_mpa © G. Yb arra / WWF-Canon 2 Generate a sea change in Mediterranean marine management european parliament supports global The Ayvalik Islands Nature Park expert advice on protecting marine sustainable fisheries practices consists of 20 islands which mammals received legal protected area status The EU is a major player in global in 1995. In recent years, the area The latest step in the “Thalassa: fisheries. The impacts of its fleets has become a popular tourist Learn, Act, Protect campaign”, in waters around the world are destination with its beautiful run by WWF Greece and MΟm substantial, contributing to 85% coastline and splendid nature. the Society for the Study and of global fish stocks that are either Many divers are attracted by its Protection of the Mediterranean fully or overexploited. Around red coral reefs, endemic to the Monk Seal, involves a series of 25% of the EU fleet operates in Mediterranean. seminars targeting a wide range of waters outside the EU and has a stakeholders. Participants (those [email protected] substantial impact. The European involved in marine mammal External fisheries policy, then, 4th national Marine turtle symposium conservation) are carefully selected has a tremendous effect on world in turkey and have included the National fisheries. WWF congratulates the Coast Guard, managers of protected European Parliament for voting in Those involved in marine turtle areas and local authorities. favour of the external dimension conservation in Turkey and the Participants are encouraged to report of the Common Fisheries Mediterranean had an important share their professional experience, Policy (CFP) on 22 November. opportunity recently to examine suggestions and proposals. An ambitious CFP reform, which threats to marine turtle nesting, Seminars for cadets and future external dimension policy is part of, feeding, breeding and migration captains of both the Mercantile can provide a secure future for fish sites. The 4th National Marine and the Military Marine Academies and fishermen in Europe and the Turtle Symposium, held in October concentrate on how to identify rest of the world. At the beginning in Canakkale, Turkey, provided sperm whales and fin whales, of November WWF presented a review of marine turtle studies the most common victims of 150,000 signatures to the European and information on effective collisions with vessels. To raise Parliament from citizens across conservation techniques, successful the awareness of decision makers Europe demanding healthy oceans examples and an update of the on the need for effective marine and sustainable fishing practices. National Species Action Plan mammal conservation, the Thalassa [email protected] for Marine Turtles. There were project also includes seminars for fisheries and rescue/rehabilitation government officials, Members of © WWF/ workshops, and support for existing Parliament and Members of the e networks on local, national and European Parliament. Sc a international levels. More than www.thalassa-project.gr G netti 150 participants attended. The 5th National Marine Turtle Symposium will be held in 2014 in Adana, Turkey. [email protected] © H. YOKES 508 marine species identified at / WWF- ayvalik islands nature park TURKEY WWF-Turkey is conducting a marine biodiversity survey at the Ayvalik Islands Natural Park, on the North Aegean coast of Turkey. Field studies have identified 508 marine species so far. The goal of the project, a collaborative effort with the General Directorate