Scaling up science for effective fisheries management

The Fish Forum unites scientists, fishers, stakeholders, researchers, engineers, academics, practitioners, managers and decision-makers from international organizations, administrations, institutions and universities, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, in view of continued and accelerated progress towards ensuring sustainable fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. All participants had the opportunity to submit abstracts, take part in side events, open stands or simply attend the sessions and discussions.

Dates and location

Following the success of the first edition held in 2018, the second Fish Forum took place in February 2024, in Türkiye. It consisted of plenary sessions with keynote speakers and thematic sessions with scientists from the region presenting cutting-edge research.


Background

In December 2018, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized the first ever Fish Forum at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. This five-day event was the first of its kind for the region, encompassing perspectives on fisheries research from oceanographic, social science and economic standpoints. It gathered more than 450 participants from around the world, including scientists, researchers, engineers, academics, practitioners, managers and decision-makers, as well as 30 technical partners from international organizations and non-governmental organizations, other private sector stakeholders, and fishers.

The Fish Forum complements the GFCM 2030 Strategy for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, in particular Output 2 of Target 5, which aims to promote technical cooperation and boost scientific research and innovation by filling gaps in knowledge regarding specific cross-cutting themes and capitalizing on existing knowledge and research, as well as on scientific collaboration and best practices in fisheries and aquaculture, by consolidating technical networks and promoting the role of the GFCM.

The importance of the Fish Forum has been recognized by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly as an example of an efficient interface between science and policymaking. Similarly, it gained recognition for implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030), as well as for promoting strong cooperation with key international organizations. Its success has inspired similar events at the global level, such as the International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability: Strengthening the Science- Policy Nexus, which was held by FAO in November 2019.



As was firmly underlined in the Fish Forum 2018 conclusions, this type of platform is much-needed to promote discussions and interactions among scientists and policymakers towards producing strong scientific advice.