The adoption of a common regional strategy for the development of small scale fisheries (SSF) in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region were recommended on March 9th, 2016 in Algiers at the end of the regional conference of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).
In this context, the participants in the three-day allocated to this important meeting called for the establishment of a technical assistance program in favor of the least developed countries in these two regions. An approach that should be preceded by the launch of a socio-economic study to collect data to identify the precise contribution of small scale fisheries (SSF) to the economy of each country.
The recommendations also include the need to involve fishermen in the management of protected marine areas and to promote intersectoral cooperation to ensure the safeguarding and development of small scale fisheries (SSF) as a profession, but also as an activity beneficial to the country's economy. Facilitating access to bank loans was one of the points defended by the experts of the GFCM, who advocate in parallel launching public programs for financing small-scale fishermen.