The inventory of Artisanal Fishery Communities in the Western and Central Mediterranean
FAO-Copemed Project Activity — 1999 - 2000
This study refers to the Western and Central Mediterranean covering the FAO-COPEMED Project countries: Algeria, France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia.
The need to improve our knowledge of the artisanal sector has been underlined on many occasions. This sector involves many countries, encompasses many fishing gear and methods, its resources, which move from one area to another, are shared among various parties, and the size of the fish catch varies from country to country, as does its economical value. It is recognised that Artisanal fisheries carry an uncontested economical and social importance, both at family and local level, and that their interaction with other sectors of activities calls for special attention.
Only an in-depth knowledge of these fisheries, the resources they exploit, and their interaction with the other economic components in the same area, will enable a modern and effective management. Therefore, it is extremely important to systematically collect, store, document and disseminate all the basic information concerning Artisanal Fisheries for the whole Region
The COPEMED Project, through this initiative, offers the possibility of initiating a programme of work to study this sector in depth within its area of competence. This programme is being undertaken with the co-ordination of, and in consultation with, an international team provided by the FAO-Copemed project and covers distinct themes (statistics, biology, economics, management). National staff is being used as much as possible in order to improve national competence in this field.
This activity is co-ordinated by
Salvatore Coppola, Fishery Resources Officer
FAO - Fisheries Department
Rome HQs.
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For full documentation see :
