The STREAMLINE grant, titled “Streamlining the establishment of regional work plans in the Mediterranean and Black Sea,” has successfully completed its objectives, paving the way for coordinated regional work on fisheries data collection. The project, which involved fifteen institutes, as partners and supporters, from ten EU Member States in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, (CIBM, COISPA, HCMR, IFREMER, CSIC-IEO, NISEA, NIMRD, IO-BAS, DFMR, IOF, EAFA, CNR-IRBIM, MAFA-DFA, FRIS, FRI), was conducted from December 2020 to December 2022.
The primary goal of STREAMLINE was to draft Regional Work Plans (RWPs) for the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, and it made significant progress in collaboration with the Regional Coordination Group for the Mediterranean and Black Sea (RCG Med & BS). The project culminated in the submission of a non-binding RWP to the European Commission in October 2022, for review by the STECF EWG 22-18.
The non-binding RWP for 2023 included essential elements aimed at improving fisheries data collection and management:
- Regional coordination for sampling marine recreational fisheries (Text Box 2.4)
- Regional coordination for sampling plan for biological data (Text Box 2.5)
- Regional coordination for Research surveys at sea (Text Box 2.6 and Table 2.6)
- Regional coordination for monitoring the incidental catches of sensitive species (Text Box 4.2)
- Demersal fish stomach contents collection and analysis (Text Box 4.3 and Table 4.1)
The Final Report of the STREAMLINE grant has been approved by the Contracting Authority, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), in March 2023.
Although the STREAMLINE grant has concluded, its work will continue through intersessional efforts involving various groups. These groups will collaborate to submit a finalized RWP in October 2023, to be assessed by STECF EWG 23-16 during their meeting from 23rd to 27th October 2023. The groups involved in this next phase are:
- ISSG/Workshop on recreational fisheries RWP
- ISSG/Workshop on PETs bycatch monitoring RWP
- ISSG/Workshop on RWP on fish stomachs collection and analysis
- ISSG on RWPs, which will oversee the decision-making process for developing RWPs.
The successful completion of the STREAMLINE project and the availability of the Final Report mark significant progress towards improved regional fisheries data collection and management in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. These efforts will contribute to sustainable and informed decision-making for the future of the marine ecosystem in the region.
For more information about the STREAMLINE project and its outcomes, please visit the project website.
About STREAMLINE: STREAMLINE (Streamlining the establishment of regional work plans in the Mediterranean and Black Sea) was a collaborative project involving fourteen partners from ten EU Member States. The project drafted a non-binding Regional Work Plans for 2023 for improved fisheries data collection and management in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, facilitating regional coordination and decision-making processes. The project ran from December 2020 to December 2022 and it was funded under the EU Call for Proposals MARE/2020/08.