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Conclusions of the Advisory Board Meetings
- Meeting held on 19 October 2023
- Meeting held on 19 April 2023
- Meeting held on 24 October 2022
- Meeting held on 4 April 2022
- Meeting held on 8 October 2021
- Meeting held on 15 April 2021
- Meeting held on 9 October 2020
- Meeting held on 17 March 2020
- Meeting held on 21 October 2019
- Meeting held on 27 February 2019
- Meeting held on 9 October 2018
- Meeting held on 23 February 2018
- Meeting held on 20 September 2017
- Meeting held on 3 March 2017
In addition to other learning materials, the EFCA has developed an e-learning platform for the training of fisheries inspectors (including from non-EU countries), Union inspectors, and Fisheries monitoring centres’ operators.
The e-learning modules and other training material such as video tutorials are now available in various languages on the EFCA e-learning platform under:
https://training.efca.europa.eu/
Member States, European Commission and other EU-Agencies officials are invited to register by using their professional e-mail address and by generating their own password.
This short video will give you an overview of the content and learning possibilities offered by the EFCA e-learning platform.
Improved regional fisheries governance in western Africa (PESCAO)
The project ‘Improved regional fisheries governance in western Africa (PESCAO)’ was adopted by Commission Decision C(2017) 2951 of 28 April 2017.
Overall objective
The overall objective is to enhance the contribution of fisheries resources to sustainable development, food security and poverty alleviation in west Africa. The specific objective is to improve regional fisheries governance in the region through better coordination of national fisheries policies.
Expected results
The expected results or outputs are as follows:
Result 1: A west African fisheries and aquaculture policy is developed and coordination of regional stakeholders is improved.
Result 2: Prevention of and responses to IUU fishing are strengthened through improved monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) at national and regional levels.
Result 3: Marine resources management at the regional level is improved, building resilience of marine and coastal ecosystems to perturbations.
Contribution of EFCA
The agency will support the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC/CSRP) and the Fisheries Committee for the West Central of Gulf of Guinea (FCWC/CPCO) in attaining the second result, including the specific results indicated below.
Result 2: Prevention of and responses to IUU fishing are strengthened through improved monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) at national and regional levels.
- Result 2.1. Fisheries’ legal frameworks are harmonised and consistent with international standards to ensure proper fight against IUU fishing.
- Result 2.2. Cooperation between countries, administrations and organisations is facilitated.
- Result 2.3. Infrastructure and equipment of a regional centre for MCS is improved as well as linkage with national MCS structures.
- Result 2.4. Countries’ and regional fisheries bodies’ (RFB’s) capacities in operational MCS are strengthened, along with their ability to sustain this in the long term through enhanced training programmes.
- Result 2.5. Joint regional fisheries/patrol missions are organised in the Gulf of Guinea.
- Result 2.6. A network of regional observers is set up to improve the monitoring of the industrial fleet operating in the region.
Duration and regional scope
The duration of the EFCA contract for implementing this project is 5 years (January 2018 to December 2022) and it covers the SRFC/CSRP and FCWC/CPCO areas. Actions will be carried out in close cooperation with these two organisations and will specifically target 13 countries that are members: Benin, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
Leaflet Contribution of the European Fisheries Control Agency to “Improved Regional Fisheries Governance in Western Africa" in EN, FR and PT.
7th Administrative Board meeting (13 March)
On 13 March the Administrative Board of the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) will hold its 7th meeting. Among the decisions to be taken are changes in the budget and the work programme to cater for the Joint Deployment Plan (JDP) for the recovery of blue fin tuna in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.
The blue fin tuna JDP is the main new initiative of the CFCA in 2008. It is a joint community project in which Member States, the Commission and the CFCA are working closely together. It will mainly concern Member States with a strong interest in the fishery: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain. The JDP will organise and co-ordinate control, inspection and surveillance of the bluefin tuna fishery activities at sea and on land, using resources that have been pooled from the participating Member States. The JDP activities will be co-ordinated by a Technical Joint Deployment Group (TJDG), which will be set up in Brussels on 1 April 2008 and remain there until the end of the year.
The Administrative Board will also discuss options for the 2009 work programme of the Agency. The Executive Director has proposed to continue the joint deployment plans for North Sea cod, Baltic Sea cod, blue fin tuna and the joint inspection and surveillance activities adopted under the North-West Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), with a possible extension to Western Waters and the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Convention area (NEAFC), which are important fishing areas where there is a need for organizing operational cooperation between Member States concerned. The CFCA should also coordinate control and inspection of imports and landings in Community ports of fishery products originating from IUU fishing activities, organise training for fisheries inspectors and start an evaluation of the effectiveness of the joint deployment plans.
All staff visit Vigo (14-18 March)
The Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) is moving to its seat in the Vigo, Spain, in July 2008. As a preparation for the relocation, all staff of the new agency and their partners will visit Vigo 14-18 March. During this trip the staff will be received, inter alia, by the Xunta de Galicia and the City of Vigo.
Background (14 March)
The decision to establish an EU Fisheries Control Agency was taken under the 2002 reform of the Common Fisheries Policy to strengthen monitoring and control of EU fisheries measures and to help ensure that they are applied uniformly throughout the EU. The Agency will liaise with the stakeholder-led Regional Advisory Councils to secure input from the fisheries sector and other stakeholders, and to help promote a culture of compliance with EU conservation and management measures throughout the EU.
The core activity of the CFCA is operational coordination of pooled national means of control, inspection and surveillance.
The Agency currently has 28 staff members from 12 EU Member States. It will be fully staffed (49 staff members) by the end of 2008.
Among the achievements of the newly created agency are three major coordination tasks carried out in 2007:
- Coordination of EU control, inspection and surveillance activities in the regulatory area of the North Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), a task that previously was ensured by the European Commission.
- A Joint Deployment Plan for cod stocks in the North Sea, which started in July 2007 and will continue in 2008. The plan is an innovative and coordinated effort to combat over-fishing and save endangered cod stocks in the North Sea. Resources (inspectors, control vessels, aircraft, etc) were pooled by seven Member States and were deployed where they were most needed, to ensure more effective and uniform control of fishing activities.
- Joint inspection and surveillance campaigns in relation to the long term management plan for cod in the Baltic Sea, which deploy resources that had been pooled by the coastal Member States. The campaigns will continue in 2008.
EFCA is coordinating the control campaign for the bluefin tuna fishery (BFT) in the Mediterranean Sea for 2021 in the framework of its Joint Deployment Plan (JDP). In this context, Member States pool their control and inspection means, in order to carry out jointly control, inspection and surveillance of fishery activities both at sea and ashore.
The objective of the campaign is to ensure compliance with the international and EU rules adopted for the conservation of the bluefin tuna; special attention is given to monitor the activity of purse seiners towing vessels longliners, farms and traps.
This activity is bringing together Member States, the European Commission and EFCA, and counts on the resources of the eight Member States involved in the fishery – Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Spain –. Inspection and surveillance at sea is carried both in EU waters and international waters and applies to EU and non-EU vessels.
The joint control, inspection and surveillance activities are coordinated using the virtual EFCA coordination center platform, with participation of experts of the member States concerned and EFCA. Overall, inspection and surveillance strategy and daily recommendations are provided on the basis of the daily data and information received by national authorities and from ICCAT, in particular VMS data (Vessel Monitoring System, a satellite-based control system) and catch information.
Background:
In line with ICCAT Recommendation 19-04[1], the purse seine fishing for bluefin tuna shall be permitted in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean during the period from 26 May to 1 July. However, specific derogations are possible in some fishing areas[2].
Fish shall be caged before 22 August of each year unless the farming Contracting Parties and Cooperating non-Contracting Parties (CPC) receiving the fish provides valid reasons including force majeure, which shall accompany the caging report when submitted. In any case the fish shall not be caged after 7 September.
[1] https://www.iccat.int/en/RecRes.asp
[2] By way of derogation, the season in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (FAO fishing areas 37.3.1 Aegean; 37.3.2 Levant), may be open 15 May if a CPC requests it in its fishing plan. By way of derogation, the season in the Adriatic Sea (FAO fishing area 37.2.1) may be open from 26 May until 15 July, for fish farmed in the Adriatic Sea.
Yesterday the European Commission has adopted the recommendation establishing a ‘Practical Handbook’ on European cooperation on coast guard functions. The Handbook will be made available as an online platform operated by EFCA in close cooperation with EMSA, Frontex and the Commission and updated with Agencies’ and Member States information. It contains guidelines, recommendations and best practices for the exchange of information on coast guard functions.
The three EU agencies, EFCA, EMSA and FRONTEX, work closely together under the inter-agency cooperation framework, with the direct support of the European Commission. They provide enhanced support and assistance to the national authorities performing coast guard functions at national and EU level and, where appropriate, at international level. This handbook is a concrete achievement of the EU cooperation on coast guard functions.
The recommendation establishes the handbook as a practical guide for EU civilian and military authorities when carrying out coast guard functions, facilitating close cross-border and cross-sector collaboration among them. The handbook provides a transparent compilation of services and information available through the three agencies. It helps to create synergies and avoid duplication and/or redundancy of effort in the cooperation between Member States and the three agencies, resulting in economies of scale.
The handbook focuses on the five inter-agency cooperation areas: information sharing; surveillance and communication services; capacity building; risk analysis; and capacity sharing. The handbook is mainly limited to cross-sector subjects and covers EU Member States and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States.
The main end users of this handbook are the national authorities for each coast guard function in each Member State, aiming to support them when planning and coordinating activities.
EFCA is leading the inter-agency cooperation areas for capacity building and risk analysis and will ensure in cooperation with EMSA and Frontex sound implementation of this important recommendation to all coast guard functions community.
European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičiusis visited EFCA´s headquarters in Vigo and meet the new Executive Director, Dr. Susan Steele.
EFCA promotes the highest common standards for control under the Common Fisheries Policy, assisting Commissioner Sinkevičius with his mandate of contributing to the European Green Deal.
This day also marked the start of an exciting new chapter and a new voyage for the agency—the arrival of the new vessel means doubling the seagoing assets.
Denmark has established a new Real-Time Closure in the North Sea for juvenile fish starting from 13/01/2024 to 02/02/2024 23:59 hrs.