The Sofia Ministerial Declaration on Black Sea Fisheries and Aquaculture

Abstract

The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), established in 1949 has always included Black Sea fisheries and in 1976 its constitutive agreement was amended to expressly include the Black Sea. A working group on the Black Sea (WGBS) established in 2011 was instrumental in adopting the first GFCM management measures for Black Sea fisheries. On 7 June 2018, the GFCM organized a High-Level Conference on Black Sea Fisheries and Aquaculture in Sofia which culminated with the signature of a ministerial declaration on Black Sea fisheries and aquaculture. This marked a milestone in the history of cooperation for fisheries among the Black Sea riparian countries.