Illegal bottom trawling in the Mediterranean: the case of 'kiss trawling' in the Gulf of Gabès, Tuni

The European Parliament should consider investigating the environmental, economic and social impacts of illegal kiss trawling in the Gulf of Gabes, with a view to increasing cooperation between the EU and Tunisian authorities to improve compliance with GFCM Recommendations, as well as the implementation of Tunisia’s international obligations under the Bern Convention and SPA/BD Protocol to the Bar. [...] The recently launched Med Sea Alliance online Atlas recorded evidence of potential and confirmed cases of bottom trawling in no-trawl areas across the Mediterranean.14 In this briefing, we take an in-depth look into the extent and impacts of illegal trawling activities in one of the most biodiverse and sensitive areas of the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Gabès region of Tunisia, and present recommend. [...] At the regional level, General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) Recommendation GFCM/42/2018/5 prohibits bottom trawling between the coast and the 200 metre isobath in the Gulf of Gabès between July and September each year, to allow marine species and ecosystems to recover.21 This measure has been applied to the Tunisian fleet operating in the Gulf of Gabès since 2009, in accordanc. [...] 6 Illegal bottom trawling in the Mediterranean: briefing for decision makers Socio-economic, cultural and ecological significance of the Gulf of Gabès The Gulf of Gabès is one of the most important fishing areas in Tuni. [...] Two of the key actions agreed in this Action Plan are “avoiding loss and degradation of the seagrass meadows, and of other vegetal assemblages of importance for the marine environment, as marine habitats that are essential to the survival of many Mediterranean species, and keeping them in favourable conservation status” and “ensuring the conservation of marine vegetal assemblages that could be con.