Cyprus to host fishery Scientific Advisory Committee meeting

Cyprus will be hosting the 10th session of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, from October 22 to 26.
Cypriot Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment Photis Photiou will open the meeting, which is organised by Cyprus‘ Department of Fisheries and Marine Research.
According to an official press release, the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) is the established scientific body to provide views and advice on issues referred to it by the General Fisheries Commission of the Mediterranean (GFCM).
GFCM is the regional body for fisheries, which was established by an international agreement with an aim to promote the development, conservation and management of marine organic resources, draft and propose measures for conservation and encourage cooperation in educational programmes. Its members are 23 Mediterranean countries, the EU and Japan. Cyprus has been a member of GFCM since its establishment and the island’s representative has been elected A’ Vice President of SAC.
The scientists staffing SAC come from the members who are organised in subcommittees for the calculation of reserves, marine environment and ecosystems, statistics and information, and economic and social sciences.
Furthermore, on the instructions of GFCM, SAC maintains a standing workgroup at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), as well as other workgroups dealing with specialised issues of the subcommittees.
All these issues are processed to reach conclusions throughout the year at various meetings of scientists around the Mediterranean. The final conclusions are presented by the coordinators to the scientific representatives of the members during the annual session of SAC, are discussed and proposals are drafted for the GFCM session.
Thus, all the aspects of fishery activity of all the Mediterranean members are included in the mandate of SAC and towards this end the member states of GFCM are represented at the SAC meeting at a senior scientific level. The SAC meeting is furthermore a high level scientific event for the fishery sector of the whole of the Mediterranean.