Report of the Expert meeting on Climate Change Implications for Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries, Rome, 4-6 December 2017

Book excerpt: The Expert Meeting on Climate Change Implications for Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries, was held at the GFCM, Rome, 4–6 December 2017, with the objective to provide technical support the development of an adaptation strategy to cope with the potential effects of climate change on fisheries, in the framework of the GFCM Mid-term strategy (2017–2020) towards the sustainability of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea Fisheries. The meeting was attended by experts working on Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries and experts engaged in the assessment of projected impacts of climate change to the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The meeting reviewed the existing information on the observed and expected impacts of climate change on Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries, as well as the most relevant elements on vulnerability and the existing and potential adaptation measures. Agreement was reached on the need to enhance the knowledge on the implications of climate change to fisheries in the region and to identify options to cope with the expected impacts. In this regard, the meeting elaborated elements of a methodology to assess risks and vulnerabilities of fisheries to climate change. A roadmap for the review, endorsement and application of the methodology was elaborated aiming at contributing to the elaboration of regional climate change adaptation strategy in the mid-term.