OPENING ADDRESS BY THE HON. NINU ZAMMIT, MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 25TH MEETING OF THE GENERAL FISHERIES COMMISSION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN

Mr Chairman, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great pleasure that I welcome all participants to this, the 25^th Meeting of the General Fisheries Commission of the Mediterranean, as well as to the working group of the Joint International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.

We are meeting here, in the heart of the Mediterranean, in order to discuss further the particular matters that fisheries and aquaculture are faced with in this historical sea. It is worth highlighting the important role that meetings of such a specialised and specific nature have with regard to the international situation. This importance is further accentuated by the presence here of representatives from organisations and countries from outside of the Mediterranean region, reinforcing the idea that this sea is a vital, albeit geographically smaller, link in the chain of global fish populations.

Our aim is to identify and ultimately arrive at the precise balance at which fisheries can be sustainable both in the economic terms of ensuring proper livelihoods for fishermen and in the environmental terms of protecting fish-stocks and ecological systems. The Mediterranean Sea is a system within a larger system, and actions taken both here and in the other larger seas will have a mutual impact on each other. Realisation of this means that the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean must maintain its policies of coordinating all activity within the larger international framework in order to protect the Mediterranean from outside and inside influences that could negatively affect the achievement of the aim that we have identified. This coordination must also bear in mind the responsibility of ensuring that the contribution by the Mediterranea Sea to the global oceanic network is also sustainibly maintained.

I therefore cannot but recommend to this meeting to continue and finalise the work that was commenced in the Spain meeting of 1999. The autonomy of this Commission within the proper context of communication, cooperation and interaction is extremely desirable. It is only in this way that the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, as the sum total of its member states and cognisant and receptive to the views of its observer members, can function in the best interests of the global fisheries cycle, always keeping at the forefront the balance between economic and environmental considerations.

A particular case that illustrates the active implementation of this principle is the working group meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas being held concurrently with this meeting. The monitoring of the capture fisheries of large pelagic species of fish , namely the Bluefin Tuna, Swordfish and Albacore, all fish that are of a highly migratory nature, is yielding a positive result. The recommendations presented by ICCAT and adopted by GFCM, for the restrictions on the use of certain types of fishing gear such as drift nets and purse-seining, are showing the desirable effect in the form of indications of the presence of larger numbers of more mature specimens.

I take the opportunity to renew my country's invitation to permanently house the headquarters of an autonomous Commission. This would make for an ideal siting of such a nerve centre right at the heart of its "main" concern, the Mediterranean Sea.

In conclusion, allow me once again to welcome you to our country. I trust you will find Malta warm, both in climate and in spirit. I wish you all success in your discussions and decisions and reiterate our commitment to having the importance of our Sea recognised through the creation of an autonomous General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean.

Thank You