Action plan FOR A D R I A T I C A N D I O N I A N R E G I O N

Transcription

1 Action plan FOR A D R I A T I C A N D I O N I A N R E G I O N

2 May, 2015 Our vision Sustainable, integrated, competitive development of fisheries related tourism in Adriatic-Ionian Macroregion coastal communities

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive summary. 4 1.Background 2. The project The Adriatic Ionian macroregion 7 Overview of the Action Plan 10 1.Key Findings Scientific/Environmental level Socioeconomic level Institutional level Swot analysis 28 2.Goals and Priority Actions 29 3.Funding Opportunities 33 4.Action Plan sustainability 33 5.Example of good practice 35 6.References 38

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY NEMO Adriatic Ionian Action Plan gives concrete inputs for new cooperation projects and ToR , for EUSAIR strategy in particular I-IV pillars actions and for Adriatic and Ionian Sea Maritime Strategy in a manner of mobilization all the most relevant actors for the sustainable development and competitiveness of coastal communities through maritime tourism and the Fisheries related tourism segment.

5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Background Since 2009 the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy has been engaged in a new approach to tackle problems of a cross-regional nature. The EU s Baltic and Danube macro-regional strategies, involving over 20 EU and non-eu countries, have pioneered a unique kind of cooperation. This is based on the idea that common challenges facing specific regions whether environmental, economic, territorial or security related, are best tackled collectively. Furthermore, it makes sense to plan together for the most effective deployment of the resources available. The approach provides an integrated framework bringing together Member States and non-eu countries in the same geographical area to address common challenges. The overriding aim of a macro-regional strategy is to mobilise new projects and initiatives. The approach offers many potential benefits in terms of strengthened cooperation for economic, social and territorial cohesion. There is no standard definition for a macro-region. Generally it alludes to an area including territory from a number of different countries or regions associated with one or more common features or challenges. The aim is to add value to interventions, whether by the EU, national or regional authorities or the third or private sectors, in a way that significantly strengthens the functioning of the macro-region. Moreover, by resolving issues in a relatively small group of countries and regions the way may be cleared for better cohesion at the level of the European Union. Working together can become a habit and a skill. Chapter organization The Executive Summary is organized into the following section: 1.Background 2.Adriatic Ionian Macroregion Overall coordination of actions across policy areas will very likely result in better results than individual initiatives. Transnationality was essential for NEMO implementation given the transboundary nature of marine activities and shared resources and the strategic relevance of common database and development scenarios based on key Adriatic /Ionian Region economic drivers. Sea basin represent a great potential for blue growth and transnational cooperation is fundamental to find common solutions to obstacles that hinder the development of fisheries related tourism in the area. The development of an integrated approach to maritime policies in the Adriatic/Ionian Sub region needs a constant dialogue, exchange and partnership process among all regions. Collection of comparable data at transnational level enabled to identify policy gaps and contribute to territorial cohesion for the whole MED area and future coordinated approach in the maritime tourism development and marine resources management. Whole area is expected to reap benefits from the project applying common answer to shared challenges leading to better understanding and laying the foundation for cooperation projects addressing integrated maritime approach.

6 2. The project NEMO has been co-financed under the last call for proposals of MED Programme Marine and coastal tourism is one of the fastest growing areas within the world's largest industry. Fisheries related tourism plays an important role for sustainable socio-economic development of coastal communities and, if properly addressed, contributes to the sustainable management of marine resources. Starting from relevance of Adriatic/Ionian Sea basin Strategy for the cohesion of the whole Mediterranean basin, the importance of fishing and fishing related activities in EUSAIR coastal regions and the lack of comparable data, NEMO intended to play its full part in shaping ecological and socio-economic transnational and holistic approach to develop an overview about Fisheries related tourism in Adriatic/Ionian Regions which contributes to the MED overall integrated maritime policy and acts as catalyst for coastal development protecting environment and biodiversity. NEMO provides: Shared methodology to standardize mapping activities, data collection/comparison regarding fisheries related tourism in the Adriatic and Ionian Regions from Institutional, Scientific/Environmental and Socio Economic level(3 folder analysis) Foresight study, through relevant stakeholders inputs, on fisheries related tourism development drivers at EUSAIR level interconnecting fishing activities to territory s tourism potential and contributing to sea protection reducing fishing effort and fostering diversification Adriatic-Ionian Action Plan detailing concrete inputs for future cooperation projects fostering integrated marine/maritime approach, key factor for Mediterranean Basin cohesion Our partnership NEMO has been implemented by highly skilled partnership composed by University/Scientific Research Centre, Public Authorities involved in IMP policies and Regional Development Centers from Italy, Croatia and Greece, covering internally all necessary competences to implement Institutional, Environmental and Socio Economic state of the art and to develop scenarios for fisheries related tourism in the Adriatic-Ionian Regions. The project partners: Marche Region- IT Bologna University Dep. BIGEA Marina Biology and Fisheries Laboratory - IT Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (IAMB) -IT European Regional Framework Co-operation ERFC WESTERN GREECE Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries - HR Split Dalmatia County -HR

7 3. Adriatic-Ionian macro region The Region is a functional area primarily defined by the Adriatic and Ionian Seas basin. Covering also an important terrestrial surface area, it treats the marine, coastal and terrestrial areas as interconnected systems. With intensified movements of goods, services and peoples owing to Croatia s accession to the EU and with the prospect of EU accession for other countries in the Region, port hinterlands play a prominent role. Attention to landsea linkages also highlights impacts of unsustainable land-based activities on coastal areas and marine ecosystems. Home to more than 70 million people, the Region plays a key role in strengthening geographical continuity in Europe. The Adriatic-Ionian macro region includes eight countries four EU Member States (Croatia, Greece, Italy, Slovenia) and four non-eu countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia).In order to address a number of pressing socio-economic and environmental challenges facing the Region, the European Council of December 2012 requested the European Commission to present a new macroregional strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region before the end of Building on previous strategies for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) and the Danube Region (EUSDR), the Commission is now adopting a Communication and Action Plan for the EU Strategy focusing on the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR). This new Strategy also incorporates the Maritime Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, adopted by the Commission on 30 November The EUSAIR will promote economic growth and prosperity in the Region by improving its attractiveness, competitiveness and connectivity. It also aims at protecting the sea, coastal and inland environment and ecosystems. Moreover, the Strategy is expected to better integrate into the EU both candidate and potential candidate countries across the Region. Challenges and opportunities facing the Region. Challenges and opportunities facing the Region. Very noticeable socio-economic differences can be highlighted across the countries in the Region, while some regions enjoy low unemployment; others have jobless rates of over 30%. Gross domestic product (GDP) per head between the different countries also vary significantly. There are substantial differences in road, rail and maritime infrastructure between countries. There is also an urgent need for more investment in energy networks to ensure a secure and efficient supply across the Region. Ecosystems are under intense pressure due to the ever-increasing human use of marine and coastal space. Over-fishing, untreated waste, oil and gas pollution and the illegal hunting of migratory birds are all significant issues. In addition to major seismic activity, the Region is also under threat from climate change flooding, drought, soil erosion and forest fires are all increasing realities. In terms of economic potential, the tourism sector is not optimally managed or exploited, and could benefit from better coordination. In addition, the Region s administrations and institutions may benefit from opportunities for modernisation and better linkages, among others, in order to combat illegal migration and cross-border crime. Combined with other actions, the objective is to create further opportunities for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth right across the Adriatic and Ionian Region. For example, a big opportunity exists for the Blue Economy to prosper and change the face of the Region. In relation to mobility, the sea basin provides a natural waterway penetrating deep into the EU. There is thus a great potential for improved land-sea connectivity and intermodal transportation. An opportunity also exists for investment in energy improvements, such as smart grids and to increase

8 energy efficiency and the use of renewables. The area s outstanding natural beauty and rich cultural, historic and archaeological heritage also has obvious potential for sustainable, responsible and diversified tourism In a 2013 report( 2), the Commission stressed that new macro-regional strategies should focus on a limited number of well-defined objectives and that these objectives should be implemented through a clear Action Plan. In short, the aim is to go from words to actions by identifying concrete priorities for the macro-region making the best use of existing institutions, legislation and funds for a quick turnaround. The EUSAIR is built on four thematic pillars: 1. Blue Growth 2. Connecting the Region 3. Environmental quality 4. Sustainable tourism Blue Growth Blue Growth is the long term strategy to support sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors as a whole. Seas and oceans are drivers for the European economy and have great potential for innovation and growth. It is the maritime contribution to achieving the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and creation as well as business opportunities. The Blue Growth pillar will focus on three topics: 1. Blue technologies 2. Fisheries and aquaculture 3. Maritime and marine governance and services Fisheries and aquaculture Fisheries and aquaculture are both important sectors for blue growth in the Adriatic and Ionian Region. As regards fishing, the aim is to promote sustainable and responsible fishing practices that will provide a steady stream of income for coastal areas. This will be achieved by: improving fisheries data collection, monitoring and control; adopting fisheries management plans at sea basin level; harmonising standards across the Region; improving skills and capacity to comply with EU rules and standards; increasing the added value of local seafood value chains; developing market intelligence and more transparent marketing and processing. Currently, a number of barriers prevent the development of the full potential of aquaculture in the Adriatic-Ionian Sea basin. They include: limited access to space and licensing; industry fragmentation; limited access to seed capital or loans for innovation; time-consuming administrative procedures and red tape. The Strategy proposes to promote sustainable aquaculture through stakeholder involvement, introducing simplified procedures, as well as product diversification. The countries in the Adriatic and Ionian Region have differing administrative and political structures, government and governance sys tems. Training and better coordination of planning activities is needed for better marine and maritime governance and services. This will be achieved through data sharing, joint planning and the coordinated management of existing resources. Environmental quality Environmental quality is essential for ensuring the economic and social well-being of the Region s inhabitants. This pillar will address environmental quality through cooperation at regional level. Specifically it will: ensure a good environmental and ecological status of the marine and coastal environment by 2020; help halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020; improve waste management by reducing waste and nutrient flows to the sea and rivers. T The focus will be on three topics for achieving these goals: The marine environment Pollution of the sea Transnational terrestrial habitats and biodiversity. The marine environment threats to coastal and marine biodiversity The Adriatic and Ionian Seas are home to almost half of all the recorded marine species found in the Mediterranean Sea. They are however also subjected to intense fishing activity, aquaculture and coastal development, which pose a threat to this natural habitat. There is a general lack of information on small scale fisheries, illegal fishing gear is not uncommon, and monitoring and enforcement are insufficient. Ecosystem-based coordination of activities is needed to ensure the sustainable use of re - sources. This will be achieved by: increasing marine knowledge on maritime spatial planning, integrated coastal management and implementation of the marine framework strategy Directive; enhancing the trans-border, open-water network of marine protected areas;

9 exchanging best practices among managing authorities of marine protected areas; implementing maritime spatial planning and integrated coastal management. Sustainable tourism Developing the Region s potential in terms of sustainable tourism can be accelerated by offering innovative and quality tourism products and services. Responsible tourism behaviour involving all actors in the sector is also important. The main objectives of this pillar are to: diversify the macro-region s tourism products and services, and tackle the issue of seasonal tourism; improve quality and innovative approaches. To achieve these objectives the pillar will focus on two topics: A diversified tourism offer. Sustainable and responsible tourism management. Diversified tourism offer Although tourism is already one of the fastest growing economic activities in the Region, its natural, cultural, historic and archaeological heritage has not yet been fully exploited. Joint cooperation at macro-regional level will boost efforts to diversify tourism in a sustainable manner, to reduce the dependence of the sector on the seasonal model, and to limit its environmental impact. To achieve these goals, the following actions are planned: Build the Adriatic-Ionian brand, and ensure its values are in line with the Region s products and services. Diversify and expand the cruise and nautical sectors into coastal hinterland economies. Establish a R&D platform with universities, research centre and the business community to develop new tourist products and services. Promote new tourist routes for walking, cycling and sailing, etc. Embrace the Adriatic and Ionian cultural heritage by working together with the cultural sector. Improve access to tourism products and services for senior groups, disabled people, low income groups, etc. Sustainable and responsible tourism management Sustainable tourism is not as developed as it should be in the Region. Tourism activities are not always managed properly, which can have a negative impact on the coastal, marine, and hinterland environment. A commercial sustainable approach needs to be developed. Actions foreseen in this topic include: creating a network of sustainable tourism businesses and clusters, to stimulate innovation and create synergies with complementary sectors; providing funding for innovative and sustainable tourism start-ups, SMEs and university spin-offs that will bring new products and services to the sector; promoting the Region in world markets, via marketing and advertising; expanding the tourist season to all year round, by positioning the Adriatic-Ionian as an excellent offseason destination for the older generation, conferences, etc; providing training in tourism entrepreneurial skills. ISBN doi: /82815 European Union, 2014

10 OVERVIEW OF THE ACTION PLAN The Action Plan has been organized into four broad analysis areas at EUSAIR level based on the input received through the questionnaires, meetings with stakeholders and additional engagement activities. Each of these areas has a corresponding goal report that captures the aspirations of the region as they relate to the topic. These reports were vetted by each parner as part of the project. The goals were conceived as a desired outcome expressed in simple terms.

11 OVERVIEW OF THE ACTION PLAN The vision for development of fisheries related tourism in Adriatic-Ionian Macroregion coastal communities is focused on a drive to create to a sustainable, integrated, competitive development of fisheries related tourism in Adriatic-Ionian Macroregion coastal communities by setting-up a permanent and multilevel dialogue among policy makers, academia and entrepreneurs involved in maritime governance at local, regional, national and transnational levels to overcome the reciprocal lack in knowledge, to favour their access to innovation, to develop human capital, to drive and apply new competences, and to stimulate cooperation and clustering, to create synergies among policies and socio-economic sectors, to develop unique selling proposition, to increase territories attractiveness and marine and coastal heritage valo Chapter organization: Overview of the Action Plan is organized into the following section: 1.Key Findings 1.1. Scientific/Environmental level 1.2. Socioeconomic level 1.3. Institutional level 1.4. Swot Analysis 2. Goals and priority actions 3.Funding Opportunities 3. Action plan sustanibility 1.KEY FINDINGS As a component of the partnership implementing process, the Action Plan provided a snapshot of key institutional, scientific/environmental and socioeconomic conditions and trends. The following is a summary of some of the most important findings. 2.1.Scientific/Environmental Level FINDINGS IN ADRIATIC IONIAN LEVEL - Generally, in all countries of the Adriatic and Ionian region, management and monitoring of the fishery is under the jurisdiction of different ministries. In Croatia, it is under the Ministry of Agriculture, in Slovenia Ministry of Agriculture, the Forestry and Food, in Italy Ministry of Agriculture, Montenegro Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Albania The Ministry of Agriculture and in Greece Ministry of Agriculture. As a rule, in all these countries there are two main types of fishing: commercial fishing and noncommercial fisheries. In Croatia, in addition to these two categories, there is a specific type of fisheries called small coastal fishing (which is a specific type of fishing intended for the local population with limited ability to use fishing gear as different types of set nets). Fisheries in Adriatic Ionian area are characterized as multispecies fisheries and targeting numerous demersal and pelagic fish stocks. The demersal species such as hake, red mullet, cephalopods and crustaceans are mainly caught by trawlers, while small pelagic fish such as sardine and anchovy, are caught by purse or pelagic trawlers. Among highly migratory species (tuna and tuna like species), the main commercially valuable species are Bluefin tuna, swordfish and albacore. Although the catch is relatively small compared with the previous, the small scale fisheries compose the biggest category in terms of the fleet and fishing effort in all countries and has a great socio economic impact.

12 Regulation of fishing is different from country to country. As a rule, EU Member States have control of Mediterranean Regulation (Council Regulation 1967/2006), and the regulation of fishing in Albania and Montenegro are in the process of alignment with this Regulation. The main mechanisms of regulation of fishing carried out by defining the technical characteristics of construction fishing gears, spatial temporal regulation of fishing, closed season, and the quota system (tuna). The EU Member States are obliged to prepare national management plans for all principal types of fishing. Also, there is obligation of preparation of international management plans for shared stocks and recently there is in force a multi annual management plan for small pelagic fish in the Adriatic Sea, which was adopted by the GFCM. fishing based on the common document called In all Adriatic Ionian countries there are scientific institutions dealing with fishery biological investigation, and these institutes provide assessment of the state of resources which should be a basis for developing different measures for management in fisheries. In addition to the national level, these institutions have intensive cooperation through a number of scientific and technical projects, and those institutes generally provide common assessment documents on the status of renewable resources. This is only one possible way when considering that most of the stocks that inhabit this area are biologically common population, although economically shared among fleets from different countries. DATA COLLECTION Collecting data on the state of the fisheries resources in the Adriatic Ionian countries at the present time are done in several ways: Collecting data through monitoring of catch and fishing effort For countries, members of the EU, data on fisheries and status of resources are collected through the so called DCF. Commission Regulation (EC) No. 665/2008 of 14 July 2008establishes the Data Collection Framework (DCF), a Community framework for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Under this regulation the European Commission requires Member States to collect data on Biological and Economic Aspects of many European fisheries and related fisheries sectors. The Commission Decision (2010/93 / EU) of 18 December 2009 describes in detail the multiannual Community Programme to RECENT STATE OF RESOURCES - Renewable resources of the Mediterranean have a many specificities, which make assessment and management very complicate and demanding. One of the most important characteristics of the resources is multispecies catch i.e. very large number of species in the catches (primarily in the bottom trawl fisheries). In this situation there is always some species with decreasing trend, another with increasing trend and majority with big fluctuation in the biomass and occurrence Exploitation of the majority of stocks is typical multigear exploitation (the same species are exploited support the DCF. In non EU countries data are collected at the national level, and an assistance in data collecting and processing are provide through the FAO AdriaMed project. Data collection through national and international scientific research and professional projects. Most often, this is a scientific research projects financed from EU funds, such as FP6, FP7, Horizon 2020 (e.g. CREAM, Eurofleet, PERSEUS...), regional IPA projects (HAZADR, Balmas, DEFISHGEAR, EcoSea), projects from accession funds (e.g. PHARE, Interreg project AIA). There are numerous other international projects aimed at specific research: DEEP SEA SURVEY (research demersal communities in the deep southern Adriatic), UWTV SURVEY (scientific survey with aim to provide alternative stock assessment of Norway lobster population using underwater cameras), SOLEMON SURVEY (research intended to describe the situation in the Adriatic Sea Flatfish )... and all of them are caught using the non selective fishing gear in the same fishing area. Also, in the Mediterranean catches young individuals (1, 2 and 3 year) dominate and because of that, there are very high fluctuation in the biomass and abundance during the year and between the years. Those fluctuations are mainly due to the fluctuations in the intensity of recruitment which is strongly related with hydrographic patterns of the sea as well as in fishing effort. using different fishing gears and different type of fisheries) with very important cumulative, competitive and synergetic effects.

13 Adriatic and Ionian Sea is relatively small area and majority of the stock inhabit whole Adriatic. Because of that, more or less all commercially important stocks are biologically common but economically shared between fishing fleets from different countries. At the same time, fishing effort and fishing legislations are different in different parts of the seas, which is reflecting on the recent state of stocks, and also has a big impact onto possibility of establishing a long term sustainable management and protection measures. Because of all previously mentioned elements, it is clear that it is necessary to continue and improve the cooperation between all countries participating in the fisheries, on the scientific level, as well as on the level of fishermen, fishermen associations and administration. Adriatic example of the common assessment practice of shared stocks at the GSA level can serve as a pilot project for other parts of the Mediterranean, primarily for countries that share stocks. Future steps in the assessment of the status of the resources in the Mediterranean Sea should be oriented to preparation of common stock assessment documents for both GSAS, as well as the inclusion of all commercially important stocks in the Adriatic regular stock assessment. Describing the state of resources in the Mediterranean takes place on several levels. Balance of the status of resources and exploitation levels are monitored at the national level in all countries using the fisheries dependent and fisheries independent methods. If it comes to stocks which predominantly inhabit the area has the jurisdiction of a country, then the estimate of such stock is possible within the framework of the country. Such is the situation with most of the coastal resources that has been exploited using different fishing gears in the small scale fisheries (different kind of net, traps, hooks...). However, most of stock are biologically common populations that are economically share between the fleets of different countries participated in fisheries. In such circumstances, the assessment of stocks have to be done at a level of more countries or GSA, because in order to get an erroneous picture of the state of resources. Adriatic stock assessment documents have been done mainly inside three international bodies: AdriaMed, GFCM and STCEF. The usual way of work is that stock assessments are performed through the working groups AdriaMed (WG Small pelagic and Demersal WG) or within STCEF and then presented to the SCSA SAC of the GFCM. Stock assessment documents for sardine and anchovy in GSA 17 are permanently present on the meeting of SAC GFCM since The common series of data (Croatia, Slovenia and Italy) for sardine and anchovy in GSA 17 are ranging from 1975 till now. Since 2006 the stock assessment of Common sole has been done on the basis of data collected through the project SOLEMON, and for red mullet from First preliminary assessment stocks of sardine and anchovy in GSA 18 were presented to the SAC GFCM in 2007, and since 2010 for hake. Since Slovenia joined the EU in 2004 and Croatia in 2013, estimates of stocks recently are performed also in the framework of the STECF. From 2008 onwards, inside STCEF, stock assessment documents were produced for following species within area GSA 17: hake, red mullet, sardines, anchovies, Norway lobster, common sole and mantis shrimp, and for the area GSA 18 for the anchovies, deep water rose shrimp, red mullet, hake and giant red shrimp. According to this stocks assessments documents, majority of the investigation stocks are characterized as overexploited and in overexploitation and strong reduction of fishing mortality (and fishing effort) are recommended. Short review of current stock status of demersal and pelagic stocks made in the framework of the GFCM and STCEF are presented in Scientific Environmental overall report. In addition to standard stock assessments documents, state resources in the Adriatic Sea is described also and through different scientific surveys. One of them is MEDITS survey which representing twenty year long series of data on the state of the resources of the Mediterranean using uniform methodology of data collection and analyses by all participating countries. Based on these data it is possible to describe the state of individual stock, their distribution and demographic structure of the population that is directly related to the level of exploitation. As the most common fishing activities in which the tourists board the commercial vessel is bottom

14 trawl fisheries, below is a brief description of the state of the most important bottom trawl resources in the Adriatic Sea. Hake is prevalent species throughout the Adriatic Sea, but the density of populations in the Adriatic is highest in the open Adriatic and canal areas of the middle and northern Adriatic. Indices of biomass and abundance showed a large decrease in recent years, and it is dominantly results of the fall recruitment in 2019 and This is clearly evident from the trends of the medium weight of harvested specimens. The situation with the red mullet is much better. This species also inhabits the entire Adriatic Sea (except the deepest parts of the central and southern Adriatic), and biomass and abundance indices show a substantial increase in recent years. It is predominantly a result of the good recruitment (decrease average mass of harvested specimens). Pandora is typical circalittoral species and it predominantly inhabit the eastern Adriatic coast. It is the subject of the exploitation of fishing trawlers and various fishing gears in the coastal fishing. Biomass index shows a negative trend in recent years, which is primarily a result of poor recruitment. STATE OF ADRIATIC COASTAL RESOURCES - Adriatic and Ionian Sea, as all Mediterranean coastal areas, are mostly represented by shallow rocky habitats, have high diversity of littoral benthic communities at very small spatial scales, which imply high biodiversity and trophic complexity. Although total species richness is probably lower than that of tropical seas, food web topology and structure can be as complex as coral reefs. Since ancient times fishing has played a role in shaping the Mediterranean food webs, becoming more and more crucial at present times as the booming growth of human populations along Mediterranean coasts necessitates ever larger harvests of marine resources. Much of the fishery in the coastal zone is artisanal in character. The very characteristics of such fishery, i.e. numerous fleet using diverse fishing gears, multi species catches and extremely heterogeneous landing sites and marketing, put scientific research in a particularly complex context. Especially long term time series data are needed in order to estimate the real status of exploited resources and their evolution over time, but even for fish those are rarely available. Data have mostly been obtained from scientific research projects which are typically short in duration, 3 years. Unfortunately, longer time series (> 10 years) are difficult to maintain and keep funded. Even when the collection of data has been kept for so long it often suffers from And the John Dory is a species that predominantly inhabit the eastern Adriatic coast, in the last ten years the population shows significant negative trends biomass index and the index abundance. Negative changes are reflected and in recruiting. Musky octopus is a typical shallow water species inhabiting depths up to 100 meters and inhabits the northern and eastern Adriatic. Population showing extreme fluctuations in biomass and abundance indices that result from changes in the intensity of recruitment. This is a short living species in which changes in recruitment have a key impact on the available biomass types. Horned octopus inhabits the deeper parts of the Adriatic and shows extremely negative changes in the indices of biomass and abundance, mostly in last 6 7 years. The situation with Norway lobster is extremely critical. This species shows extremely negative changes in all aspects of the state's population in the last twenty years. Here we can talk about serious overfishing population. Of particular concern are information about the secondary length of harvested items that indicate a large drop in recruitment. inconsistencies in sampling design or sampling methods. Also often sampling designs tend to be incomplete, lacking either randomization or replication, and as such can never conclusively demonstrate the causes of observed changes in resources failing to disentangle the effects of fishing from those of other plausible factors. More readily available time series of landing data or official statistics of commercial catches should also be taken with care. These data are often very far from reflecting the reality since underestimation of total catch is widespread due to misreporting and/or not quantifying discards. In addition, commercial catch is not representative of the whole community as it is dominated by commercial species, compared with scientific surveys. Although numerous anthropogenic impacts may be responsible for changes in littoral fish assemblages fisheries mismanagement can produce the most far reaching consequences. Many anthropogenic impacts besides fishing, i.e. pollution or climate change, may considerably affect Mediterranean rocky reef fish assemblages. On the other hand, climate change acts on a much wider scale having the potential to alter fish species distribution range, abundance and consequently the structure of ichthyocommunities.

15 In general, the kind of impacts fishing induces in marine ecosystems are relatively well known and wide ranging encompassing both direct (abundance decrease, changes in size and species composition, modifications of population parameters) and indirect effects (trophic shift, bottom disturbance) which act on short and long term temporal scales. When assessing the impact of fishing on marine ecosystems fish assemblages are an important level to consider since they are directly impacted by fishing, either as target species or through bycatch and discards. The conventional management efficiency analysis of the Mediterranean type of coastal fishing on a small spatial scale has shown, over time, a significant increase of the majority of analyzed stock indicators, as well as tendencies towards a change in the target species quantity and biomass. Positive findings were primarily related to the recovery of the striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus) that might have benefited from the increase in sea temperatures in recent years, which has evidently had a positive influence on its spawning, recruitment and survival. The shift in the structure of the coastal fish stocks is also perceptible on a wider spatial scale. The coastal fish stocks along the eastern Adriatic coast have been characterized by continuous changes in the last 16 years, which is evident from the trends in quantity, biomass, diversity and structure. The common pattern in the temporal overviews of researched areas indicates that the factor influencing the stocks is not of local, but of regional character. Since positive effects can be observed on multiple levels and, moreover, they are consistent and widespread, one of the more plausible causes might be the introduction of more stringent management that coincides with the monitoring period. However, the recovery is evident at the expense of the mid trophic level and low trophic level species (wrasses, saddled seabream, bream, bogue, red scorpionfish...). The research indicates a dramatic decrease in the number of peak predators, especially considering their size structure, according to which smaller specimens are prevalent. Thus, temporal trends of large scaled scorpionfish, Scorpaena scrofa in the middle Adriatic indicated significant decreases of 19% in length and 43% in total weight over last 50 years. On the contrary, official landings for the last five years showed an increase of 13%. However, this increasing trend most likely reflects the continuous change in national policies for reporting the catches. Both catch data and landings statistics showed peak in catch per unit effort during summer which coincides with spawning period of S. scrofa. Length at first sexual maturity was observed at 29.0 cm for females and 24.9 cm for males. All specimens larger than 32 cm were mature. Age analysis revealed 15 age classes with a 25 year old female as the oldest specimen. However, age classes 3+ and 4+ were predominant in the total catch. According to present results, growth rate of this species is relatively high during the first four years of life and afterwards it considerably slows down, with females growing at slightly slower rate and attaining slightly larger sizes than males. Considering the identified biological implications that confirm our assumptions of inherent vulnerabilities and negative effects arising from continued artisanal fisheries practice, existing management should be complemented by a more holistic, ecosystem approach to regulations in order to assure more effective conservation measures for this large and slow growing, long lived fish. A gradual transition in landings from long lived, high trophic level, piscivorous bottom fish toward short lived, low trophic level invertebrates and planktivorous pelagic fish is recognized in the last few decades. Unfortunately, scorpaenids show an array of biological traits which make them highly susceptible to artisanal fisheries exploitation and have accordingly been classified as endangered, threatened species. Moreover, throughout the Mediterranean there is traditionally a local demand for regional, high quality products, obtained from the artisanal fishery, like rockfishes, which cannot be supplied by other fisheries. On the other side, assessing the destructiveness of trammel nets for spiny lobster, Palinurus elephas population by taking into account minimal landing size of this species (24 cm), there are 34.6% of undersized specimens in the overall catch. The results also indicate that spiny lobster hunting season partially coincides with the beginning of their reproductive period. Specifically, about last days of hunting season are characterized by catches dominated by females carrying external eggs and an increased number of undersized specimens indicating that temporal restrictions should be rearranged. Moreover, a negative trends in official landings is obvious both for trammel nets and pots fishery. Common situation in the whole Mediterranean is that not only long term studies and monitoring programmes are lacking but also no accurate assessment of fishing effort or catch statistics can be found. Fortunately, owing to our long term data sets of experimental trammel net catches we are in position to analyze and determine the state of coastal fish communities along the eastern Adriatic coast. Trammel nets are among the most important gears that artisanal fishers use in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas. However, artisanal fisheries are

16 generally perceived as highly efficient low impact fisheries that generate few discards, this fisheries affects numerous species due to continuous substantial fishermen practice despite having preferred target species. Illustrative of the aforementioned trammel nets are often target specific, but important part of the catch consists of multi species bycatch because they are highly unselective and thus giving us a good insight in community structure. Also, fishes are considered important biological indicators as they are a dominant and highly visible component of the marine and estuarine fauna, capable of reflecting both natural and anthropogenic alterations to the environment. From all the above mentioned, it is evident that in depth scientific research together with reliable official statistics would provide a comprehensive understanding of artisanal fishing activities and the impact they have on resources. However, such approach is simply not feasible to implement. Given so many species, such complex and diverse habitats, so many fishers, gear types, landing sites and 1.2.Socioeconomic Level The results of the socioeconomic level has applied a common methodological framework in selected locations within three fisheries-dependent maritime regions of the EU and especially within the Adriatic Ionian macro-region: regions of Marche, Emilia Romagna and Apulia (Italy), Split County (Croatia) and regions of Western Greece, Epirus and Ionian islands (Greece).Tourism sector in the Adriatic Ionian ecoregion is among the most active sectors in Europe as it atracts around 12% of the total tourists visiting a European destination. However it includes different patterns of coastal and maritime tourism development. However, it includes different patterns of coastal and maritime tourism development. The region developed a large range of tourist infrastructures along its coasts including hotels and marinas. The regions capacity for tourist accommodation exceeds 3.5 million beds being 12.4% of the total available beds around Europe. Italy and Croatia host most of the tourists targeting this region being 71 % (> 40 mil) and 18% (>10 mil.) of the total tourist arrivals. Different types of tourists target this region. Italy and Greece attract two types of tourists: on the one hand, low profile (camping, small scale fishing and recreational fishing) and mass tourism destinations (low quality services for high volumes of tourists) and, on the other hand, niche tourism destinations (high quality of services for low volumes of tourists with higher willingness to spend). In Croatia, despite the range of possibilities, current models mostly include summer seaside tourism and particularly sailing. In distribution channels it would require significant, continuous funding, trained personnel for collecting and processing gathered data and giving recommendations for management initiatives. The solution, at least in the short term, is a sort of data less management approach, building on available data, to a large extent relying on the knowledge held by local fishermen. The value and usefulness of fisher's knowledge is especially high for complex fisheries where species diversity is high, and funds for carrying out biological research are very limited. Initiative about involvement of fishers in management process is advocated more and more. Fishers participation in management processes can contribute to the conservation of small scale fisheries through their valuable knowledge on the biology and ecology of fish and fisheries as well as social and human capital that is critical for effective management. In any case, it is high time for the management to become more adaptive, practical and objective oriented if we are to maintain and/or restore littoral marine resources. Montenegro the accommodation offer is very limited and not organized, however, gradually growing due to important ecologically preserved attractions. Finally, Albania s model seems to attract mostly visitors from within the country, especially during the summer period, rather than foreign visitors (IPA, 2013). Fishing tourism has received increasing attention in recent years, and several national and international projects have included this issue among their key actions. However, although very promising, the fishing tourism sector is still in its infancy stage at the EUSAIR level, as indicated also by the results of the institutional level The high socio-economic and conservation potential of fishing tourism demands for a better regulation,coordination and integration of the sector, at the regional, national and international level. Within the Adriatic-Ionian ecoregion (AIE), fishing vessels registered exceed 21,000 ships, accounting for over 24% of the total European registered vessels (Eurostat, 2014).At the country level, the largest fleet is found in Italy with 9,962 fishing vessels (ADRIPLAN, 2014).

17 Croatia Taking into account the gross tonnage of fishing fleet, the AIEvessels account for about 14% of the total gross tonnage of the European fleet(eurostat, 2014).As far as fish catching is concerned, the region accounts for around 39% of the total fish catches of the Mediterranean Sea with a recent slight decrease of 0.2%between the years At the country level, Italy is the leading country in fishing industry, in 2011 the catches of Italian fisheries exceeded 140,000 followed by Croatia with 70,552 t. Italy s dominance in this sector is also shown by the total fish production per capita (p.c.)figures during the period , that are presented in the next figure. The Italian fishery sector provides the country with a mean exceeding 20 kg p.c. of fish products with an increase up to 25 kg p.c. in 2011.Greek s fisheries sector is also significant providing the market around 20 kg p.c. offish products. Albania presents the lowest production in AIE. In the last period ( ), all the countries in the region, but Greece, strengthened their supply shown as a steady increase p.c. fish production over time.. General The surface of the Republic of Croatia is km² and it comprises km² (64,5%) of land area and km² (35,5%) of territorial sea. With a total population of (census 2011), the average density in Croatia is 75,7 inhabitants/km². Around 60% of the population inhabits urban areas, and almost a quarter of the entire population lives in the capital, Zagreb. According to the data of the State geodetic directorate and Croatian hydrographical institute, the total length of the Croatian border is 3.318,58 km. The length of the continental border is 2.370,5 km. The total length of the coastline is (mainland 1,777 km and islands km). Total number of islands is 1.246, whereof 48 are inhabited (according to data from Statistical annual of 2011, based on 2001 census). Croatian GDP is EUR million (2013) and the GDP/capita, EUR 10,249 (2013). As in most Mediterranean countries, indicators on the national level point towards a low significance of fisheries sector for national economy. Also, it is estimated that the sectors real contribution is underrated and that, if the value of accompanying activities is included, the contribution to national GDP exceeds 1%. In 2013 tourists realised ,814 tourist nights: 7.9% by domestic and 92.1% by foreign tourists. The contribution of tourism sector to national GDP amounts was 16.5%. Tourism on the coast and islands represents an economically significant activity, especially with seasonal openings of additional market for different products, where fisheries products have a significant role. Additionally, fisheries in conjunction with tourism offer also an added value to the tourist service. According to the national strategic guidelines related to tourism development, the objective is to develop tourism offer through high value- added services. Also, it is important to emphasize that most of the aquaculture segment is directly linked to the

18 islands, and that it positively effects the development and sustainability of sensitive island communities. Areas and communities which traditionally depend on fishing and which even today have characteristics of "fishing villages" in Croatia, especially on islands, represent also a significant asset in terms of developing the tourism offer in general. Also, fishery is one of the most important economic sectors for very delicate island communities, providing the basic or additional source of income all year around, in all of its segments - catch, farming and processing. At the same time, fishing has a significant traditional cultural value, and as such is part of the identity of the islands population. Fisheries and Employees Global economic crisis which started in 2008 (in Croatia is still going on) has affected all segments of economy and society on the national level. Unfavourable economic trends on the global level were followed by significant increase of fuel prices on global market. Fishery, as a particularly sensitive segment of economy, also was affected by negative economic developments. Production costs of economic operators in marine fishing have suddenly increased and became too high in comparison with the first sale prices which remained on the same level. The cost of fuel represents the largest individual cost in business activity of the economic entities engaged in marine fishing and it is estimated that between 50% and 60% of total income is spent on fuel. This represents the most significant barrier in achieving sufficient level of profitability. Data on the number of employees in the fisheries sector are currently being estimated by taking into account data from crafts and trade registers, data on number of crew members and number of licences (vessels) in the fishing fleet of Croatia, as well as the data from the register of fish farms. It is estimated that approximately 14,000 people (fishermen, employees in companies involved in capture fisheries, farming and processing) are directly employed in the sector. In addition to the permanently employed, there are many seasonal workers, especially in the segment of employees on fishing vessels. It is estimated that around 25,000 people are involved in the sector, directly and indirectly. More precise data on employees in the fisheries sector will be available after the implementation of the National Fisheries Data Collection Programme. Tourism sector Over 925 thousand registered beds 14% in hotels, 25% in camp sites, 15% in other accommodation facilities and 46% in private households (2013) Only 40% of hotel capacity within a high category (4 and 5 star)(2013) Over 64.8 million overnights in registered commercial accommodation (2013) million tourist arrivals (2013) Every third overnight registered in private households accomodation (2011) Over 84,000 persons employed in the catering and tourism sector, close to 7% of total employment in Croatia (2013) 7.2 billion EUR worth tourism expenditures (6.3 billion foreign and 1 billion national)(2013) 16,5 %-share of tourism in GDP (2013) Attributable to the pronounced seasonality of the product structure 87% of all the overnights in Croatia take lace in four summer months ( June September Conserning the structure of foreign tourist nights, the most of them (73%) were realised by tourists from Germany (24,2), Slovenia (10,3%), Austria (8,7%), the Chech Republic (7,6%), Italy (7,4%), Poland (6,8%), the Netherlands (4,2%) and Slovakia (3,8%). Tourists from other countries realised 27,0% of tourist nights. Dominant tourist products are sun and sea, nautical tourism, cultural tourism and MICE tourism Products with the development perspective are health tourism, cycle tourism, rural and mountain tourism, adventure and sports tourism, eco-tourism and gastronomy and enology. Greece General The surface of Greece is km². Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km in length, featuring a vast number of islands (approximately 1.400, of which 227 are inhabited). With a total population of (census 2012),

19 the average density in Greece is 82 inhabitants/km2. The most important sectors of Greece s economy in 2012 were wholesale and retail trade, transport, accommodation and food services (23.2 %), public administration, defense, education, human health and social work activities (21.2 %) and real estate activities (16.7 %). Fisheries and Employees A number of Greece s coastal areas and islands are dependent on fisheries activities and are currently facing demographic and socioeconomic problems due to shrinking capacity, lack of basic infrastructure, distance from the urban centres, low population density, ageing populations with low adaptability to new technologies and low levels of education. In 2012, the Greek fishing fleet consisted of 16,063 registered vessels, with a combined gross tonnage of 79,678 GT, a total engine power of 462,429 kw and an average age of 26.8 years. The size of the Greek fishing fleet decreased between 2008 and 2012, with the number of vessels falling by 9% and GT and kw by 6% and 9%, respectively. The main factor causing the fleet to decrease was the implementation of the fisheries policy to reduce of the number and capacity of vessels according to the Multiyear Orientation Programs for the Greek fishing fleet. In 2012, the number of fishing enterprises totaled 13,918 with the vast majority (88%) owning a single vessel. The number of enterprises decreased between 2008 and 2012 by 11%. Total employment in 2012 was estimated at 27,558 jobs, corresponding to 23,944 FTEs. The level of employment slightly increased between 2008 and This increase in employment may be related to different data collecting methodologies used over the time period, and it is possible that employment in FTE is underestimated for previous years ( ). The Greek fishing fleet spent an estimated 2,815 thousand days at sea1 in 2012 and the quantity of fuel consumed totaled around 115 million litres. The total weight of landings was estimated at 93 thousand tonnes while the total value of landings was estimated at 427 million2. Therefore, the average value of landings was 4.57 /kg. More specifically, in 2011 the number of persons employed in sea fisheries amounted to 10,974 in 2011, 10,967 in 2012 and 10,777 in Tourism sector In accordance to the Association of Tourism Enterprises of Greece (SETE), the contribution of tourism to the national economy in 2011 reached the 16.5% of the GDP offering working positions equal to the 18.4% of the total employment. Until 2019 it is estimated that employment can increase by positions covering the 100% of unemployment in In relation to the global tourism, Greek tourism sector is performing rather well. In accordance to the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), Greece in 2011 ranked 17 in terms of international arrivals and 19 in terms of income. Also in accordance to the World Economic Forum (WEF), in 2011 Greece ranked 29 among 139 countries in relation to the Travel and Tourism Competition Indicator while based on the General Competition Indicator, Greece ranked 83. These facts indicate that Greek tourism sector is one of the few Greek economic sectors, which contributes in Greece's competitiveness internationally. Greece welcomes a large number of international tourists every year. Italy General Italy is located in Southern Europe and is roughly delimited by the Alpine watershed, enclosing the Po Valley and the Venetian Plain. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula and the two Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia, in addition to many smaller islands. The sovereign states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'italia forming an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The country's total area is 301,230 square kilometres. Including the islands, Italy has a coastline and border of 7,600 kilometres on the Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenian seas (740 km) and borders shared with France (488 km), Austria (430 km), Slovenia (232 km) and Switzerland (740 km ). San Marino (39 km) and Vatican City (3.2 km), both enclaves, account for the remainder. The most important sectors of Italy s economy in 2012 were wholesale and retail trade, transport, accommodation and food services (20.6 %), industry (18.4 %) and public administration, defense, education, human health and social work activities (16.9 %). Italy s main export partners are Germany, France and the US while its main import partners are Germany, France and China.

20 Fisheries and Employees In 2012, the Italian fishing fleet consisted of 14,433 registered vessels, with a combined gross tonnage of 166 thousand GT, a total power of 1,176 thousand kw and an average age of 28 years. The size of the Italian fishing fleet decreased between 2002 and 2012, with the number of vessels decreasing 11% and kw 9%. Over the same period total employed decreased 26%. The largest part of the fleet is the small scale fleet, which is composed of vessels under 12m using passive gears only. They mainly use set nets, long-lines, pots and traps and are managed on a family and artisanal basis. This part contains around two thirds of all Italian fishing vessels (8,652), but due to their small size on average around 2 GT per vessel - they only account for 9% of the total tonnage of the national fleet. In 2012, the number of fishing enterprises in the Italian fleet amounted 9,142, with the vast majority (84%), owning a single vessel. Only 14% of the enterprises owned two to five fishing vessels and 1% owned more than six vessels (most of them represented by fishing cooperatives). Total employment in 2012 was estimated at 28,292 jobs, corresponding to 20,716 FTEs. Tourism sector Tourism is one of Italy's most significant economic sectors accounting for 4,1% of Italy s GDP in Over the past 10 years, employment in the industry has risen from 4.6% of total employment to 5.2%, and in 2013 there were approximately 1.1 million people employed in the hotel and restaurant sectors alone (4,8% of total employment). The great variety of tourism resources allows Italy to offer four-season tourism. According to the National Agency for Tourism (ENIT) in 2010 towns of historical and artistic interest attracted most of the visitors (45%), followed by the seaside with 17%, while mountain and lake locations together accounted for nearly 22%. Despite the fact that tourism is internationally recognised as a major strategic asset of the country, Italy has only recently developed an integrated strategy (the National Tourism Development Plan of 2013) to boost tourism competitiveness and productivity and turn it into a major source of revenues and a catalyst for growth and employment. Blue Tourism is very well developed in Italy, thanks to the lengths of the coast and the number of lakes and rivers existing across the country. Most locations (e.g. Lago di Garda and Lago Maggiore in the North, the Venice Lagoon) are themselves highly attractive tourist spots with a qualified offer and infrastructures for different activities such as sailing and boating. Coastal tourism is a leading segment for Italian tourism. In 2010, the single largest number of bed places available in any European coastal region was in Venice, with 364,500 bed places available Institutional level Institutional analysis has been implemented applying a common methodological framework at partners and at Adriatic and Ionian Macroregion level to achieve an overview on fisheries related tourism regulation/legislative framework, understand the state of the art. Methodology has been based on three folder analysis (desk review, questionnaire and stakeholder consultation face to face meeting) in order to gather the following data on fisheries related tourism regulation: - Legislative references regulating fishing tourism at regional and national level - Existing typology of fisheries related tourism - Authorization licence system for fisheries related tourism - Number of fishing trips and days spent for fisheries related tourism initiatives - Permitted fishing tools and limits for catches - Necessary legislative improvement, integration to unlock the development of fisheries related tourism - Development of additional activities related to fishing tourism - Positive impact of fisheries related tourism on coastal communities - Prioritization of actions to be undertaken to develop sustainable fisheries related tourism activities - Incomes and funding information - Costal Action Groups (Axis IV EFF, European Fisheries Fund) experiences and practices Stakeholders consultation has been held at Italian level (Marche Region and Apulia Region), Croatia (Split county) and Greece (Regions of Western Greece, Epirus and Ionian islands).questionnaires have been submitted

21 also to Institutions of Adriatic and Ionian Macroregion from responsible for fisheries policies shaping and implementation: Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Findings: Italy In Italy, fishing tourism and ichthytourism activities are included in several regulations. Fishing tourism is defined for the first time in the National Law n. 41 of 17 February 1982, modified by National Law n. 165 of 10 February 1992, as the set of activities carried out by owners of coastal fishing vessels who embark on board non-crew members for tourismrecreational purposes. Formal authorization is given by the Head of the maritime compartment where the fishing vessel is registered (Harbour Authority), as stated by the Ministry Decree D.M. n. 293 of 13 April 1999 (art. 5), which provides also a definition of fishing tourism (art. 1). Scope and aims are further defined in two subsequent regulations, which identify fishing tourism as an activity that consists of embarking on fishing vessels non-crew individuals for tourism and recreational purposes, underlining that fishing activities should have a priority role on fishing tourism activities: National Legislative Decree D.Lgs. n. 226 of 18 May 2001 (art. 3) and D.Lgs. n. 154 of 24 May National Law n. 96 of 4 June 2010, art. 28, defines principles and criteria for the multifunctionality of fisheries and aquaculture enterprises aimed at creating alternative sources of income, especially focusing on generational renewal and business valorisation, and it states that a new regulation is required for the fisheries and aquaculture sector in compliance with EC Reg. n. 1198/2006. As a consequence, the National Legislative Decree D.Lgs. n. 4 of 9 January 2012 has been created, where fishing tourism and ichthytourism are identified as commercial activities that can be associated to professional fishing, as long as they do not become priority activities compared to fishing (art. 2.2). Fishing tourism is authorized only in association with certain fishing systems and gears (e.g. gillnets, purse seines, longlines). This point seen as a weaknesses for operators has been overcome by the LAW n. 134 of the 07 august 2012, has been modified as following: Art. 59-quater. Changes to the Legislative Decree n. 4 of the 09th of January Comma 2 of article 2 of legislative decree n, 4 of 9th of January 2012, is modified ion the following points: «2. Are included in the professional fishing activities, if realized by Ichthyic Entrepreneur as defined in the art. 4, the following activities: a) Boarding of people not part of the crew on fishing vessel with touristic and recreational purposes, called fishing tourism b) hospitality, recreational, educational, cultural and services activities, aimed to the proper use of ecosystem and fish resources and to the valorisation of sociocultural aspects of fishery sector activity, practiced by Ichthyic entrepreneurs, single or associate, fishery through the use of the entrepreneur house or the available premises of the enterprise, called Ichthytourism 2-bis. Are linked the professional fishing - provided that they are not prevalent compared to the professional one and realized by the Ichthyic entrepreneur through the use of products deriving mainly from his fishing activity, equipment or resources of the enterprise normally used in the Ichthyic enterprise - the following activities: a)processing, distribution and commercialization of fisheries products, including promotion and valorisation actions; b) Realization of interventions of action management, aimed to productive valorisation, to sustainable use of water ecosystem and protection of the environment in coastal areas. Several Italian Regions issued Regulations and Regional law tackling the field of fisheries related tourism. Marche Region While positive impacts of fishing tourism are widely recognized by Regional Institutions and local stakeholders: - The development of sustainable tourism products also in more remote and less touristic areas able to offer unique and authentic experience (tourist niche interested to fisheries related tourism)

22 - The leading role of fishermen and the possibility to diversify incomes - The valorisation of fishing zero-miles products - The valorisation of culture, history and traditions linked to the sea and maritime culture - Reduction of the fishing effort - Increase of jobs with a particular focus on young and women it is evident however to unlock the development potential of the sector - the necessity to improve bureaucratic and administrative issues, simplify and enhance the legislation framework and amends some of the existing rules regulating fishing tourism and Ittitourism at National and regional level. As underlined by Fishermen and sector associations to date fishing systems allowed in fishing tourism (stating gear, longlines, hand lines and Harpoons), the different authorization needed (safety notes relating to their fishing vessel, proof of stability issued by an authorized body, safety notes relating to fishing tourism), the maximum number of people permitted (on board is 12) limit the development of the activities. Further fishermen and fishery sector needs to acquire several competences and to deepen cooperate with tourism sector to develop successfully experiences. Fisheries related tourism should be integrated into a quality tourism offer of a territory and, to this aim, support is needed on different perspectives: - Professional development of tourism products to ensure the development of a proper customer experience from the travel planning to the return back home - Branding process and identity of the place - Specific training for fishermen to ensure adequate quality of tourist services, fishermen should acquire specific skills to work with paying guests. - Ensure the cooperation and involvement of the local actors and link the products to the community - Promotion (also including web development and social tools) and integration with other tourism offers and itineraries to increase visibility of fisheries related tourism actions - create awareness about entrepreneurial opportunities and economic diversification for coastal communities. Several opportunities could be exploited through a multi-funds approach for Communities local development (ERDF ESF and EMFF). ERDF could for instance supports building renovation and energy efficiency and improve sustainable mobility, ESF could support necessary training and EMFF could support different initiatives such as the development of innovative products, renovation and transformation of fishing vessels, zero-miles selling initiative, events linked to fisheries culture and history promotion, the acquisition of proper equipment, etc.. Further, we should also consider that whole maritime economy is relevant both at national and regional from economic and occupational point of view. Maritime cluster represents one of the most promising sector to push development in Italy. In Marche Region territory there is more than 2% of Italian Coastal area, about 1743 km of coast (source mostly sandy. 23 Municipalities and about inhabitants living on the coastal area (Source. Istat, Demoistat, 2012). Maritime and Blue economy has a great potential for our region and could contribute widely to the Region wealth. Moreover, the Marche Region is strategically located in the centre of Adriatic and could lead and coordinate different actions linked to the maritime economy and culture. To this aim cooperation among different maritime sector sis essential and fishing tourism represent a challenge in this direction. As a whole in the Marche Region there are about 5470 enterprises linked to Blue Economy mainly focused on Blue Tourism and Blue food. (source- Blue Economy: Sea Economy Analysis and perspectives for the Marche Region 2012 Università Politecnica delle Marche) thus fishing tourism has in our Marche Region a breeding ground to grow and should be supported.

23 - Italy Puglia Region Fishing tourism may be an opportunity to innovate the fishing and tourism industries and a new option for sustainable development and responsible tourism, providing for a harmonious integration of tourism into the environment so as to minimize its negative impact. Hence, the existing share within the tourism market can be retained and expanded and a new large share can be gained. However, fishing tourism is growing slowly probably due to the lack of experience of fishermen who have turned themselves into tourist operators offering services whose quality does not meet tourists expectations; in addition, accommodation facilities are not well developed and they are far from the standard offered by agri-tourism. One more major limitation is the lack of a regional regulation and of measures to support the start-up of fishing tourism businesses. Regione Puglia is trying to bridge this gap by approving a "Regulation on fishing tourism and ichthyo-tourism (DDL No 11 Disciplina del pescaturismo e dell'ittiturismo ) of which aims to implement the multifunctional role of the fishing enterprise, to foster local entrepreneurship s initiatives by favouring the renewal of generations and increasing employment, but also to guarantee the administrative simplification for business startup, to eliminate duplicates and harmonise the sector rules. The Regulation has received a unanimously favourable opinion by the 3rd and 4th Committee of Regione Puglia and will be soon submitted to the Regional Council for its final approval. Finally, Regione Puglia (Servizio Caccia e Pesca), along with CIHEAM-Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari, is one of the partners of two cooperation projects funded under the cross-border cooperation programme, ENPI CBCMED Both projects are focused on small-scale fisheries communities and are intended to reinforce the role of fishermen by promoting economic diversification, including fishing tourism activities, through a local technical support system for the start-up of fishermen s multifunctional business (FISHINMED - Mediterranean Network of sustainable smallscale fishing communities) and training of young fishermen in other vocations (READYMEDFISH - Requalification of employment and Diversification for Youth in the Mediterranean). The approval of a dedicated Regional Regulation is undoubtedly crucial to favour the growth of fishing tourism making it possible to simplify and streamline the business start-up procedure. Furthermore, the challenge of infrastructure and services weaknesses in the fishing tourism industry has to be taken up and the EMFF creates opportunities to fund specific initiatives to improve the fishing tourism industry: a) adaptation of vessels; b) implementation of tourist accommodation facilities; c) creation of a local/regional network to promote fishing tourism, offer tour packages, provide a booking service (agri-tourism, tour operators and travel agencies, info points, etc.); d) vocational training to develop fishermen s capacity in the tourism sector. Croatia Marine Fisheries Act recognizes the following categories of fishing: commercial, sports and recreational and fishing for scientific and educational purposes including fishing for public aquariums. Sport and recreational fishing is regulated by the Marine fisheries act, Ordinance on sport and recreational fishery at sea as well as by Ordinance on catch, farming and trade of tuna (Thunnus thynnus), swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and Mediterranean spearfish (Tetrapturus belone). The Act and Ordinances govern the minimum catch sizes, details on performing fishing activity as well as all technical elements regarding fishery of above mentioned species. Fishing tourism is regulated by the Marine fisheries act and Ordinance on fishing tourism. The most important provisions are: - Fishing tourism in terms of Marine Fisheries Act implies the commercial marine fishing in the provision of services in tourism performed by persons with authorized licenses for fishing. When performing activities of fishing tourism, tourists are not allowed to perform fishing. - It is not possible to issue new licenses for marine commercial fishing. The transfer of full rights

24 stemming from the license from one legal or physical person to another is possible under certain conditions. - when performing activities of fishing tourism, tourists are not allowed to perform fishing Obtaining the authorization requires: - proof of authorization for carrying out commercial fishing (licenses for commercial fishing) - a solution for the provision of services in tourism and hospitality in accordance with special regulations - proof of eligibility for the transportation of passengers. Limitations detected: high cost of making the necessary documentation and modification of the boat poor promotion high dependence on weather conditions inconsistency of legal acts jurisdiction of several ministries- in the case of fishing tourism as well as in other branches of the fisheries jurisdiction of several ministries are intertwined. In this case it is Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism. Unfortunately, precisely for this reason there are often administrative barriers arasing from mutual misunderstanding and poor communication among the various ministries. The consequence are complicated procedures that an entrepreneur can hardly be overcome. For example, according to the Marine Fisheries act: When performing activities of fishing tourism, tourists are not allowed to perform fishing On the other hand according to the regulation (Ordinance on the licence for the sport and recreational fishing): "Extremely tourists on board may perform recreational fishing on the basis of group's day or multi-day permits for recreational fishing. Also, the fishermen raise the question: What with responsibility for the payment fines for tourist on the boat? At the same really there is no answer, because the regulation have the option to group permissions (again disagreement with the Marine Fisheries act). Possibilities : - financial and social benefits - unburdening of fishermen - reduction of fishing effort - development innovative and sustainable tourism activities - diversification professional fishing sector - promoting marine coastal development through the most relevant actors (fishermen and their families - protection of the natural environment - prolongation of tourism season - education of tourists - alternative to commercial fisheries - great potential for development of tourism fishing in the segment of trawling, which is the most common in Croatia - Recommendations - modify the fishing gear for tourist purposes (especially dimensions, size and the cut of the eye, as well as the duration of trawling) - changing the regulation of trawl fishing in the canal areas (closed during the summer) in a way to devise specific spatial and temporal constraints for demonstration tourist fishing in prohibited areas for trawling - insure annual catch quota for tuna in recreational fishery - modify and harmonize existing Marine Fisheries Act and by-laws - develop a development plan of fishing tourism and development plan of rural tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Tourism Associations - required the inclusion of Croatian Register of Shipping, as an important actor in solving the overall problembecause the Croatian Register of Shipping has strict requirements for the passengers transport, especially when it comes to trawlers - increase access to financial instruments (guarantee funds, subsidised loan schemes-e.g. reconstruction of the fishing vessels)

25 - invest on media and social network to increase visibility of fisheries related tourism actions - create awareness about entrepreneurial opportunities and economic diversification for coastal communities for coastal communities - increase communication activity of all interested parties - ensuring training - ensure the financial instruments for implementation - Greece - The former Ministry of Culture and Tourism introduced by Law 4070/2012 (Gov. Gazette A' 82/ 2012) the form of fishing tourism, despite the reactions of the key players in the tourism sector. - The recent Joint Decision of Ministers of Rural Development and Food Tourism Maritime and Aegean 414/2354 (Gov. Gazette A' 97/ 2015) aimed at simplifying the institutional framework required for the development of fishing tourism, but it needs more clarification. - Despite the fact that there are laws and joint decisions of associated Ministries, the legal framework of fisheries related tourism is insufficient. - Fishing tourism includes the boarding of non-crew individuals as passengers on fishing boats for recreational and tourism purposes. - According to press reports, the simplification of the institutional framework for fishing tourism is included in actions aimed to strengthen Greece s alternative forms of tourism. - The new institutional framework sees tourists on board professional fishing boats, practicing the techniques of fishing as a form of recreation during their holidays. This activity is expected to increase the income of Greek fishermen and create jobs in coastal areas and islands of Greece. - Currently a fishing licence is required for any individual aboard a fishing boat, however large or small. The licence applies to the individual rather than the boat so individuals are currently not allowed to even go along for the ride without holding a licence. - There are very limited fisheries related tourism activities in Greece. Some of them are taking place in the lagoons of Messolonghi and Amvrakikos. - There are funding programmes managed by local Development Companies and FLAGs, but they were underutilized by fishermen due to bureaucratic reasons and to unsettled legal issues. - Survey: results per Region/Country - In Greece the results of the survey 2.1 indicate that: - The existing legal framework for fishing tourism and fisheries related tourism in Greece is insufficient and needs clarification - There is no fishing tourism activity in Greece, except one or two cases - There is no special license for fishing tourism in Greece - The number of fishing trips and days spent in fishing (recreational, sport fishing or fishing tourism) is not quantified. - There is need for legislative improvement and regulation integration in order to be developed fishing tourism and fisheries related tourism in Greece. - Regarding the objectives have been pursued linked to the development of Fishing Tourism in Greece, all of the respondents agree that the most important is to diversify professional fishing sector. Some of them (20%)believe that ii is also the reducing of fishing effort. - There are some additional activities related to the fishing tourism (festivals and gastronomic events), e.g. Sardines fests, especially during the summer months. - Regarding the actions which are important to be undertaken in order to realize the potentials of fisheries related tourism, 30% believe that the most important thing is to create awareness about entrepreneurial opportunities and economic diversification for coastal communities. - Regarding the financial aid has been set up in Greece to support the development of Fishing Tourism and

26 Fisheries related tourism activities, they responded that there are funding programmes as Axis 4 and Sustainable Development of Fishing Areas. - Finally, regarding the regional Action Groups, all the respondents indicated that there are 11 Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) in Greece. Recommendations: The Focus Group Discussion identified several urgent issues related to fishing tourism that need immediate solutions and agreed to some recommendations: Clarification of legislation regarding fisheries related tourism activities. Conclusions The role of the FLAGs is very important for the promotion of fisheries related tourism activities, therefore they require increased support. Fishing tourism has a great potential of developing in Greece, however, considerable work needs to be done to ensure it is implemented in a successful and sensible manner. Further, fishing tourism may also serve as a tool for increasing public awareness on the environmental problems and principles of sustainable growth to both sides involved: to tourist agents and their customers, and to fishermen and tourists. Fisheries related tourism links together two of the most relevant economic sectors of the Mediterranean area as well as of the Adriatic and Ionian sub area targeted by NEMO project. National, regional and local bodies of the Adriatic and Ionian area should pool their energies jointly to tackle shared issues related to fisheries and tourism sustainable development. Survey and analysis held in the Adriatic and Ionian Regions area interviewing Institutions dealing with fisheries related tourism at national, regional and local level highlighted first of all the necessity to introduce concrete changes into legislative framework at EU, national and regional level allowing to unlock the development of the sector. The simplification and harmonization of existing legislative framework is crucial for development since in all interviewed states the procedures needed for issuing operational licences in the field of fishing tourism still remain very complex and long. Thus, it is really urgent that policy makers pursue the simplification and modernization of existing legal framework taking into account the presence of EU, candidate and potential candidate countries. Moreover, Institutional analysis pointed out the need a common and shared definition of fisheries related tourism. Common definition and meaning of fisheries related tourism also will push the establishment of a shared and common methodology to collect, benchmark and elaborate data and information on the activities concerning this emerging sector, which is scarce not integrated at the moment, thus do not allow to specifically assess environmental and socio economic added value on Adriatic and Ionian sea and to raise awareness about mitigated impacts of fishing tourism on marine resources. The availability, the interoperability and exchange of data at regional and cross-border level could help the reduction of this fragmentation and contribute to policies improvement and to a clearer and effective legislative framework for Fisheries Related Tourism. At this purposes also is needed a stricter cooperation, dialogue and data among scientists and Institutions responsible for tourism and fisheries policies and programmes implementation. Another crucial issue is linked to tourism and fisheries policies integrated approach foreseeing the inclusion of Fisheries related tourism into regional, national and transnational sustainable tourism programmes for the next years. Essential measure to be taken into account by the decision makers is the allocation of funds for the renewal and adaptation of vessels for fishing tourism purpose, improving safety on board and better equipping vessels to welcome tourists, thus contributing to the reduction of environmental impact and foster diversification activities and new incomes for fishermen. To this extent public funds (EMFF European Maritime Fisheries Fund) can have a

27 central role covring the cost of fishing vessels renewals and adaptation for tourism purposes. Moreover, further opportunities could be exploited through the setting up of a multifunds approach for communities local development (integrated initiatives among EMFF European Maritime Fisheries Funds, ERDF European Regional Development funds and ESF European Social Funds) supporting through joint measures for an integrated development taking into account several aspects of Fisheries Related Tourism : - training and increase of competences for fishermen especially young one; - development of innovative fisheries related tourism packages/products and joint promotion initiatives. - Hospitality and accommodation system managed by fishermen - Cultural events, promotion and direct selling of fish products, etc Fisheries Local Action groups should also have a key role in the development and promotion of fisheries related tourism initiatives, improving their own governance model and multi actor approach and setting up a good practice transfer and peer learning process for capacity building towards non EU countries of Adriatic and Ionian Regions.

28 1.4. Swot analysis

29 2.GOALS & PRIORITY ACTIONS Cross cutting goal Improving cooperation and multilevel dialogue by creating/strenghtening permanent linkage among stakeholders GOALS PRIORITY ACTIONS MONITORING Improve national and regional legislation on Fisheries related tourism and bureaucracy reduction Critical analysis of existing regulation at national and regional level and laws amendments proposals to competent bodies Recommendations/Guidelines to harmonize competences among different ministries/institutions responsible reducing bureaucracy towards integrated approach to maritime and coastal policies N. of Regional Regulations issued N. of Guidelines delivered Improve the integration of fisheries related tourism into regional tourism programmes and plans, policies integration Inclusion of fisheries related tourism into regional promotion initiatives (e.g. selection of fisheries related tourism initiatives/ best practices to be included within regional tourism packages). Synergies among different economic sector Inclusion of fisheries itineraries within sustainable tourism routes. Inclusion of fisheries related tourism into promotional activities at EU and International level Monitoring network of fishing diversification activities in synergy with other sectors N. of Regional Tourism Plan including fisheries related tourism N. of Fisheries related tourism itineraries promoted N. of joint communication and promotional campaigns launched Improve fisheries related tourism policies integration within Protected Areas regulation Development of scientific proposals for the fishing gears more restricted in protected areas and specific measures respecting the environment and allowing tourism sustainable development in protected areas Data collection and sharing among scientific/research bodies and public institutions responsible for policy and programme implementation fostering evidence based decisions making N. of scientific proposals for fisheries activities into Protected Areas

30 Promote multi-funds approach for joint and integrated actions (e.g to be included into ESF, EMFF, ERDF Operative Programmes) for fisheries related tourism enhancement (mainstreaming with local policies) FLAG's capacity building for development and proper management of fisheries related tourism initiatives Development of integrated actions among EU regional funds for knowledge and competences improvement, interventions on buildings and vessels, tourism promotion and market oriented approach. Specific training for FLAG to increase their knowledge and competences on fisheries related tourism initiatives development and management. Technical Assistance towards new adhesion countries /Peer learning and peer review activities; Best practices exchange and transfer process development. N. of training courses developed and submitted N. of stakeholders involved in training courses Increase cooperation at EUSAIR coastal regions for the concrete implementation of Strategic Action Plan (pillar I. III, IV) O: 2.1:Strengheten cooperation among scientific and technical stakeholders Joint actions in the EEFM funds for the EUSAIR coastal regions to develop diversification and tourism activities Joint conferences, workshop and networking actions to exchange and transfer results/knowledge and data Technical reports drafting N. of calls published N. of stakeholders involved N. of events arranged N. of report drafted N. of training courses developed and submitted N. of stakeholders involved in training courses N. of mobility schemes N. of international research projects Development of dedicated training modules International research and mobility projects O 2.2:Improve cooperation with fisheries related tourism operators Periodical meeting organization Vademecum for operators issuing n. events arranged n. of training courses developed and submitted n. of communication material published

31 Training assessment and dedicated training courses development for fisheries related tourism operators O 2.3:Improve cooperation with institutions (local, regional, national level) in charge of fisheries related tourism policies Dedicated electronic and hard paper material to inform/ educate/update fishermen and general public on a fisheries related tourism regulations, news, different interest, etc. Institutional capacity building actions to upgrade competencies of technical officers operating in fisheries and tourism sector Technical and critical review of recent legislation/regulation on fisheries related tourism for future improvement n. of capacity building events arranged n. of technical report O 2.4:Assess fisheries related tourism impacts on the exploited resources and ecosystems Pilot monitoring project to describe activities, to collect data on catch and effort of this type of fisheries by interviews, questionnaires and field sampling Increase and standardization of data collection on fisheries related tourism impact, data sharing to better address policies and evidence based decision and common actions. n. of pilot monitoring project submitted and implemented n. of database created O.3.1 Upgrade and improve fishing vessels for touristic purposes and fishermen hospitality buildings Adaptation and renewal of vessels following s safety guidelines; clean, modern and with a certain degree of comfort. Fishing boats adaptation in favour of the tourists on board with proper equipment O.3.2 Upgrade skills to improve fishermen attitude towards tourist Develop training paths dedicated to fishermen on regulations, marketing tools, communication, ICT, specific target needs (e.g. schools, senior target, eco-tourist), languages, study visit and tours, diversification activities. n. of training courses developed and submitted O.3.3 Support promotion and branding of EUSAIR coastal regions fisheries related tourism Development of a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of Adriatic and Ionian Regions, tailored made, based on their historical or cultural characteristics; Use of both traditional media and new e- marketing techniques to convey the core values for the destination and motivate local residents. n. of Selling proposition developed

32 Development of a common branding for fisheries of Adriatic and Ionian Regions (common image, promotion, shared traceability system) n. of Brand created n. of Traceability system developed Diagnosis of tourism attractions Itineraries developed and networking Joint marketing campaigns of fishing localities with other destinations at national and transnational level for mutual benefits n. of joint campaigns developed O Extend the tourism season O.3.5 Stimulate multilevel dialogue between tourism operators and fishermen dealing with fisheries related tourism Web-platform for the itineraries promotion and exchange within a joint promotional campaign (common database with relevant info, itineraries, video) Organization of festivals and gastronomic events, promotion of local tourism in the ofpeak months, developing museums, thematic villages, (etc Fishing Festival of Adriatic Ionian Regions) Joint development of news tourism products and services n. of web-platform created n. of events arranged n. of new products/services developed

33 3.FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) National Operational Programmes The EMFF is the fund for the EU's maritime and fisheries policies for It is one of the five European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds which complement each other and seek to promote a growth and job based recovery in Europe. The fund helps fishermen in the transition to sustainable fishing supports coastal communities in diversifying their economies finances projects that create new jobs and improve quality of life along European coasts makes it easier for applicants to access financing. European Regional Development Funds ERDF Regional Operational Programmes The ERDF aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions. European Social Funds The ESF invests in people, with a focus on improving employment and education opportunities across the European Union The ESF investments cover all EU regions. More than 80 billion is earmarked for human capital investment in Member States between 2014 and 2020, with an extra of at least 3.2 billion allocated to the Youth Employment Initiative. For the period, the ESF will focus on four of the cohesion policy's thematic objectives: promoting employment and supporting labour mobility promoting social inclusion and combating poverty investing in education, skills and lifelong learning enhancing institutional capacity and an efficient public administration European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) Programme relevant for the Adriatic and Ionian Area Adrion Programme, IT-SLO, IT-HR, IT-GR, IT-MONT-ALB, Mediterranean, ENI Med, Interreg Europe, Urbact III Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) IPA is made up of five different components: Assistance for transition and institution building; Cross-border cooperation (with EU Member States and other countries eligible for IPA); Regional development (transport, environment, regional and economic development); Human resources (strengthening human capital and combating exclusion); Rural development. The IPA beneficiary countries are divided into two categories: EU candidate countries (Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) are eligible for all five components of IPA; Potential candidate countries in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo under UN Security Council Resolution 1244/99) are eligible only for the first two components.

34 Horizon 2020 Horizon 2020 programmes supports the implementation of the Innovation Union, aimed at securing Europe's global competitiveness. Running from 2014 to 2020 with a EUR 70.2 billion budget this programme is part of the drive to create new growth and jobs in Europe. Horizon 2020 will focus on industrial leadership maximising the competitiveness impact of research and innovation and raising and spreading levels of excellence in R&I. Horizon 2020 includes maritime research priorities and covers the launch of blue growth calls as from ERASMUS is the EU's new programme for education, training, youth and sport with a budget of around EUR 14.5 billion. It will support learning opportunities for individuals, cooperation between educational institutions, youth organisations, businesses, local and regional authorities and NGOs, to encourage the development and implementation of innovative practices in education, training and youth activities and to promote employability, creativity and entrepreneurship. COSME The new Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium sized Enterprises (COSME) will run from 2014 to 2020 with a budget of EUR 2.3 billion, of which 60% shall support instruments on financial markets via the EIB/EIF and 350 million shall support the operations of the Enterprise Europe Network in all regions. It is focused on projects strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of the Union s enterprises, particularly SMEs and encouraging, entrepreneurial culture and promoting the creation and growth of SMEs LIFE Life ls the EU s financial instrument in support of the environment and of nature conservation projects throughout the EU. The Environment strand of the new programme covers three priority areas: environment and resource efficiency; nature and biodiversity; and environmental governance and information. The Climate Action strand covers climate change mitigation; climate change adaptation; and climate governance and information. The programme also includes a new category of projects, "integrated projects, which can be funded through different financing instruments. These projects aim to better integrate environmental policies into other policy areas

35 4. ACTION PLAN SUSTAINABILITY Action plan sustainability The NEMO Action Plan sustainability is ensured by the formal commitment of each partner who signed Letter of Intent to form the framework for cooperation among the parties to identify and achieve shared goals and objectives stated in NEMO Adriatic- Ionian Action Plan and to facilitate and develop a genuine and mutually beneficial exchange process and technical and institutional relationship. Letter of intent shall remain in effect for two years. The Letter of Intent is aimed at prolonging and fostering cross-border cooperation for sustainable development of fisheries related tourism in Adriatic- Ionian territories, at concretely contributing to the MED and EUSAIR integrated marine/maritime approach, key factor for Mediterranean and Adriatic- Ionian Basins cohesion. In addition to this, partners will act tind the most suitable cooperation tools to reach the given goals and performed the activities identified as of common interest. In order to ensure the stakeholders awareness and involvement, fisheries related tourism actors at Italian, Croatia, Greece level (policy makers, operators, scientific institutions, associations, fishermen, university institutions) signed Letter of Endorsment to support and strengthen the NEMO Network activities, to provide contributions and inputs judged important in helping the achievement NEMO Network goals and EUSAIR Action Plan implementation the NEMO plan implementation. 5. EXAMPLE OF GOOD PRACTICES The selection of the good practices was done by using the following criteria: a. The good practice example connects to pescatourism, accommodation & restaurants; b. The good practice example offers successful and innovative approaches that exploit the best the opportunities offered by the economic area of the participant country; c. The good practice example could be easily transferred to other areas/countries/regions. Selected good practices from FARNET 1. Pescatourisme 83 - FLAG Groupe Varois Le Var, FRANCE About the project: This project transfers and adapts pesca-tourism experience gained in Italy to the context of the Var, France. Not only has it created a specific touristic activity that is in line with the type of fishing in the area but it has also involved the right actors to encourage the legislative evolution necessary to facilitate this activity around the French coast. Pescatourisme 83 aimed to offer local fishermen a way of diversifying their revenues without increasing their fishing effort while at the same time engaging with the gen- eral public in a way that raises awareness of the tradition and heritage that fishing represents and the issues the sector faces. Pesca-tourism is understood to involve professional fishermen welcoming a certain number of tourists on to their boats in a tourism-recreation activity to discover the world of fishing and the sea. In the context of the Var, the practice has been adapted to the type of fishing boats (7-10 metres and often with just one crew member) and consists of a morning (3-4 hours) of pescatourism, leaving before dawn to pull in the nets laid the day before and observe and learn the techniques of artisa- nal fishing in the area. Transferability: Pesca-tourism is among the first ideas that spring to mind when exploring avenues for fishermen to diversify their activities and the methodology of Pescatourisme 83 has strong potential to be transferred to other areas. And yet, it must be mentioned that it is also a practice with a finite potential to compensate for many of the difficulties in the fishing sector and is not necessarily suitable for all areas. For successful transfer to different areas, the project promoter insists on the importance of the following: and the target audience ding the right partners to address these needs and real participation of these partners

36 the needs and objectives established Pescatourisme 83 has already attracted interest from four other French FLAGs which have started work to set up similar programmes in their areas. 2. À l Ostendaise Menu - FLAG West Flanders - BE About the project: À l Ostendaise, brings together local fishermen and restaurants to create and promote a new market for local fish, turning them into quality dishes in Ostend s top restaurants. The project includes a series of activities and promotional campaigns to celebrate and promote fish and seafood caught by Ostend s fleet. A two-day launch event was organised on the town s redeveloped sea front in which 25 selected restaurants were invited to have a stand and take on the challenge of proposing fish dishes based on local seasonal fish. This was followed by the integration of the à l Ostendaise menu into the regular offer of participating restaurants who must undertake to propose a menu based on the two species of local fish designated for that month. Moreover, the restaurants take turns to host two monthly dinners where the first 10 people to book can enjoy the à l Ostendaise menu in the company of a local fisherman who shares his knowledge and stories about the different local species and techniques used to fish them. The dinner also includes a guided tour of the port area and often a presentation of the menu by the chef. Transferability: This is an excellent example of promoting an area s local fisheries activities and products while attracting both locals and tourists to restaurants that prize sustainability. Similar activities could be envisaged for many fishing communities where local fish struggles to compete with cheaper or better known fish species. Final Comment: the integration of the à l Ostendaise menu into the regular offer of participating restaurants who must undertake to propose a menu based on the two species of local fish designated for that month. Moreover, the restaurants take turns to host two monthly dinners where the first 10 people to book can enjoy the à l Ostendaise menu in the company of a local fisherman who shares his knowledge and stories about the different local species and techniques used to fish them. The dinner also includes a guided tour of the port area and often a presentation of the menu by the chef. Transferability: This is an excellent example of promoting an area s local fisheries activities and products while attracting both locals and tourists to restaurants that prize sustainability. Similar activities could be envisaged for many fishing communities where local fish struggles to compete with cheaper or better known fish species. Final Comment: Work continues on traceability along the fish chain and capacity building for fishermen. Systems for checking that participating restaurants comply with the rules on recommended fish species are in place. However, given that all fish in Belgium must be sold through the auction, work is now underway with wholesales to encourage them to pass on more information (e.g. which boat fish comes from) to clients such as restaurants. At the request of participating fishermen, training is also envisaged to develop presentation skills that will give them confidence in addressing groups to explain their work and products. Work continues on traceability along the fish chain and capacity building for fishermen. Systems for checking that participating restaurants comply with the rules on recommended fish species are in place. However, given that all fish in Belgium must be sold through the auction, work is now underway with wholesales to encourage them to pass on more information (e.g. which boat fish comes from) to clients such as restaurants. At the request of participating fishermen, training is also envisaged to develop presentation skills that will give them confidence in addressing groups to explain their work and products. 3.Benboa: restaurant, bar & delicatessen - FLAG Ría de Arousa ES About the project: Creating 17 jobs, Benboa is a project that has breathed new life into a small fishing village by reviving and diversifying the activities of a local shellfish supplier. Benboa offers visitors the experience of seeing live shellfish, while having the opportunity to buy, prepare and taste seafood, all in one place.

37 5.Hotel A de Lolo - FLAG Costa da Morte ES Three young entrepreneurs, Paco, Ruben and Carlos, recently returned to their hometown, Corrubedo, a small fishing village in Galicia of 700 inhabitants. Few economic activities remain in the village and fishermen these days land their catch in the neighbouring town of Ribeira. And yet, 300,000 visitors pass through every year, attracted largely by the sand dunes and lagoons that have contributed to Corrubedo s protected status. The three friends grasped this opportunity to make a change by harnessing local seafood cuisine, education and tourism. The project itself involved renovating an old salting factory and transforming it into a multi-purpose space, Benboa. It was built around existing live shellfish supply activities and the expansion into Benboa saw the development of a seafood restaurant, bar, fishmonger, processing unit and gourmet shop selling artisanal Galician products and ready-made meals from the processing unit. As such, Benboa makes up for many of the services lacking in the village. It also offers cookery workshops, wine tasting, lectures, maritime culture exhibitions, as well as concerts and performances all with the purpose of promoting the consumption of Galician fisheries products. The space has been decorated with touches of local maritime tradition: nautical lamps, decorative boat rope, toilets in the style of a ship s cabin, shelves made from recovered tuna cages and tables made from wooden rafts. Transferability: This sort of project could be transferable to other areas with nearby populations and strong tourism potential that is underexploited. The significant investment necessary to renovate and equip premises for such operations does,however, imply that FLAGs would need substantial budgets to support this ambitious type of project. Final Comment: Benboa illustrates a creative way of revitalizing an area with little economic activity, combining innovation with the promotion of the local marine tradition, and the development of leisure and culinary experiences with the creation of local jobs. About the project: To diversify her family s economic activity, Maria Luz, a retired fisherman's wife opened a very distinctive hotel and restaurant with a local maritime theme in the village of Muxia, a highly attractive touristic point where demand for accommodation was going unmet. This created five full-time and four part-time jobs. Home to the Romanesque marine church, the Virgen of the Boat, the small fishing village of Muxia is one of the final destinations of pilgrims following the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. The legend of the Virgen arriving at this spot in a stone boat to encourage St James in his preaching accounts for the village s huge popularity and year-round flow of tourists. Accommodation to house so many tourists, however, was going unmet and when Maria Luz, a retired fisherman s wife, inherited an old stone house, the idea to transform it into a hotel was an obvious choice. The project itself involved the reconstruction and renovation of an old traditional stone house and the development of an 8 bedroom boutique hotel and a restaurant with capacity for 55 people. Targeting an educated and cultivated public, including artists and writers, the family paid particular attention to quality and design. The decoration, for example, illustrates the rich marine history of the village through fish hook lamps, crab-shaped bedside tables and handmade pebble maps of nearby underwater areas in all bedrooms. The restaurant and its kitchen are run by Maria Luz, while her husband is in charge of buying seafood and fish and fileting it ready for the chef. 100% of fish served is local and fresh while the menus offered are adapted to give visitors the option of tasting a range of traditional dishes e.g. the Pilgrim menu (printed in English, French and Italian as well as Galician and Spanish) which is available in different combinations from 9.50 to 15. The restaurant also boasts its own cooking laboratory where Maria Luz invites catering professionals to develop new fish recipes. Cooking workshops are offered on demand and the cooking laboratory is opened to all guests and customers ready to prepare their own meal or eager to discover

38 new ways of preparing Galician fish. Wine tasting, cultural marine exhibitions and book presentations are also held in the restaurant on a regular basis. Transferability: This project offers ideas to FLAGs operating in areas where demand for tourist accommodation goes unmet and where the FLAG has sufficient budget to support infrastructure projects. Although the investment in this case was significant, the example can also serve as inspiration for those fishermen s wives who have spare rooms that they can convert into accommodation for tourists on a smaller scale. Final Comment: The results obtained so far have inspired the family to consider new ideas such as developing an internal TV channel for the rooms, screening the cooking workshops performed in A de Lolo, and creating their own line of souvenirs. 6. Port museum of Tricase ITALY (Magna Grecia Mare project) Magna Greece Promotion and enhancement of the common maritime culture (promotion and valorisation of the common maritime culture) is a project financed by the funds of the European Territorial Cooperation Programme Greece-Italy Small fishing communities and small villages are a huge container of knowledge, integrated with the hinterland by promoting for a qualified and sustainable tourism and for development. In this context the idea of Port Museum was developed. Port museums are eco-museums, places and paths that tell the story and the life of the sea, on the sea and with the sea. They are ports, harbours and small villages, living witnesses and protagonists of a centuries-old culture of ancient seafaring traditions, fascinating cultural contaminations of landings and boardings, of arrivals and departures. They are spaces alive and lived by seafarers, fishermen and people of any profession, inhabitants and visitors; where history, culture, environment, boats, objects, landscapes, rituals, stories, memories and dreams create a port and add colors, sounds and smells. They are sea and land places rich of customs, traditions, values, beliefs, symbols and myths. They are workshops and daily working places, outdoors and indoors, proud heirs of an ancient culture. They are a community that takes awareness of its value and that exhibit its self but with discretion. 7. Touristic trawling -CROATIA In recent years, the tourism offer in Croatia has been enriched with a new category of fisheries: the so called tourist trawling. It is type of fishery for the touristic purposes and it may be obtained only by commercial fishermen, i.e. fishermen who have special permission for the bottom trawl fisheries and touristic fisheries. This type of fishing activities is performed by small number of fishermen (around ten), especially during the touristic season. During that period, fishermen that perform fisheries related tourism generally disrupt the activities of the commercial fishery and prepare the vessel for receiving tourists. The main aim of this fishing isn t fishing itself, but rather demonstration of bottom trawling activities and fishing experience. Analysis of activities of one of these vessels involved both in commercial fishing and fisheries related tourism has shown significantly less negative effects of fisheries related tourism on the state of resources and the marine environment compared with typical commercial fishing. Catch and fishing effort is significantly below the commercial fishing. While trawling, duration in one day in the commercial fisheries is around 15 hours; in the fisheries related tourism it is only 1.5 hour. With the reduction in fishing effort, reduces the marginal propensity to consume fuel (with 500 liters / day to 140 liters / day). All this has resulted in large differences in income: in the classic fishing it is about 5500 kuna/day, and the tourist about 9000 kuna/day. Given the cost, total earning in this type of fishing is much higher than in commercial (earnings in the commercial fishing is around 1,000 kuna/day, while in the tourist fishing it around 6000 kuna per day). In addition to the favorable financial performance, the specified type of fishing shows other advantages: reducing fishing effort, reducing pressure on resources, extend the tourist season, the education of tourists and the general public about fishing and environmental protection The most important problems encountered in this type of fishing are problems associated with collecting all necessary permits and harmonization of legislation in various areas (marine, fisheries, environmental protection, safety...). A particular problem is the