Action plan for the development, competitiveness and sustainability of artisanal coastal fishery.

The Plan is the Annex 7 to the Italian Operational Programme for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) (2014-2020). The Plan is organised in four points: 1) description and definition of costal artisanal fishery in Italy, its distribution and composition and commonly used fishing gears; 2) outline of Italian artisanal coastal fishery resources; 3) regulation of relationship between fishery capacity and exploited resources; 4) possible measures for development, competitiveness and sustainability of artisanal coastal fishery. The Plan distinguishes between specific measures that apply just to artisanal coastal fishery and non-specific measures that promote sustainability of the entire Italian fishing sector.
The Plan lists four types of specific measures and recommends that subsidies to fisherman should be granted taking into consideration the cooperative structure of the organizational model for artisanal coastal fishery. The first listed specific measures are initiatives aimed at promoting employment, jobs creation and social dialogue, such as: a) projects to strengthen professional training, to promote joint projects, to share knowledge on economic, technical, regulatory or scientific matters and innovative practices, to facilitate acquisition of new professional skills connected in particular to the sustainable management of marine ecosystems, hygiene, health, safety, activities in the maritime sector, innovation and entrepreneurship; b) initiatives aimed at creating platforms to share good practices and experiences among stakeholders, including organizations that promote equal opportunities between men and women, and the role of women and under-represented groups in the artisanal fishing sector; c) a social dialogue at all levels, including European, state, regional and local level that involves actively fisherman and other fishing sector stakeholders. Seconds are initiatives aimed at promoting modernization of the fishing fleet. Thirds are measures aimed at increasing the added value and product quality of artisanal fishery through the promotion of sustainability certification and labelling systems. Fourths are measures directed at promoting job diversification and creation of new income sources for fishermen through development of complementary activities on fishing boats.
Non-specific measures are: measures aimed at promoting producers organisations; initiatives that favour investment in infrastructure and services, and several initiatives to protect and restore biodiversity and marine ecosystems (e.g. innovation in fishing gears, monitoring of protected areas, compensation for damages, knowledge sharing on environmental stewardship); initiatives that facilitate access to credit, that promote inclusion of fisherman in the decision making process, that strengthen innovation; projects to promote partnerships building between scientific and fishing sector; initiatives aimed at improving fisherman health and safety.
The Plan aims at making fisheries more productive and sustainable, it promotes increase in fishery production in an environmentally sustainable and socially equitable way. It also incorporates gender-sensitive considerations.
The Plan also pursues at reducing poverty in the fishing sector promoting employment and creation of jobs, participation of all users in decision-making processes in the sustainable management and use of natural resources, partnerships and access to training and capacity building.
Furthermore, the Plan enables more inclusive and efficient fishery systems through measures aimed at increasing the added value and product quality of artisanal fishery, promotion of innovation in machinery, gears, processes and services.