Sectoral Policy on Fisheries 2019-2023.

This Sectoral Policy is a national policy with a sectoral approach. The timeframe of this Sectoral Policy is 5 years between 2019 and 2023. This Policy lays down strategies to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, in order to ensure sustainable use and conservation of fish and aquatic resources and sustainable development and management of fishery and aquaculture.
Biodiversity conservation and ecosystem preservation will be improved by taking measures to prevent the introduction of invasive alien species. Moreover, public awareness will be raised on protection of natural resources, the environment, species and habitats, and legal framework on fishing permit will be strengthened. Water resources management will be regulated to minimize the adverse impacts on fish stocks and their migration route. Marine and inland fish resources will be protected against pollution by taking related measures, monitoring the water quality, developing legal framework, and increasing cooperation and coordination between government institutions.
Small-scale traditional fishers will be supported by diversifying the livelihood opportunities, preventing illegal fishing, improving their socio-economic status, enhancing and facilitating subsidies, and providing social protection and health care. The capacities of fishers, fish breeders and producers will be enhanced through trainings.
Port state measures will be taken by developing policy and legal framework relating to prevention, deterring, and elimination of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. Fishing authorities will be strengthened through institutional capacity building, provision of equipment, and financing. Conservation and control measures will be strengthened, including monitoring of fishing vessels, enhancing the role and participation of cooperatives in controls, increasing the frequency and effectiveness of controls, marking and labelling of fishing gears, and raising awareness on conservation. Fishers will be redirected to alternative livelihood opportunities to prevent overexploitation of fish and aquatic resources. Furthermore, offshore fisheries will be supported and encouraged. In order to monitor, control and register the catch, landing will be carried out at the designated ports. The infrastructure of the fishing ports will be developed. Aquaculture facilities will be supported to maximize their potential by facilitating their access to financial services, increasing marketing and export opportunities, and increasing the production of trout and seabass in Black Sea. In addition to that, new aquaculture facilities will be established and new areas will be designated for breeding of other species with high economic value, taking into account the protection of environment. The production of aquatic organisms intended for use as feed in aquaculture will be increased. Moreover, aquarium fish production will be promoted to reduce the dependency on import. Coastal zone management will be strengthened to support inshore aquaculture facilities. Ecofriendly fishery and aquaculture systems will be promoted by providing subsidies to facilities using closed-loop aquaponics system, renewable energy, as well as, waste as fertilizer, and by issuing internationally accepted certificates. The quality of production will be increased through modernization of hatcheries and increase in the number of disease-free and certified hatcheries. Furthermore, measures will be taken to cope with fish diseases. A National Committee will be established to prepare management plans for the protection of species, with a special emphasis on endangered species. Marine and inland protected areas will be monitored and new protected areas will be designated especially in environmentally sensitive areas. Processing industry will be developed and geographical marking system will be improved to raise the competitiveness in international trade.
The resilience of aquaculture and fisheries sector to the adverse impacts of climate change will be increased. Research will be conducted to assess the adverse impacts on the fish stocks and production, and to plan the production in the long-term.