Bulgaria Meeting On Black Sea Fishing

A two-day meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria, to talk about the Black Sea fisheries and aquaculture has netted a joint declaration against unregulated fishing and 10-year commitment to rebuild fish stocks, according to the European Commission.

Four out of every five metric tons of fish caught in the body of water bordering Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine are harvested illegally, Karmenu Vella, the European commissioner for the environment, maritime affairs and fisheries, said at the meeting.

The declaration, which was signed by officials from Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Moldova and Turkey, pledges to combat the problem by sharing scientific data and supporting small-scale fishermen, which represent a large share of the operations. It follows a related declaration signed in Bucharest, Romania, in October 2016.

Officials from Black Sea bordering countries Russia and Ukraine were not present.

"Over 23,500 persons are directly employed on fishing vessels in the Black Sea, whilst many more indirect jobs depend on the fishing sector," the European Commission notes in its press release. "At least 8,700 aquaculture farms, marine and freshwater, generate direct and indirect jobs to more than 39,000 people in this area."

By Shawn Wayne