Guidelines on aquaculture restocking and stock enhancement.

Abstract

Aquaculture practices in the Mediterranean and Black Sea extend beyond food production into activities carried out for restocking and stock enhancement purposes. Acknowledging the diverse role of aquaculture in the region, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized several activities to highlight the role of the aquaculture sector in marine fish restocking and stock enhancement, as well as the potential impacts of restocking on the environment, wild stocks and capture fisheries, stressing the need to follow responsible and precautionary approaches. In this context, the GFCM developed guidelines on aquaculture restocking and stock enhancement together with regional experts and adopted them in 2021. The main purpose of these guidelines is to support Mediterranean and Black Sea countries in restocking and stock enhancement while preventing harm to biodiversity, natural habitats, ecosystems and related ecosystem services, based on good practices and the best available knowledge. Following an introduction on the background and scope of the guidelines, this document highlights that national aquaculture regulatory frameworks should include provisions regulating aquaculture restocking and stock enhancement, identifies the general principles for stock enhancement that should be followed and provides guidance on broodstock management, reproduction, the release of juveniles and potential management programmes.