Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1462122
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 MARCH 2022 13 COMMERCIAL WWW.AGRIKOLTURA.GOV.MT EMFF 6.2.3 - DATA COLLECTION MULTI-ANNUAL PROGRAMME 2020-2021 Maritime and Fisheries Operational Programme 2014-2020 Part-financed by the European Union European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Co-financing rate: 80% EU Funds; 20% National Funds Investing in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 93% 7% Vessel length <12m length >12m length THE PROFESSIONAL FISHING FLEET: 2 YEARS IN REVIEW Average annual number of vessels Total number of fishing trips Average age of vessels Length range of vessels Landings of sold fish 880 33,778 31 3-35m > €23 million Critical fisheries data collected in EMFF data collection multi- annual programme THE Data Collection Mul- ti-Annual Programme (DC- MAP) provides a common framework for the EU com- munity to collect, manage, and share data within the fisheries sector. The European Mari- time and Fisheries Fund 6.2.3 DC-MAP project, part-cofi- nanced by the EU, started in January 2020 and ran until De- cember 2021. The collection of fisheries da- ta under the DC-MAP ensures the implementation and sup- port of the European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The scope of the CFP is the con- servation and sustainable ex- ploitation of fisheries resources from the environmental, eco- nomic, and social perspectives. The data collection aimed to provide reliable information on the state of fish stocks, pro- vide advice on the sustainable management of fish stocks up- on which the industry depends and ensure the conservation and management of the marine environment. Malta collected its data on the basis of its National Work Plans. Through this operation, fisheries data were collected in a number of ways: data was compiled from commercial fisheries (full- time and part- time professional fishing ves- sels) via logbooks, sales notes; effort and fleet characteristics; and through socio-economic surveys of the fisheries, aqua- culture and processing sectors. Sampling also included biolog- ical data collection including length, age, growth and matu- rity in economically important species through market sam- ples, onboard scientific obser- vations on commercial fishing vessels, and through the annual scientific survey at sea MED- ITS (International bottom trawl survey in the Mediterra- nean). Locally, the DC-MAP is im- plemented by the Fisheries Research Unit within the De- partment of Fisheries and Aq- uaculture of the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Animal Rights (MAFA). The data collected within the DC-MAP framework was then submitted to end-users, in- cluding the European Commis- sion, Regional Coordination Groups, GFCM and ICCAT via specific data calls which serve directly for the improvement of fish stock assessments and advice by these scientific bod- ies. In addition, several nation- al reports and official statistics are periodically published. This project is co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 2014 to 2020. Investing in Sustainable Fish- eries and Aquaculture. As from the beginning of this year on- wards, the project has been su- perseded under the support of the European Maritime, Fish- eries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).