PROJECTS 2019

CYPRUS – something new

Small-scale fisheries – with their low impact gear and strong community ties – dominate the Mediterranean with over 80 per cent of the fishing fleet, yet accounting for only 24 per cent of fish caught. BLUE seeks to strengthen artisanal fishers by adapting the principles of the Lyme Bay model of sustainable fishing to Mediterranean fishing communities. In Cyprus, fishermen and women are running out of fish. Overfishing, combined with climate change, a lack of marine protection and an influx of invasive species is a combination that will see the extinction of artisanal fishers in Cyprus unless BLUE intervenes. BLUE is working with fishing communities around the UK Sovereign bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia to create healthy marine reserves, resilient to climate change, that will restore fish stocks and support sustainable fishing.