The Data Collection Multi-Annual Programme (DC-MAP) provides a common framework for the EU community to collect, manage, and share data within the fisheries sector. The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 6.2.3 DC-MAP project, part-co-financed by the EU, started in January 2020 and ran until December 2021.
The collection of fisheries data under the DC-MAP ensures the implementation and support of the European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The scope of the CFP is the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources from the environmental, economic, and social perspectives.
The data collection aimed to provide reliable information on the state of fish stocks, provide advice on the sustainable management of fish stocks upon 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 vessels) via logbooks, sales notes; effort and fleet characteristics; and through socio-economic surveys of the fisheries, aquaculture and processing sectors. Sampling also included biological data collection including length, age, growth and maturity in economically important species through market samples, onboard scientific observations on commercial fishing vessels, and through the annual scientific survey at sea MEDITS (International bottom trawl survey in the Mediterranean).
Locally, the DC-MAP is implemented by the Fisheries Research Unit within the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture 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, including the European Commission, 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 bodies. In addition, several national 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 Fisheries and Aquaculture. As from the beginning of this year onwards, the project has been superseded under the support of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).