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The FAO-AdriaMed Project (Scientific Cooperation to Support Responsible Fisheries in the Adriatic Sea) is a Regional Project of FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, funded by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies (MiPAAF)and since 2007 by the European Commission.

The participating countries are the Republics of Albania, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia and Montenegro.

The Project has been operative since September 1999.

The Project aims to promote scientific cooperation among the Adriatic nations. Its goal is to improve the management of fishing activities in conformity with the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (FAO 1995).

AdriaMed aims to contribute decisively to enlarging the scope of information on the Adriatic Sea, related to shared fishery resources, knowledge that is often fragmented and localised to different territories. As biological resources are not limited to geopolitical boundaries, scientific knowledge of resources within a single nation is not adequate for the responsible management of those resources.

Some of the main objectives of the Project are:

1. to develop a common cognitive basis to support international processes aimed at fishery management;

2. to reinforce the scientific coordination among the different institutions interested in fishing activity;

3. to establish a permanent network among the main institutions present in the Adriatic that are involved in fishery management activities.

The annual work programme planned by the Project is discussed, orientated and approved by the AdriaMed Coordination Committee (CC), its advisory body. The CC assists also AdriaMed in coordinating the project activities.

The Coordination Committee consists of representatives of the Governments of the Republic of Albania, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Italy, the Republic of Montenegro and the Republic of Slovenia (typically the Director/Head of the Government’s Implementing Agency); a representative of the European Commission (DG XIV), of the General Fisheries Commission of the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the FAO-Regional project in Mediterranean and of FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department.

In order to have direct and constant contact with the participating countries each country has provided a focal point (AdriaMed National Focal Point), a high level, experienced fishery scientist who advises on specific project components at national level, ensures effective flow of communication to and from the national scientific counterparts and provides all the necessary support in information gathering and data collection.

Moreover towards the sharing of scientific knowledge on fisheries at Adriatic level AdriaMed established the Working Groups. The WG represent the first important stage in the creation of a scientific regional network at basin level. The WG involve experts from the Adriatic region and are also open to experts from other region.

The aims of the Adriatic WG meetings are the following:

1. To pool together experts present in the region and establish a permanent network;

2. To put on the table and share all the best available scientific knowledge;

3. To highlight recently achieved results and valid methodologies;

4. To identify and discuss priorities for research.

The FAO AdriaMed project offers a service to assist the participating countries in the formulation and realisation of management strategies through common research and multidisciplinary analysis undertaken in partnership with the fishing industry sector.
The topics on which the Project focused on at both national and basin level are:

	Adriatic fishery shared resources
	Adriatic social and economics fishery sciences
	Adriatic fishery statistics and information systems
	Adriatic fishery management.

AdriaMed activities include, inter alia:

	the realisation of a computerised communications network;
	the coordination of research and scientific activities;
	the organisation of meetings, working groups, work shops and training sessions on specific issues;
	the creation of an archive of information on national and regional fisheries (covering the whole Adriatic Sea region);
	the running of specific assistance and consultancy programmes;
	the permanent cooperation with the GFCM SAC and CAQ;
	the establishment of an international forum for the discussion of issues related to Adriatic Fisheries;
	the review and appraisal of existing fishery legislation in the AdriaMed countries.

AdriaMed coordinates studies as required on specific technical issues as support for the improvement of Adriatic fishery management as well as on recommendation of the GFCM or the countries participating in the project.

main features expected throught the project implementation are:

	The existence of a scientific information network pertinent to the shared fisheries resources of the Adriatic Sea and their management.
	The continuation of a process of cooperation and coordination in the various key areas (data collection; dissemination of information; biological, statistics, economic and social research and analysis; institutional networking and strategic planning).
	The application of standard methodologies for the collection organisation and treatment of data, the evaluation of biological resources and the identification and analytical use of socio-economic indicators.
	The creation and maintenance of a stable and coordinated communications network between experts in the field (administrators, researchers, fishing industry representatives and professional fishworkers).

The beneficiaries of the project are the fishery policy makers and managers whose analytic capabilities are enhanced by the availability of improved information and monitoring systems. Similarly the various research institutes, fishworkers’ associations and industry organisations will benefit. Further beneficiaries will be all those whose livelihood depends on maintaining sustainable fishery resources, something which will be ensured by sound management policies resulting from regional technical and scientific cooperation.