There is a need to reduce bycatch and discards and provide more support to small-scale fishers

The main commercial fish species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea are still suffering from overfishing, although this problem has become less severe in recent years.

11 December 2018, Rome – A report released today by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that although the main commercial fish species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea are still overfished, the situation has become less severe in recent years. This development has revived hopes — for the first time — for the recovery of fish stocks.

The share of overexploited fish stocks declined by 10 percent, from 88 percent in 2014 to 78 percent in 2016. However, the report on the State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries warns that more efforts are needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of fish stocks.

This requires more support for the small-scale fishing sector, which employs most fishers and causes less environmental damage. It also requires reducing bycatch and discards and introducing stronger measures such as significantly limiting fishing or establishing restricted fishing areas (areas where fishing activities are regulated).

The latter measure is particularly needed to protect the most heavily fished species, such as European hake, which is currently caught at about six times the sustainable level.

Abdellah Srour, Executive Secretary of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, said:
“Fishery resources provide an important social and economic balance for the region and are essential for ending hunger and poverty.”

Miguel Bernal, FAO fisheries officer and one of the coordinators of the report, said:
“Sustainability may be costly in the short term, but nothing is more costly than running out of fish.”

Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries face long-term threats from increasing pollution caused by human activities, habitat degradation, the introduction of non-native species, overfishing, and the impacts of climate change.

Most Overfished Species

European hake remains the most overfished species across the entire Mediterranean, followed by turbot in the Black Sea and mackerel in the Mediterranean.

Fish species that are harvested within biologically sustainable limits include small pelagic species (such as sardines and anchovies), as well as some stocks of red mullet and deep-water shrimp.

Fishing Levels – Latest Trends

Overall, fishing levels have remained stable in recent years but are significantly lower than the record years of the 1980s — 1.2 million tons in 2016 compared with 2 million tons in 1982.