Mediterranean Fishing Stocks in a Critical State

As detailed in the new Statista report 'State of the Mediterranean Sea', fishing stocks in the Med are in a critical state. In an assessment conducted between 2020 and 2023, more than half of the commercial fish and shellfish stocks were deemed to not comply with the Good Environmental Status (GES) criteria.

The GES criteria considers fishing mortality and reproductive capacity of the species as key indicators. As this infographic illustrates, in the assessed period only 10.4 percent of the stock in the Western Mediterranean reached both GES criteria. Nevertheless, this low figure still makes it the subregion with the strongest status level. The subregion with the worst result was the Eastern Mediterranean, where three-quarters of the stock is in a substandard state - none of the assessed stocks met either of the GES criteria.

As detailed in the report, "the main reason for such a scenario is overfishing, driven by factors like illegal fishing and the use of bottom trawling, a fishing method that drags a net across the seabed, destroying everything in its path." In addition, "climate change, pollution, and invasive species are threatening the delicate balance of life in the Mediterranean."