Stocks of commercially valuable fish are disappearing steadily from the Mediterranean because of a lack of good management and the inadequate enforcement of regulations, a study has found.
Overfishing is another cause of the rapid depletion of fish stocks. A worrisome finding is that sexually-immature fish are being caught before having reproduced, which implies fishermen are emptying the sea without leaving a younger generation.
The picture contrasts sharply with the success of fisheries management in the Atlantic, where fish stocks have improved in the past 10 years. Although Mediterranean stocks are also regulated by the European Common Fisheries Policy, this has failed to produce the same level of success in Southern Europe.
This is the picture that has emerged from an extensive study of fish stock in the Mediterranean, published last week in Current Biology. The survey was conducted by Greek scientists focusing on nine species of fish, including cod, red mullet, anchovy and sardines at 42 locations in the Mediterranean.
Findings show the exploitation rate has been steadily increasing, selectivity (proportional exploitation of juveniles) has been deteriorating, and stocks are shrinking.
The findings come as European Commissioner for Fisheries Maria Damanaki warned that the Mediterranean is “lagging behind” in the sustainable management of fish stocks.
At a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels this week, she said 90 per cent of stocks in the Mediterranean are overfished.
In recent years, fisheries management has succeeded in stabilising and even improving the state of many global fisheries resources. This is particularly evident in areas where stocks are exploited in compliance with scientific advice and strong institutional structures are in place.
The study on Mediterranean fish stock therefore recommends limiting juvenile exploitation, advancing management plans, and strengthening compliance, control and enforcement in the Mediterranean to promote fisheries sustainability.
“There is no room left for optimism with regard to future yields,” the researchers also noted.
To improve the situation in the Mediterranean, fishing should be limited in some locations for part of the year so that the catch of immature fish can be reduced, according to the researchers.
They admit that monitoring and enforcement in the Mediterranean provide a complex challenge because more than 95 per cent of fishing vessels in the region operate on a small scale over a vast coastline.
The difficulties are compounded by financial constraints in many Mediterranean countries.
Fish4tomorrow, a national coalition of four environmental organisations promoting sustainable fishing, called on the government and Maltese MEPs to ensure the state of fish stocks improves.
“The authorities should heed and support the advice of the scientific community and increase enforcement against illegal and unreported fishing in Maltese waters. They should place an emphasis on small-scale artisanal fishermen,” said the coalition representing NGOs Greenhouse, Sharklab Malta, GetupStandup and Din l-Art Ħelwa.