Mediterranean Fish Stocks Deteriorated Steadily Over 20 Years: New Strategies Needed for Fisheries

The state of fisheries across the world is a rising concern. Careful management strategies in some parts of Europe, though, have helped matters. Yet scientists have now found that the situation in the Mediterranean is far from ideal and that it has deteriorated over the past 20 years.

In order to better assess the state of fisheries, the researchers analyzed European Mediterranean fish stocks representing nine species from 1990 to 2010. They found that the exploitation rate has steadily increased as selectivity has deteriorated and stocks have dwindled. 

"It is time for the European Union and regional governments to start taking Mediterranean fisheries research and management more seriously," said Paraskevas Vasilakopoulos, one of the researchers, in a new release. "Bigger investments are needed to improve Mediterranean fisheries research through the collection and analysis of good quality data regarding the biology and exploitation of Mediterranean fish stocks."

After using species-specific simulation models, the scientists also found that stocks would be more resilient to fishing and would have higher long-term yields if harvesting occurred a few years after fish reach reproductive maturity. This is particularly true of species like hake and red mullet, which live near the bottom of the sea and are often scooped up in trawl nets.

So why haven't current policies worked? Mediterranean fisheries include a greater diversity of species. In addition, it's difficult to police every Mediterranean fishing vessel, most of which operate on a small scale over a vast coastline.

"The European Common Fisheries Policy that has assisted in improving the state of NE Atlantic fish stocks in the past 10 years has failed to deliver similar results for Mediterranean stocks managed under the same policy," write the researchers. "Limiting juvenile exploitation, advancing management plans, and strengthening compliance, control, and enforcement could promote fisheries sustainability in the Mediterranean."

The findings are published in the journal Current Biology.