Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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November 28, 2025 Economic development
The proportion of overexploited fish species in the Mediterranean and Black Seas has fallen to its lowest level in ten years. However, threats to the sustainability of these waters' resources remain, according to a report published today by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Aquaculture – the commercial breeding and cultivation of aquatic organisms – is rapidly expanding and is becoming the main source of marine bioresources in the region.
Since 2013, General Commission member countries have adopted 11 management plans, established 11 closed fishing zones, and initiated 18 research programs and pilot projects. However, 52 percent of assessed stocks remain overexploited. This is an improvement from 87 percent ten years ago, but still too high for the sustainability of marine ecosystems, experts note.
At the same time, demand for seafood in the region will grow due to population growth and changing consumer preferences. To maintain current per capita consumption levels, production must increase by 14–29 percent by 2050, the report's authors emphasize.
Stocks are being restored
The 2025 report "State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries"—the most comprehensive to date—covers 120 marine species in the region. It shows that close cooperation and science-based management are already yielding results. In ten years, fishing pressure has been halved, and a number of key stocks have begun to recover.
From 2013 to 2023, marine mortality from fishing activities decreased sharply, and the biomass of commercially important species increased by 25 percent thanks to strengthened science-based management measures. The report documents significant progress for a number of key species. For example, red mullet and deep-sea red shrimp have demonstrated a steady decline in fishing mortality.
Species under specialized management plans recover faster. For example, the European sole in the Adriatic has shown a 42 percent reduction in mortality and a 64 percent increase in biomass since 2019. The Black Sea turbot has shown an 86 percent reduction in mortality and a 310 percent increase in biomass since 2013.
Meanwhile, sardines continue to be overexploited. European hake, despite a 38% reduction in fishing mortality since 2015, is showing only modest signs of recovery.
Aquaculture as a growth driver
For the first time, the report includes a detailed analysis of the state of aquaculture in the region. Including freshwater species, the sector generates nearly 3 million tonnes of production and $9.3 billion in revenue. Marine and brackishwater aquaculture generates $5.2 billion and employs 113,000 people.
Marine and brackishwater aquaculture accounts for over 45 percent of aquatic bioresources, reaching 940,000 tonnes of production in 2023. Combined, fisheries, aquaculture, and associated value chains generated 2.06 million tonnes of production, $21.5 billion in revenue, and 1.17 million jobs in the region in 2023.
Only 11 species account for 99 percent of production, of which 34.5 percent is sea bream and 29.7 percent is sea bass. Eight countries produce 95.5 percent of the total output, with Turkey (400,000 tonnes), Egypt (147,000 tonnes), and Greece (139,000 tonnes) leading the way.
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