EU and Mediterranean countries pledge fresh action on fish stock recovery

The EU and Mediterranean countries have agreed to draw up a new political declaration with the goal of rebuilding fish stocks and supporting the region’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors over the next decade.

The commitment was made on 5 May at a ministerial conference in Nicosia, co-organised by the European Commission and the Republic of Cyprus. According to the Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the new MedFish4Ever declaration will be adopted in 2027 and will build on the framework first agreed almost a decade ago.

The original declaration was signed by 16 Mediterranean countries and the European Commission in 2017, setting out a 10-year plan for more sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in the region. The latest conference was held to review progress since then and agree political priorities for the next phase.

The Commission said that since 2017, around half of Mediterranean fish stocks have begun to recover.

"Where science-based management has been applied, results are tangible: in the Adriatic, demersal stocks such as hake have reached Maximum Sustainable Yield for the first time. Fisheries restricted areas deliver positive spillover effects and selective fishing gear is reducing bycatch. Sustainable aquaculture is contributing to food security," the Commission stated.

However, despite this, the Commission said more than half of assessed stocks in the Mediterranean are still overfished.

"Illegal fishing and fleet overcapacity continue to undermine the sector, climate change is accelerating pressures, and small-scale fishing communities face economic hardships, as young people turn away from the profession," the Commission said.

Responding to this complex scenario, the Commission said the new 2027 declaration will focus on five key areas: stronger governance in combating IUU fishing and reducing fleet overcapacity, science-led recovery measures, a "fair transition" taking into account small-scale fishers, generational renewal and gender equality, climate resilience, and "solidarity and partnership", which the Commission said would be "anchored in a modernised General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean".