Overfishing in the Mediterranean and Black Sea has fallen significantly in the past decade, but exploitation of most commercial species is far from sustainable, according to a report by the General Fisheries Commission of the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

The latest edition of The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries (SoMFi) found excessive exploitation has diminished in the region, particularly for key species subject to multilateral management plans. However, 73 percent of commercial species are still overfished and fishing pressure, while lower than in the past, is still double than what is considered sustainable.  

The biennial report found that production in the fisheries sector has fallen by around 15 percent since 2020, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and so too have industry revenues and jobs. 

Sustainable fisheries require effective management  

While most key commercial species are not yet exploited sustainably, nearly all of them show a decrease in fishing pressure to levels below the regional average, the report found. 

Stocks of European hake in the Mediterranean, turbot in the Black Sea and common sole in the Adriatic Sea, which are under one or more management plans, showed a striking reduction in overfishing, and some of these species already revealed signs of biomass rebuilding. 

The GFCM has implemented  10 multiannual fisheries management plans targeting priority stocks and involving nearly 7 000 vessels. It has also established 10 fisheries restricted areaswhich are helping to reduce exploitation and improve conservation of stocks and deep-sea ecosystems across more than 1.7 million square kilometres of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. 

Manuel Barange, the director of FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, said that “A Blue Transformation of the fisheries sector is the only way to ensure it continues to underpin food production and livelihoods for present and future generations.” 

Coastal livelihoods at risk from an ageing workforce and job losses  

Fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Sea generate an annual revenue of $2.9 billion and generates an estimated half a million jobs throughout the value chain. An average 1 in every 1 000 coastal residents in the region is a fisher, and in some coastal areas that number can be up to 10 times higher.  

However, the workforce is ageing. In 2020, more than half of all crew were over the age of 40, while only 10 percent were under the age of 25. According to the latest data in SoMFi this trend is worsening.  

Small-scale fisheries accounts for 82 percent of the vessels and 59  percent of the jobs. It also employs the highest number of young people, but small-scale fishers earn typically less than half the wage earned by fishers on industrial fleets.  

The GFCM consists of 23 member countries and its main objective is to ensure the conservation and the sustainable use of living marine resources, as well as the sustainable development of aquaculture.  

FACTS & FIGURES ON LEBANON 
SOMFI2022

 

• Lebanon’s total landings reaches 2 500 tonnes (2018-2020 average), with variations in landing remaining stable since 2018. Its total revenue from fisheries is approximately USD 14 million (approximately LBP 21 billion). 

• In relation to the volume of trade Lebanon has a large dependence on imports and a total value of trade (export + import) close to USD 166 million (approximately LBP 251 billion), according to FAO data. Lebanon is one of the countries in the region with the highest dependence on imported fish products to meet national demand. 

• Lebanon participates in many activities of the GFCM, including the implementation of discards monitoring programme, the preparation of an experimental trawl survey and the work performed on data-limited assessment of the round sardinella stock in the subregion. Lebanon is also participating in socio-economic surveys with regard to survey design and data quality control, processing and analysis. 

• In addition, and importantly, Lebanon hosts the GFCM eastern Mediterranean technical unit in Beirut.