On Monday 29 July, the NGO Oceana called for more action and measures to put an end to overfishing and rebuild the stocks of hake and lobster caught in Mediterranean waters.
Despite progress by countries to recover fish populations, particularly red mullet in the Gulf of Lion, 57% of populations in the western Mediterranean are still overexploited, according to the findings of Oceana, which also analysed the European Commission’s report on the management plan for stocks in the Mediterranean (see EUROPE 13463/1). In fact, “some populations of blue and red shrimp, deep-water rose shrimp, and giant red shrimp in this sea basin are in a poor state”, according to the NGO.
If countries do not stop exploiting these stocks, they could reach such low levels that it would not makes sense to commercially fish them any longer, argues Oceana. This is already happening with European hake and Norway lobster in northern Spain, “which have become so overexploited in these waters that they may soon be no longer profitable”, according to the NGO. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)