A report published on Tuesday 18 November by the NGO Oceana shows that most trawlers in the western Mediterranean are struggling to make a profit, due to overfishing.
The study highlights a structural imbalance: too many vessels in the face of degraded fish stocks, making the French, Italian and Spanish fleets economically vulnerable.
The Oceana report points out that several segments of the fleet, including both large French trawlers and small Italian trawlers, have been making losses for years, despite public aid. According to the NGO, ships are competing for resources that are already overexploited, preventing them from recovering.
Only a few segments (Spanish trawlers under 12 metres and between 12 and 18 metres in length, and Italian trawlers between 12 and 18 metres in length) are generating profit margins, according to the report.
Giulia Guadagnoli, from Oceana, said that “the fleet remains oversized, and the populations remain overfished, perpetuating a cycle of economic instability and ecological degradation”.
To break this deadlock, the NGO proposes reducing fishing capacity and redirecting subsidies towards a fair transition, encouraging the withdrawal of unprofitable vessels and financing the retraining of fishermen and coastal communities, as well as strengthening measures like limits on fishing days, quotas and the use of selective gear.
Spain’s Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Luis Planas, told the Agriculture Council on Monday 17 November that “in December, our fishermen must obtain what Spain is asking for: more fishing days for 2026”.
Oceana report: https://aeur.eu/f/jhg (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)