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Overfishing in the Mediterranean and Black Sea has reached its lowest level in 10 years, according to a biennial report released Friday by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The 2025 State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries (SoMFi) report, issued by FAO’s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), evaluated 120 commercial fish stocks from 2013 to 2023. It found a sharp reduction in fishing mortality and a 25% increase in biomass among assessed species.
“The percentage of overfished stocks has declined to 52%, down from 87% a decade ago,” the report stated, marking the lowest level recorded in 10 years. While this represents a significant improvement, the FAO emphasized that overfishing remains a concern and many stocks have yet to reach levels considered healthy for ecosystem stability.
The report highlighted the growing role of aquaculture in meeting the region’s demand for aquatic foods. Marine and brackish aquaculture now accounts for more than 45% of aquatic food production, reaching 940,000 tonnes in 2023. Combined, fisheries and aquaculture generated 2.06 million tonnes of aquatic food in the Mediterranean and Black Sea region.
FAO Assistant Director-General and Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture Manuel Barange noted: “Stocks are not yet where we would like them to be, but they are beginning to recover thanks to science-driven management action and strong stakeholder engagement. Aquaculture, if developed responsibly, is proving it can help meet future demand for aquatic foods.”
When freshwater aquaculture is included, production in the region reaches nearly 3 million tonnes of aquatic food, generating approximately $9.3 billion in revenue. Only eight countries account for 95.5% of farmed aquatic food, with Türkiye (400,000 tonnes), Egypt (147,000 tonnes), and Greece (139,000 tonnes) leading production.
The report underscores that reduced fishing pressure over the past decade has allowed key stocks to recover, while aquaculture has become the region’s fastest-growing source of aquatic food, supporting both food security and coastal livelihoods.
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