The fish stock data for the Mediterranean show a dismal picture: 96 percent or more of the Mediterranean bottom-living fish are overfished, and for the middle-water stocks like sardine and anchovy the figure is 71 percent or more, according to an EU report released here Thursday.
"I am very worried how badly things are going in the Mediterranean Sea," commented EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki.
"Now that scientists have assessed many more fish stocks over the last five years, the time of denial is over: the Mediterranean Sea is heavily overfished. I see a long struggle and hard work ahead: We need to build up the science, adopt regional fishing plans to bring fishing down to sustainable levels. If we do not act now, we will lose the tremendous potential of these resources for future generations," she warned.
Damanaki said she will be discussing this with all the Fisheries Ministers in the Mediterranean Member States.
The EU Commissioner added that there is good news elsewhere, as in the Northeast Atlantic area, and that includes the Baltic and North Seas, overfishing has fallen from 86 percent in 2009 to 41 percent in 2014.
"The successful recovery of fish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic proves to me that with the right rules in place, it is possible to bring overfishing to an end," she said