December 11, 2025
Progress in the Mediterranean must be strengthened, not reversed
(Excerpt of the original article in Spanish, written by Javier López 20minutos).
In the coming days, the EU Fisheries Ministers will decide on fishing opportunities for 2026 in the Mediterranean. This is not a minor discussion, as the Mediterranean sea is the most overexploited sea on the planet, where many stocks continue to experience fishing mortality levels far above what is sustainable. In the western Mediterranean, 55% of the assessed demersal stocks are overexploited, and fishing mortality is roughly 1.6 times higher than sustainable levels.
In this context, the Western Mediterranean Multiannual Plan, adopted in 2019, has become an essential tool for reversing decades of overfishing. The measures applied to trawlers such as reduced fishing days, improved selectivity, and spatial closures, are delivering tangible results. Fishing mortality is falling, biomass levels are showing signs of recovery, and economic indicators show there is a clear improvement. In the Valencian Community, for example, 2025 data show a 20% increase in catches and a 40% increase in revenue per fishing day compared to 2019.
These improvements are not a coincidence but the result of a demanding process supported by public funds, such as the mesh-size changes introduced last year to improve selectivity. Although some measures may reduce catches in the short term, they allow for the capture of larger and more valuable individuals, strengthening future profitability and sustainability.
Despite the improvement, there is still work to be done. The European Commission has the legal obligation to propose measures that will achieve the objectives agreed upon by the Parliament and Member States, including ending overfishing by 2025. The proposed effort reductions may seem drastic when presented in headlines, but they include important details and are justified from both a scientific and legal standpoint.
Alongside these reductions, there is a key tool: the compensation mechanism, which allows vessels to recover fishing days if they adopt voluntary technical measures, such as improved selectivity or additional closures. This system helps approach the total number of fishing days allowed in 2024, as already happened in 2025, making the transition more gradual—provided it is applied rigorously and proportionately.
The debate is not whether trawling in the Mediterranean must change, but how to change it. The status quo is no longer an option. The capacity of the trawler fleet and the available resources are out of balance, and a gradual restructuring is needed to ensure a more resilient sector. The Council’s decisions must consolidate the progress achieved, not put it at risk. We are fully aware of the social challenges this transition entails, but moving toward sustainable fisheries is not just a legal obligation: it is the only guarantee of a future for Mediterranean fishing communities.
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