Mediterranean Sea at Risk Archives

The Mediterranean Sea, or Mare Nostrum, is one of the world’s most important seas. Located between Africa, Asia and Europe, it is also a primary trade route given its strategic — and geopolitically — important location. Within the coastal region, the people inhabiting the area have had centuries of interactions with the marine environment. Extensive … Read more

EU’s new proposal fails to save Mediterranean

The European Commission published yesterday a new proposal for a multi-annual management plan for fish stocks in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The Commission’s proposal to ensure the recovery of crucial species, such as hake, mullet and shrimps, is a direct follow-up to the #MedFish4Ever ministerial Declaration from 2017. However, in its current state, the proposal … Read more

Mediterranean countries commit at UN meeting to protect endangered corals

Mediterranean countries agreed today to legally protect endangered cold-water corals in the Mediterranean Sea from harmful human activity at a UN Environment meeting in Albania. The 22 members of the Barcelona Convention voted in favour of including four additional coral species – cockscomb cup coral, yellow-tree coral, yellow coral and bamboo coral – to the … Read more

Untying the Mediterranean Gordian Knot: A Twenty First Century Challenge for Fisheries Management

Management of fisheries in the Mediterranean basin has often been described as a unique and complex challenge, due to their multi-specificity, the diversity of gear-types, and the number of nations involved. This perspective has gone hand-in-hand for decades with a lack of strong political will from decision-makers, who have been unwilling to put Mediterranean fisheries … Read more

EU auditors expose serious lack of control in heavily overfished Mediterranean Sea

Today, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) published a damning report on fisheries compliance by EU Member States. Auditors visited Spain, France, Italy and the UK (Scotland), which represent more than half of the EU fishing fleet and almost half of the total fish catches in the Union. The results reveal a lack of control … Read more

Mediterranean countries sign historic political pact on ocean governance and fisheries management

Today, ministers and high-level representatives from Mediterranean countries have signed a historic declaration to address the fisheries crisis in the region. The ministerial declaration, Malta MedFish4Ever, will be the blueprint for cooperation and sustainable development of fisheries for all coastal states in the Mediterranean over the next 10 years. The agreement comes just months before … Read more

Ministers meet to avert Mediterranean fish crisis

State representatives gather for the first time in 14 years just days after scientific study reveals Mediterranean has lost one-third of its fish due to overfishing Oceana calls for catch limits, tougher controls and protection of areas where fish breed and grow Valletta, Malta – Ministers from Mediterranean countries and representatives from the European Union … Read more

Starfish with 10 to 11 arms spotted in the Mediterranean

Marine scientists have discovered a population of a species of starfish with 10 and 11 arms living more than 200 m below the surface in waters off Malta (central Mediterranean). These starfish were spotted using an underwater robot during an at-sea survey as part the Life Ba?AR for N2K project, which aims to identify new … Read more

Mediterranean countries need to protect an area the size of Ireland by 2020

So far only 7% of the Mediterranean has been protected and deep-sea ecosystems have almost no protection. Tangier, Morocco – An area the size of the Republic of Ireland (71,840 km2) still needs to be protected in the Mediterranean, Oceana warns, if countries are to fulfil their international obligation to protect 10% of coastal and … Read more

Western Mediterranean