EU ministers stick to status quo in the Western Mediterranean and fail to end overfishing
Press Release Date: December 13, 2025
Location: Brussels
Contact:
Vicky Baniokou | email: vbaniokou@oceana.org | tel.: +34 636065977
EU ministers have reached a political agreement on fishing opportunities for 2026 which provides apparent stability to the Western Mediterranean fishing fleet, but fails to fully address the underlying reason for the economic woes of the sector: fish populations that remain under significant pressure after decades of overfishing. In the Western Mediterranean, 55% of the assessed fish populations remain overfished, and fishing mortality is still approximately 1.6 times higher than sustainable levels.
“Faced with very real socio-economic pressures, ministers have decided to maintain the fishing days for 2025. However, to secure the long-term resilience of the Mediterranean and ensure the sector’s prosperity, it will be necessary to further reduce fishing mortality and address overcapacity –in order to protect both marine life and the future of the fleet,” said Giulia Guadagnoli, Senior Policy Advisor at Oceana in Europe.
Under EU law, Western Mediterranean Member States (France, Italy and Spain) have a legal obligation to end overfishing by 2025. Nevertheless, the agreement reached maintains the same management approach in the Western Mediterranean for 2026 and preserves the trawling fishing days agreed for 2025, without applying any additional reductions. The ministers also agreed that the total fishing days may not exceed the authorized levels for this year under any circumstances, even after potential gains from the compensation mechanism, preventing a net rise in overall fishing effort.
“Whether today´s agreement delivers real progress will largely depend on the effective implementation of the compensation mechanism. These tools can help fleets transition more smoothly towards sustainability, but only if they result in real reductions in fishing mortality. Any additional fishing days must be proportional to measurable biological benefits. Robust monitoring and full compliance will be essential to ensure that the mechanisms help deliver genuinely sustainable fisheries in the Western Mediterranean, rather than putting current gains at risk,” said Guadagnoli.
The agreement once again relies on the compensation mechanism, based on voluntary technical measures such as gear modification to improve selectivity, or spatial and seasonal closures, offering up to 14 options to help reduce fishing mortality. Although this instrument may contribute to a more gradual transition, it can only be effective with robust implementation and delivering real biological benefits.
“We regret that Member States have not strengthened the compensation measures intended to protect deep-sea ecosystems,” said Helena Álvarez, senior marine scientist at Oceana. “Maintaining the closure only below 800 metres, instead of extending it upward to 600 metres —depths where, in practice, little to no fishing occurs— will allow vessels to benefit unjustifiably from additional fishing days, increasing overall fishing effort and running counter to scientific advice”.
