In the Mediterranean Sea, more than half of the fish stocks are still overfished.

Omissions

• The FAO figure covers the Mediterranean AND Black Sea together, not the Mediterranean alone; EU-specific assessments (STECF/Commission) report even higher shares (85–96% of assessed stocks).
• The trend is improving: overfished share fell from 73% (2020) to 58% (2021), and the FAO's 2025 report describes overfishing at its lowest level in a decade, although it remains above half.
• The exact most recent figure available to the MEP (FAO SoMFi 2025, covering data to ~2023) could not be retrieved in full; however, all available indicators (FAO ~58% for 2021; Commission ~91% in its recent communication) remain above 50%, so the 'more than half' bound holds.

Sources

• PrimaryFAO GFCM — The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries 2023The percentage of overfished stocks in the Mediterranean and Black Sea has fallen below 60 percent for the first time, following a decreasing trend that...
• PrimaryFAO Newsroom — Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries sustainability report 2025Fisheries sustainability concerns remain, but overfishing drops to its lowest level in a decade... New report by FAO's General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean reveals strong advances in sustainability and recovery of key stocks.
• SecondaryEuropean Parliament EPRS Briefing — The Mediterranean fishing area: State of play (2024)according to a 2023 FAO report, the percentage of overexploited fish stocks in the region has decreased from 73 % in 2020 to 58 % in 2021.
• SecondaryOceana Europe press release — European Commission confirms 91% of Mediterranean stocks are overfishedAccording to the Commission communication released yesterday, 91% of Mediterranean stocks are overfished. The situation is very alarming: 96% of demersal stocks...