Fisheries and ecosystem-based management for the Blue Economy of the Mediterranean | General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean - GFCM | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The “Fisheries and ecosystem-based management for the Blue Economy of the Mediterranean” project (FishEBM MED) is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and aims to reverse the overexploitation of select commercial living marine resources by enhancing the capacity of Mediterranean countries to manage fisheries through the application of ecosystem-based management tools. The FishEBM MED project is committed to strengthening Mediterranean fisheries management, facilitating a shift towards a more participatory and ecosystem-based approach that engages all relevant stakeholders.

Expected outputs

Strengthened capacity to manage commercial fisheries, with particular focus on small-scale fisheries
Enhanced integration of emerging monitoring, control and surveillance technologies in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
Integrated ecosystem-based management tools and ecosystem approach to biodiversity protection and sustainable fisheries
Innovative blue economy solutions accounting for the fishery sector
Knowledge management and outscaling

Total contribution	USD 7 273 973 (USD 5 million GFCM / USD 2.27 million UNEP-MAP)
Duration	2023–2026
Funded by
Implemented by	Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN UN Environment Programme
Executed by	General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP-MAP) and its Specially Protected Areas Regional Activity Centre (SPA/RAC)
Beneficiaries	Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, Tunisia and Türkiye.

News

A community response to ghost gear

Standing behind small microscopes on Belyounech beach, in Fnideq, northern Morocco, children spent World Oceans Day learning about the wonders of our marine ecosystems and why they need to be taken care of.

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Turning the tide for Mediterranean fisheries

The Mediterranean Sea has long been a source of life, culture, and livelihoods for millions of people living along its shores. Leading efforts to protect this unique marine environment is the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).

From policy to action: major advances in the fight against IUU fishing

Countries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea are taking action to level the playing field for legitimate fishers in the region and ensure that seafood is obtained through regulated activities.

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The FishEBM approach: bridging conservation and coastal livelihoods

A holistic approach to the sustainable management of fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

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Fisheries restricted areas and how the GFCM contributes to biodiversity conservation

Two decades ago, the GFCM established the first fisheries restricted area (FRA) in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea in support of fisheries management. In spring 2025, the eleventh FRA will enter into force.

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From coast to coast: enhancing cooperation to eradicate IUU fishing in the Mediterranean

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing remains a major threat to marine ecosystems, undermining sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation.

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Towards healthy ecosystems: the GFCM’s multifaceted approach to mitigating interactions between fisheries and vulnerable species

The Mediterranean and Black Sea region, despite its susceptibility to climate change and other impacts, remains one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots due to high species richness, endemism, and the occurrence of rare and vulnerable species, including marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, and several species of sharks and rays.

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Non-indigenous species expansion: Challenges and opportunities

Gökova Bay, Türkiye as a successful model

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GEF Council endorses two FAO/GFCM projects supporting sustainability in Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has endorsed two projects of more than USD 12 million to reverse the overexploitation of select commercial fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

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Insights from the beneficiary countries

ICES | Laying the foundation for ecosystem-based fisheries management in the Eastern Ionian demersal fishery

In the Mediterranean, fisheries management under the framework of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) primarily relies on single-species stock assessments, although GFCM increasingly promotes ecosystem approaches through regional plans, small-scale fisheries frameworks, and pilot projects (e.g. FishEBM MED).

IEO, CSIC and ICES | Identifying future steps to allow an efficient fisheries management advice among scientific committees in regional fisheries management organizations

GFCM is also in the process of developing two mirror projects which will centre on the ecosystem approach to fisheries: The Fisheries and Ecosystem Based Management for the Black Sea (FishEBM BS) project and the Fisheries and Ecosystem Based Management for the Blue Economy of the Mediterranean (FishEBM MED) project, both with a focus on promoting blue economy.

Lebanon | وزارة الزراعة اللبنانية تطلق المسح العلمي الرابع للموارد السمكية على السواحل اللبنانية بالشراكة مع

أطلقت وزارة الزراعة اللبنانية، بالتعاون مع منظمة الأغذية والزراعة للأمم المتحدة (FAO)، واللجنة العامة للمصايد في البحر الأبيض المتوسط (GFCM)، والمجلس الوطني للبحوث العلمية (CNRS)، المسح العلمي الرابع للموارد السمكية على طول السواحل اللبنانية. ويُقام هذا المسح، الذي يستمر من 5 إلى 20 تشرين الأول 2025، على مدار 12 يومًا، ويستند إلى نجاح ثلاثة مسوحات سابقة أجريت في أعوام 2021 و2022 و2023. وتهدف هذه المسوحات إلى توفير بيانات حيوية لتقييم المخزونات السمكية، وتحديد المناطق التي تتجمع فيها الأسماك الصغيرة والبالغة، ورسم خرائط المواطن والأنظمة البيئية الحرجة.

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche | Conclusa a Procida la Conferenza "The sustainable management of fisheries and marine biodiversity"

Dal 11 al 13 settembre, sull'isola di Procida, nel golfo di Napoli, si è tenuto un evento internazionale sulla gestione sostenibile delle risorse biologiche marine e la tutela della biodiversità marina, che ha visto la partecipazione della Commissione Generale per la Pesca nel Mediterraneo (CGPM) della FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), dell’Università di Napoli L'Orientale, dell’AssIDMer e del Cnr.

UNEP/MAP | An initiative to reduce shark consumption

Essential for the balance of marine ecosystems, in the Mediterranean, more than half of shark and ray species are threatened. Too often, some cuts of shark meat are sold under generic names or confused with other fish, such as swordfish.

Türkiye | FishEBM approach: bridging conservation and coastal livelihoods

The Mediterranean and the Black Sea are regions rich in marine biodiversity, providing vital economic resources for coastal communities and beyond. In recent years, significant progress has been made in reducing overfishing, with the share of stocks subject to overfishing dropping below 60% for the first time, following a declining trend that began a decade ago. However, despite these positive developments, the sector is still under pressure, with fishing intensity remaining at about twice the level considered sustainable. To address this situation, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) approved two projects in 2022 aimed at tackling overfishing in the region and promoting sustainable fisheries practices.

Türkiye | Monitoring meeting of the project

Within the framework of the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture, a monitoring meeting of the project ‘Fisheries and Ecosystem-Based Management for the Blue Economy of the Mediterranean – (FishEBM MED)’ was held on 18 June 2025 in the meeting hall on the 1st floor of the General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture.