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 marine living 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) |
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| Duration | 2023–2027 |
| Funded by | ![]() |
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| Beneficiaries | Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, Tunisia and Türkiye. |
News
Insights from the region
Morocco (A Bahr News) | الفنيدق: لقاء يستعرض نتائج مشروع FishEBM Méditerranée الإقليمي لانتشال الشباك الشبحية وحماية النظم البيئية البحرية
احتضنت مدينة الفنيدق لقاءً خصص لتقاسم واستعراض نتائج المرحلة الأولى من مشروع FishEBM Méditerranée، الذي يهدف إلى تعزيز حماية النظم البيئية البحرية والحد من آثار شباك الصيد المفقودة أو المهجورة، المعروفة بـ« شباك الشبحية »، وذلك في إطار مشروع ممول من طرف مرفق البيئة العالمي (GEF)، وتنفذه الهيئة العامة لمصايد أسماك البحر الأبيض المتوسط (GFCM) التابعة لمنظمة الأغذية والزراعة للأمم المتحدة (FAO).
Morocco (Alouma24, Al Bahr News) | Ghost gear retrieval in Fnideq
Under FishEBM, a ghost-gear retrieval operation along the Moroccan coast was carried out, followed by awareness raising activities.
Lebanon (Ministry of agriculture) | 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.
Italy (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.
Türkiye (SÜR-KOOP)| 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 (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)| 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.
Contacts
Anna Carlson
FishEBM Projects Manager

