FAO.org

The 2022 edition of the flagship publication of the GFCM, The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries, provides an up-to-date overview of fisheries status, trends and governance in the region. Now in its fourth instalment, the publication updates the findings from previous editions while analysing emerging issues in the fisheries sector, including the effects of management plans. For the first time, thanks to the recent consolidation of data quality indicators, trends in the fisheries sector are also analysed at the regional level. Based on data and information from GFCM contracting parties and cooperating non-contracting parties, The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries 2022 delivers the most comprehensive picture of fisheries in the region to date.

Against the backdrop of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and of renewed strategic commitments, the first two chapters present the characteristics of the Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries sector, with figures on the fleet and capture fisheries production; chapters three and six showcase the human dimension behind fisheries through socioeconomic data and specific insights on small-scale fisheries, given their relative importance; chapters four and five provide an overview of the status of commercial living resources and of vulnerable species; and chapter seven outlines the measures taken and remaining challenges towards building a sustainable future for fisheries at the subregional and regional levels. The objective of The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries is to deliver useful, reliable data to a wide audience as an essential source of information on the fisheries sector in the region and a key tool to support decision-making and monitor progress towards the goals set by the GFCM.