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Fishing is a widespread activity in Europe’s seas. It provides a high-protein, low-fat food that is increasingly demanded by European citizens, and is also an economic sector that generated over EUR 6.1 billion in revenue and 124 thousand direct jobs in 2021. Fishing has a high impact on the marine environment, including the overexploitation of targeted species, physical disturbance of seabed habitats and by-catch, altering the structure and functioning of the marine ecosystem.

In relation to 'Commercially exploited fish and shellfish', the Marine Strategy Framework Directive considers that 'good environmental status' is achieved when ‘Populations of all commercially exploited fish and shellfish are within safe biological limits, exhibiting a population age and size distribution that is indicative of a healthy stock.'

Descriptor 1: Biodiversity is maintained
Descriptor 1: Biodiversity is maintained
The quality and occurrence of habitats and the distribution and abundance of species are in line with prevailing physiographic, geographic and climatic conditions.
Descriptor 3: The population of commercial fish species is healthy
Descriptor 3: The population of commercial fish species is healthy
Populations of all commercially exploited fish and shellfish are within safe biological limits, exhibiting a population age and size distribution that is indicative of a healthy stock
Descriptor 4: Elements of food webs ensure long-term abundance and reproduction
Descriptor 4: Elements of food webs ensure long-term abundance and reproduction
All elements of the marine food webs, to the extent that they are known, occur at normal abundance and diversity and levels capable of ensuring the long-term abundance of the species and the retention of their full reproductive capacity
Descriptor 6: The sea floor integrity ensures functioning of the ecosystem
Descriptor 6: The sea floor integrity ensures functioning of the ecosystem
Sea-floor integrity is at a level that ensures that the structure and functions of the ecosystems are safeguarded and benthic ecosystems, in particular, are not adversely affected.

Condition of the populations of commercially exploited fish and shellfish

The fishing mortality rates (i.e. fishing pressure), reproductive capacities (i.e. spawning stock biomass) and the age/size distribution of all commercially exploited populations across all EU marine regions need to be compatible with having population biomass levels that are above those capable of producing Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2020 as part of fulfilling the objective of the Common Fisheries Policy and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive ‘good environmental status’ (GES) for descriptor 3 on ‘commercially exploited fish and shellfish’. However, 44.8 % of the assessed stocks do not meet either the fishing mortality rate or the SSB thresholds, although there are significant differences between regions. It should be noted that it is only possible to assess 10.5 % of the exploited stocks against both of the criteria, and 39.3 % against at least one of them (Table 1).

The North-East Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea have been showing progress towards achieving the 2020 goal, due to improved management decisions.Thus, only 17.7% and 37.5% of the North-East Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea assessed stocks, respectively, did not meet any of the above-mentioned GES criteria in 2017 (Table 1). In contrast, 93.9% and 85.7% of the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea assessed stocks, respectively, did not meet any of the two above-mentioned GES criteria in 2016 (Table 1). Therefore, these seas remain highly overfished.

Table 1: Environmental status of commercially exploited fish and shellfish stocks in relation to meeting two of the primary criteria that define the MSFD’s ‘good environmental status’ objective for descriptor 3 on ‘commercially exploited fish and shellfish’.

1Notes

The MSFD includes a third primary criterion to determine GES in relation to descriptor 3 on ‘commercially exploited fish and shellfish’ (i.e. on the age and size structure of the populations of fish/shellfish (cf. EC, 2017)), but, at present, there is no agreed EU-level method to assess it, hence it is not included here.

The first two rows are based on the total number of commercially exploited fish/shellfish stocks landed across Europe’s seas (295 stocks). Out of these, some stocks can be assessed using any of the two GES primary criteria for descriptor 3 (116 stocks), some by standards other than GES (52 stocks), and some are not assessed at all (127 stocks).

The last four rows are based on the number of commercially exploited fish/shellfish stocks for which one and/or two of the primary criteria used to determine GES for descriptor 3 can be assessed (116 stocks).

Data gaps remains for many stocks.

Outcomes from the MSFD assessments

In 2018, Member States had to update the Good Environmental Status (GES) assessments performed under Marine Strategy Framework Directive Article 8. The present dashboard displays the overall status reported by countries for the features, where the results show which is the percentage of assessments where GES has been achieved, not achieved or is unknown or not assessed.

References

  1. EEA, 2020, Marine messages II, EEA Report No 17/2019, European Environment Agency (https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/marine-messages-2)
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  2. Zimmermann, F. and Werner, K. M., 2019, ‘Improved management is the main driver behind recovery of Northeast Atlantic fish stocks’, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 17(2), pp. 93-99. DOI: 10.1002/fee.2002
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  3. FAO, 2018, State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries 2018, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome (https://www.fao.org/3/ca2702en/CA2702EN.pdf)
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