EU ministers reach a compromise on fishing quotas for the Mediterranean!
EU fisheries ministers reached an agreement on fishing limits for 2025 after two days of discussions in Brussels ended on Wednesday night, with disputes over Mediterranean stocks leading to reduced quotas. These measures put in place at EU level aim to preserve the long-term health of fish stocks and marine ecosystems in the Atlantic, North Sea, Mediterranean and Black Sea, while ensuring the livelihoods of fishing communities. The debate over fishing days, also known as Western Mediterranean fishing effort, emerged as a sticking point in the talks.
Ministers agreed on significant reductions in fishing effort for fishermen to protect demersal species living near the seabed in Spanish, French and Italian waters. Currently, 60% of bottom stocks in this region are subject to overfishing and 80% have biomass levels below sustainability thresholds.
"Setting fishing effort limits in the Western Mediterranean was particularly demanding, but we managed to find a constructive compromise," said Hungarian Minister István Nagy, who led the talks. Spanish Minister Luis Planas described the negotiations as some of the "most complex, difficult and complicated" of his career. "It was the very future of Mediterranean fishing that was at stake," French minister Fabrice Loher said, stressing the importance of the outcome, calling it a "win-win deal" after weeks of preparation and days of negotiations.
The negotiations saw Spain, Italy and France join forces against the European Commission's initial proposal, which called for a 79% reduction in fishing days by 2025, leaving Mediterranean fishermen with just 27 sustainable fishing days.
The final agreement formalizes a smaller reduction of 66% in Spanish and French waters and 38% in Italian and French waters. However, the agreement introduces mechanisms that allow countries to maintain fishing levels for 2024 if they adopt certain management measures, such as improved net size, seasonal closures and selective fishing gear.
This compensation mechanism, introduced in 2022, encourages the adoption of conservation-friendly fishing practices. Spain and Italy claimed after the agreement that they would maintain their fishing levels for 2024 by implementing these measures. Spain indicated that implementing just two of the proposed measures would be enough to maintain current fishing days, while Italy announced that compensatory measures would be under consideration.
French Minister Loher emphasized the incentive-based approach, which involves close cooperation with industry professionals to ensure better protection for marine species. The NGO Oceana welcomed the agreement's adoption of conservation measures and the reduction of catch limits, but expressed concerns about the compensation mechanism.
"The uncertainties surrounding the new compensation mechanism that gives extra fishing days to fishermen cast doubt on the agreement's ability to ensure the sustainable exploitation of all fish stocks," said Oceana policy advisor Giulia Guadagnoli. Adjustments were also made to specific quotas. Catch limits for blue and red shrimp were reduced by 10% in Spanish and French waters and 6% in Italian and French areas. Similarly, quotas for giant red shrimp were reduced by 6% in Italian and French waters compared to 2024.
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