European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee has called for a targeted revision of the bloc’s multiannual plan for demersal fisheries in the Western Mediterranean, proposing greater flexibility in fishing effort limits and a stronger role for socioeconomic considerations.
In a vote taken 12 October, the committee adopted a draft resolution asking the European Commission to present a revised Western Mediterranean Multiannual Plan (WestMed MAP) by 1 December.
Under the proposed changes, annual fishing effort would no longer be determined by reference to the “most vulnerable stock” in mixed fisheries where several species are caught together. Committee members argued the current approach can create a “choke effect,” forcing vessels to stop fishing for more abundant species when they reach the limit for a more vulnerable stock.
The committee also wants to allow 10 percent of unused fishing effort to be carried over into the following year and to cap reductions in fishing days at 20 percent. It said decisions should explicitly account for the effects on employment, fishers’ incomes, business viability, seafood supply, and E.U. food security.
Committee members insisted the current approach, in operation since 2019, has delivered progress at a significant cost to the sector, citing a 40 percent reduction in trawling effort between 2020 and 2024 alongside declines in employment and average wages.
The resolution also calls for stronger scientific data collection and for assessments to be published transparently before fisheries decisions are taken. The committee noted that the status of seven stocks could not be determined in the most recent assessment because of insufficient data. It also calls for a dedicated research program involving national scientific institutes and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) to examine the effects of climate change on fisheries.
On enforcement, members want the European Commission and European Fisheries Control Agency to strengthen monitoring of non-E.U. fleets operating in the Mediterranean and improve cooperation with non-E.U. authorities. They also call for better coordination of E.U. import controls, including the creation of a European import control office to help prevent products from illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing entering the market.
The committee’s vote in favor of a targeted revision has been welcomed by European fishing industry body Europêche, which praised the members for recognizing the realities of mixed fisheries, supporting greater fishing effort flexibility, acknowledging the sustainability efforts already made by the region’s fleet, calling for stronger control of non-E.U. fleets to combat IUU, and demanding more complete scientific data, including on the impacts of climate change and invasive species.
Europêche also noted the committee’s call for the commission to urgently review the specific conditions faced by the region's red shrimp fishery, which is currently the only fishery simultaneously subject to two restrictive management measures, with a view to retaining only the fishing days regime and removing the quota.
According to Europêche President Javier Garat, the vote sends a clear message that the Western Mediterranean plan needs to be adapted as a matter of urgency.
“The plan’s current framework and implementation have contributed to declining employment in the sector. Fishers have made substantial efforts to support stock recovery, but sustainability also depends on viable businesses, secure jobs, and resilient coastal communities,” he said. “We call on the Commission to present its proposal to revise the plan as soon as possible and for the resolution’s outcomes to be considered at the December Council meeting.”
The WestMed MAP covers demersal fisheries primarily harvested by France, Italy, and Spain. Its target species include European hake, red mullet, Norway lobster, and several shrimp species. The plan aims to keep stocks above levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield (MSY).
