Status of marine fish and shellfish stocks in Europe's seas
Despite progress, only 40% of Europe’s fish stocks assessed for Good Environmental Status are both fished at sustainable levels and in good biological condition, with pronounced regional differences: 45% in the North-East Atlantic and Baltic Sea, compared with 26% in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. EU targets to restore fish populations and ensure sustainable exploitation have thus not yet been achieved, highlighting the need for more effective action.
Figure 1. Status of assessed commercially exploited stocks relative to good environmental status (GES) for fishing mortality (F) and reproductive capacity (SSB), and proportion of commercial landings covered by assessments
Three criteria are used to assess GES for commercial fish and shellfish stocks under the MSFD, based on:
the level of exploitation, measured by fishing mortality (F)
reproductive capacity, assessed by spawning stock biomass (SSB)
population age and size distribution
This indicator tracks progress towards achieving GES based on the first two criteria: fishing mortality and reproductive capacity. Criterion 3 (age and size structure) cannot yet be assessed due to the lack of agreed indicators and threshold values.
Based on the latest available stocks assessments, 95 (40%) of the 235 assessed stocks in Europe's seas with sufficient information to evaluate GES meet both criteria, 87 (37%) meet only one criterion and 53 (23%) meet none, meaning they are neither in good biological condition nor exploited at sustainable levels. Regional differences remain pronounced.
In the North-East Atlantic and Baltic Sea, 45% of the 127 assessed stocks with sufficient data meet both GES criteria, 43% meet only one criterion and 12% meet neither. An additional 22 stocks could not be assessed due to insufficient data. In the Mediterranean and Black Sea, the situation is more critical: 26.5% of the 68 assessed stocks meet both GES criteria, 26.5% meet only one and 47% fail to meet either.
The proportion of landings covered by stocks for which at least one GES criterion could be assessed also varies markedly between regions, ranging from 88% in the North-East Atlantic and Baltic Sea to 38% in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Improving the assessment coverage of stocks, together with developing robust indicators and thresholds for population age and size distribution, is essential to strengthen GES assessments.
Figure 2. Trends in the status of assessed commercial fish and shellfish stocks relative to the good environmental status (GES) criteria for fishing mortality (F) and reproductive capacity (SSB) in Europe's marine regions
In the North-East Atlantic and Baltic Sea, fishing mortality increased from near-sustainable levels in the 1950s to almost double by the 1980s, leading to decline in reproductive capacity until the early 2000s and placing stocks at risk of impairment. Targeted management measures, including the introduction of Total Allowable Catches (TACs), have since contributed to improvements: fishing mortality has declined to sustainable levels on average and reproductive capacity shows signs of recovery (Figure 2).
In the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea, fishing mortality has declined in recent years; however, most stocks remain overexploited and reproductive capacity shows little improvement relative to 2003 reference levels. Few GES thresholds for reproductive capacity have been established for these stocks, and it is likely that reproductive capacity was already below healthy levels in 2003 (Figure 2).
Overall, EU targets to restore fish and shellfish stocks to healthy levels have not yet been met. Achieving long-term stock health and fisheries sustainability will require more effective implementation and enforcement of existing measures, as well as coordinated regional action.
Supporting information
The indicator tracks the status of commercial fish stocks in Europe's seas and the pressure exerted by fisheries on those stocks, as well as the quality of the information available. To that end, the following is reported:
· the status of marine fish and shellfish stocks based on the current level of exploitation and reproductive capacity;
· the availability of appropriate information for the status assessment, as reflected by the proportion of those landings covered by quantitative stock assessments, i.e. the proportion providing the required indicators and their reference levels.
Good status
Currently, the two criteria used to determine the status of commercial fish stocks are:
· exploited sustainably, consistent with high long-term yields; and
· have full reproductive capacity.
F (fishing mortality) and SSB (spawning stock biomass), in combination with MSY-based reference values, are the most appropriate metrics for these two criteria. The metrics used for F and SSB may differ between stocks. Not all stocks can be assessed for both metrics.
Proportion of assessed stocks
The status of commercial species per MSFD ecoregion is assessed based on all stocks for which the required information on F and/or SSB is available, or proxy methods to determine the status in relation to MSY targets.
For each region, the stocks are classified according to whether they fulfil both the analysed GES criteria, only one criterion or neither criterion. Thus, the five different categories are:
· F only: stocks for which only F information is available and that fulfil the MSFD criterion for GES;
· SSB only: stocks for which only SSB information is available and that fulfil the MSFD criterion for GES;
· F and SSB: stocks for which F and SSB information is available and that fulfil the MSFD criteria for GES;
· F or SSB: stocks for which F and SSB information is available and that fulfil the MSFD criterion for GES.
· None: stocks for which F and SSB information is available and do not fulfil the MSFD criterion for any of the two, and stocks for which only F or only SSB information is available and do not fulfil the GES criterion.
Trend analysis
The median value (50th percentile) of the indicators (F and SSB, in combination with MSY-based reference values) and their confidence levels (2.5th and 97.5th percentiles) are used to assess trends. For the Mediterranean and Black Sea, as GES thresholds are unavailable for reproductive capacity, the 2003 reference level is used for this region. Stock assessments have different starting years depending on data availability. In recent years the trend analysis is based on a larger number of stocks and the trends in indicators are expected to be robust.
North-East Atlantic and Baltic Sea
For the North-East Atlantic and Baltic Sea, the indicator is calculated using assessments from the ICES stock database from 2019-2024. The ICES stock assessment database contains assessments for more than 200 stocks, and provides information, by stock and by year, on a number of population and fishery variables. The period for which this information is available varies depending on the stock.
Not all stocks can be assessed for both metrics. ICES has developed methods for providing status in relation to MSY goals for fishing pressure and stock size using data-limited methods. This has expanded the number of stocks for which assessments of the two criteria have been made.
Total landings in MSFD (sub-)regions
Stocks are assigned to an MSFD ecoregion based on the ICES subareas and divisions. Under the MSFD, individual stocks may be considered in more than one ecoregion. However, for this analysis stocks are assigned to one ecoregion, considered to be the most important to the stock and fishery. ICES is presently developing a system of assigning stocks to appropriate ecoregions based on distribution and migration patterns as well as location of landings.
Total landings data are extracted from the ICES Official Nominal Catches data set (note: in FAO terminology, ‘nominal catches’ refer to ‘landings’) and are assigned to the different MSFD regions based on area. The total landings for non-assessed stocks by ecoregion is calculated by subtracting total stock landings by ecoregion from the total landings by ecoregion.
Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea
In the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea, stocks are generally defined by management area due to limited biological information. As such, they are referred to as ‘assessment units’ in this report to distinguish them from biologically defined stocks and no total number of stocks per region is reported. Assessment units in these regions are assessed using information from the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and Black Sea (GFCM), performed between 2023 and 2025. As assessments are carried out in a multiannual cycle, different assessment units are included in each annual working group report. See the CFP monitoring protocol for more details.
Total landings in MSFD (sub-)regions
Landings information for the Mediterranean and Black seas is extracted from the FAO regional workspace including on 'GFCM capture production'. Landings information is available by fishing area (FAO division). Total landings for the assessed units for the Mediterranean and Black Sea is calculated by selecting landings for the species for which STECF provides F/FMSY information, where the following assumptions are made:
· As the multiple FAO fishing areas of the Mediterranean Sea do not directly coincide with the GSAs, overall landings is used for the Mediterranean Sea for the assessed species.
· Landings are extracted by linking the common name in the stock description with the species name in the landings data set.
The total landings for non-assessed units in the Mediterranean and Black Sea is calculated by subtracting the calculated total landings for assessed stocks from the total landings for these two regions.
Commercial fish and shellfish provide most of the seafood derived from European waters and, if sustainably exploited, they can be a continuous source of healthy protein. However, the heavy exploitation of fish and shellfish can affect their reproductive capacity and thus their potential for recovery. To achieve sustainability, the levels of exploitation and reproductive capacity need to be analysed to assess the status of marine fish and shellfish in Europe.
Through the implementation of the CFP and the MSFD, EU Member States are committed to maintaining fish populations at biomass levels above those required to produce the maximum sustainable yield (MSY), by exploiting the stocks at appropriate fishing mortality rates in 2015 where possible, and by 2020 for all stocks; an objective that has not yet been reached.
Descriptor 3 (D3) of the MSFD also sets out that populations of commercial fish and shellfish have full reproductive capacity in order to maintain stock biomass and the proportion of older and larger fish and shellfish should be maintained (or increased), as an indicator of a healthy stock.
Good Environmental Status (GES) is achieved for a particular stock only if all of the three attributes are fulfilled. Currently, only two criteria can be used for assessing GES (MSFD D3C1 and D3C2). ICES is currently developing a roadmap outlining a course of action for the assessment of MSFD D3C3.
Moreover, the fact that only those stocks for which regular quantitative stock assessments are conducted can be included in such a status assessment means that it is important to show what proportion of commercial species is covered by quantitative stock assessments. Therefore, this indicator consists of three parts:
· the proportion of the total catch in the MSFD (sub-)regions of Europe covered by the quantitative stock assessments conducted by the ICES and the GFCM
· an overview of the status of assessed fish stocks per MSFD (sub-)region and its trend over time, with GES being based on two criteria being met:
- a sustainable level of exploitation (assessed by F)
- reproductive capacity not being compromised (assessed by SSB)
Methodology uncertainty
The status of commercial species is expressed as the proportion of stocks that fulfil one or more of the GES criteria, as this is the most straightforward method since it does not require any additional information. However, the status can also be expressed as the proportion of catches or the proportion of biomass, depending on data availability. Each method is likely to give different results.
Similarly, the status of European marine fish and shellfish over time is shown for both GES criteria considered as the annual median of the ratio indicator/GES threshold, while alternatively the annual median ratio deviation of the indicator from the GES threshold relative to that threshold can be calculated. This is also likely to give different values but is unlikely to give rise to different conclusions.
For compliance with the status assessments in relation to the CFP, the same stocks for the Mediterranean and Black Sea as those used by the STECF are adopted. This implies that only stocks assessed by the GFCM (hence not the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)) are used for this assessment.
Datasets uncertainty
Catch and stock assessment data: depending on the year selected, the suite of assessed stocks may change: in the Mediterranean and Black Sea because they do not conduct annual stock assessments for all stocks simultaneously; and in the ICES areas many stocks are assessed only every two or more years. This may lead to indicator values changing simply because different stocks are considered each year. Therefore, the analyses presented here use latest assessment for each stock from the last five years, under the assumption that the most recent assessment is indicative of GES status until the next assessment is conducted.
Geographical comparability
Comparability is assured in each regional seas while comparability between regions is not always possible due to lack of thresholds for reproductive capacity. Very few GES thresholds for reproductive capacity have been defined for the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Reproductive capacity between different regions (North-East Atlantic and Baltic Sea vs Mediterranean and Black Sea) have different approaches to calculating threshold values in stock assessments.
The matching of catch areas and stocks to the MSFD regions/sub-regions is not final and may change following further consultations.
Comparability over time
Data comparability depends on the number of stocks and are mainly comparable after 2000. Data are comparable in the time frame of this indicator 2003-2024.
Arctic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Bay of Biscay, Black Sea, Black Sea, Celtic Seas, Greater North Sea, Macaronesia, Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North-East Atlantic Ocean
Descriptive indicator (Type A - What is happening to the environment and to humans?)SDG14: Life below water
Number of assessed stocks; Metrics relative to fishing mortality (F) and reproductive capacity in relation to Good Environmental Status (GES)
