International environmental NGO Oceana warned this week that the Mediterranean’s swordfish stocks are under serious threat and that illegal fishing of the species must be curbed catches regulated to enable its recovery.

Oceana deplored the fact that the European Union “continues to ignore Mediterranean swordfish overfishing despite world renowned fisheries scientists pointing out that Italy has failed to report around 41,000 tons in total for 20 years. This amounts to more than €25 million a year and 15 per cent of all catches of this species in the Mediterranean, highlighting the severe overfishing the stock has being suffering for three decades now”.

According to Oceana Europe Executive Director Lasse Gustavsson, “The science is clear: the situation for Mediterranean swordfish is critical and shows no signs of improvement. Unlike the managed Atlantic stock, Mediterranean swordfish suffers from enduring overfishing, illegal fishing and a serious lack of political willingness to address the problem. We expect better from the European Union – the main culprit of the stock’s depletion – especially considering that the EU is committed and obliged to ensure fisheries are sustainable by 2020”

Mediterranean swordfish has declined by about two thirds from the early 1980s and 2013 witnessed the lowest ever total annual catch on record. Moreover, 72 per cent of the declared landings are juvenile – specimens that hadn’t had the chance to reproduce – further affecting the recovery of this highly overfished stock.

Mediterranean swordfish plays an important socio-economic role in many Mediterranean coastal communities and Italy is the leading country in the fishery. However, illegally-caught swordfish continues to blatantly enter local markets at elevated prices of up to €30/kg – the EU is fully aware of this but has so far refused to act.

In November, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the Regional Fisheries Management Organisation in charge of managing highly migratory species such as the Mediterranean swordfish, will be meeting in Malta in which Mediterranean swordfish will be part of the negotiations. Oceana urges Mediterranean member states and the EU to propose and ensure the adoption and implementation of a proper Mediterranean swordfish recovery plan that can rebuild the stock to sustainable levels by 2020.