43 fish species ‘at risk’ in Mediterranean

BLUEFIN tuna are among more than 40 species of fish in the Mediterranean which are under threat of vanishing from the region, experts have warned.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said 43 species of marine fish were assessed as being at risk of extinction in the region, largely as a result of over-fishing, damage to habitat and pollution.

The latest assessment found almost half of the sharks and rays found in the Mediterranean are at risk of extinction.

In total, 15 species were considered to be in the highest-risk category, critically endangered, 14 of which were sharks and rays including all three angel shark species found in the region.

And commercial species such as Atlantic bluefin tuna and dusky groupers are endangered, the assessment found.

Species which fall into the three most at-risk categories in the Red List assessment — critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable to extinction — are considered to be under threat of dying out.

Still more marine fish — including some commercial species such as European plaice and sea bass — were classified as “near threatened”, meaning they are close to being at risk or would be were it not for conservation programmes.

Among commercially- valuable species, Atlantic bluefin tuna has been undergoing “heavy overfishing” for more than a decade, with a failure to enforce conservation measures and continuing illegal fishing, a report from the IUCN warned.

Kent Carpenter, IUCN global marine species assessment co-ordinator, said: “The lack of compliance with current quotas combined with widespread underreporting of the catch may have undermined conservation efforts for this species in the Mediterranean.”

The IUCN also said the use of fishing gear such as lines, or gill or trawling nets, plus illegal use of drift nets were capturing marine animals with no commercial value, ranging from fish to dolphins, turtles and birds.