Written by Anne Altmayer.
The Black Sea’s natural characteristics, its isolated position and the high percentage of waters where no life is possible, make it a unique and vulnerable place.
Fisheries in the region face a number of challenges, including environmental issues such as pollution, over-exploitation, eutrophication, invasive species and climate change, that are linked directly to the sector’s sustainability.
The EU fleet comprises Bulgarian and Romanian vessels and is small compared with the other fleets in the region, consisting of Georgian, Russian, Turkish and Ukrainian vessels.
The EU’s role in the management of Black Sea fisheries is limited, given that only two EU Member States are involved and are bound by EU legislation. Moreover, the EU’s membership in the regional sea convention is blocked.
Cooperation between the countries around the Black Sea on transboundary issues is essential, but this has been rendered more difficult than ever by Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine.
The European Parliament has repeatedly drawn attention to the fishery sector’s challenges in the Black Sea.
Read the complete briefing on ‘European marine fishing areas: The Black Sea‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.
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