Twenty years after the Mediterranean countries agreed to ban bottom trawling below 1,000 m below sea level, discussions are underway over whether these protections should be extended to shallower waters to better safeguard vulnerable marine species and habitats. A growing body of scientific research is supporting this approach.
As discussions continue at the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) on extending the scope of the current ban to include depths between 800 and 1,000 m, Egypt has become one of the first member states to move ahead with implementing the measure in its Mediterranean waters.
Egypt has already begun applying the restriction, whereas other Mediterranean countries are still examining the proposal and its potential implications.
The current regional ban on deep-water bottom trawling beyond 1,000 m dates back to 2005, when the GFCM adopted a recommendation prohibiting the use of trawl nets and towed dredges at those depths as a precautionary measure to protect fish stocks and prevent the expansion of deep-sea fisheries at a time when sufficient data on fish stocks were not available.
In the same context, a report published on 4 June this year found that the area between 600 and 1,000 m below sea level contains the largest share of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the Mediterranean. As a result, extending the bottom-trawling ban beyond 1,000 m could provide additional protection to approximately 100,000 square km of deep-sea ecosystems.
The report, published by Oceana and MedReAct, international advocacy organisations dedicated to ocean conservation. also highlights the results of previous pilot studies conducted by the GFCM in seven Mediterranean countries, including Egypt and Tunisia. The studies found that the impact of extending the ban to depths beyond 800 m would be limited, given the relatively low level of fishing activity in these areas. Egypt, France, and Montenegro have already begun enforcing a bottom-trawling ban below 800 m.
The report further notes that extending the ban could help protect threatened species such as deep-sea sharks, support the recovery of depleted commercial species such as deep-water shrimp, and strengthen the resilience of marine ecosystems to climate change.
According to Helena Alvarez, a senior marine scientist at Oceana, scientific knowledge of Mediterranean deep-sea ecosystems has advanced considerably since the 1,000 m trawl ban was adopted in 2005. Since then, research has shown that many vulnerable marine ecosystems, including deep-sea coral gardens, sponge grounds, and other habitat-forming species, are not confined to depths below 1,000 m.
Significant concentrations of these ecosystems also occur between 800 and 1,000 m, where they remain exposed to the impacts of bottom trawling. Alvarez also notes that deep-sea species are particularly slow-growing, late-maturing, and long-lived, making them highly vulnerable to disturbance and extremely slow to recover once damaged.
“Growing evidence on climate change has highlighted the crucial role of deep-sea ecosystems in carbon cycling, carbon storage, and ecosystem resilience. Evaluations conducted under the GFCM also show that key deep-sea fishing species are being depleted and not recovering, and that some of the essential fish habitats (EFH) where these species reproduce or where juveniles are found are quite deep, so the closure would help recover these species,” she commented.
Alvarez explained that the 1,000 m limit was adopted under a precautionary approach, whereas there is now much stronger ecological and climate-related evidence supporting protection from 800 m.
“The proposal is less about restricting current activities and more about ensuring that the future expansion of bottom fishing does not come at the expense of some of the Mediterranean’s most valuable and fragile ecosystems,” she said.
“With climate change hitting harder and harder the Mediterranean Sea and its fisheries resources, the sooner we act to protect deep-sea climate refuges, the faster fish and shrimp populations can rebuild to abundant levels. Early action is not a luxury; it is a necessary risk management to avoid greater losses later for the fishing sector and coastal communities,” she added.
EGYPT’S SUPPORT: Director-General of Egypt’s Lakes and Fisheries Resources Protection and Development Agency (LFRPDA) Atef Megahed said that Egypt officially issued a decision at the end of 2025 to extend the fishing ban to a depth of 800 m along its Mediterranean coast and has already begun implementing it.
“Before applying the decision, we conducted a study in the Egyptian Mediterranean coastal area to determine whether there was significant fishing production at this depth and to assess the impact of extending the ban beyond 800 m on fishermen, because our goal was to balance environmental and economic benefits,” Megahed said.
Megahed, also a member of the Egyptian delegation to the GFCM, added that “we found that only a very small number of fishermen operate at this depth. We also found that they welcomed the decision because they are aware of its environmental benefits. The results of the Egyptian study were also similar to those obtained by other countries, including Spain and Greece.”
“In short, we found that the environmental benefits are very significant compared to the limited economic impact, especially since implementing the decision will help protect areas that contain important marine habitats and seagrass beds.”
The scientific committee of the GFCM is still studying the proposal, he said, and discussions are ongoing, particularly because some countries face different circumstances, such as Algeria, which has a large continental shelf. He added that these discussions may lead to conclusions during the commission’s next meeting.
Regarding the monitoring and compliance measures recently adopted by Egypt, Megahed noted that the Egyptian authorities regulate the number of fishing vessels through specific licensing systems, determine catch quotas, strengthen port inspections, and review the nets and fishing gear used on each vessel.
“We grant deep-sea fishing licences to a limited number of vessels and open registration for vessels targeting red shrimp at depths ranging from 400 to 600 m. Our overall objective is to ensure sustainable fishing and the proper use of resources, especially since most species in the Mediterranean suffer from depletion as a result of unsustainable fishing practices and overfishing,” he said.
Scientific Adviser to Egypt’s Fisheries Development Authority Alaa Al-Hewait, also a participant in the Egyptian delegation’s discussions with the GFCM, said that Egypt is one of the first countries within the commission to implement a fishing ban below 800 m in its Mediterranean waters, while other countries are now studying the possibility of adopting the same measure.
“The area between 800 and 1,000 m contains concentrations of red shrimp that must be protected from unsustainable fishing. Fishermen can sell a kg of red shrimp for around €22. Nevertheless, the decision will not cause significant economic losses because fishing at this depth is very costly and its profitability is not particularly high,” he said.
He added that from a scientific perspective fishing bans are usually introduced either because an area serves as an important spawning ground for fish and marine organisms or because it contains large numbers of juvenile fish that should be protected from fishing.
“Both conditions apply to the area between 800 and 1,000 m in the Mediterranean,” he said.
IMPACTS: Other studies have shown that extending the ban would have limited economic impacts on the fishing sector.
According to an analysis by Oceana published in October 2024, approximately 3.5 per cent of the Mediterranean bottom trawl fleet operates at depths exceeding 800 m, while the majority of these vessels carried out less than 10 per cent of their total fishing activity at those depths, indicating limited actual dependence on deep-sea fishing grounds.
“Because Mediterranean trawl fleets are expanding towards deeper fishing grounds, a trend that is likely to continue, it is of greatest importance to act to freeze the spatial footprint of deep-sea trawl fisheries to precautionary depths, to prevent adverse impacts on deep-sea VMEs [vulnerable marine ecosystems], carbon-rich ecosystems, and sensitive species,” the report said.
Khaled Shaker Khalifa, a researcher in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture at Alexandria University, said that deep-sea ecosystems in the Mediterranean include a wide variety of marine habitats located at depths exceeding 200 m, including marine depressions, deep-sea plains, and nutrient-rich areas such as hydrothermal vents.
“Any damage caused by dragging fishing nets or using heavy fishing gear at these depths requires a long time to recover. Marine productivity also declines beyond a depth of 200 m, as light levels decrease and sunlight no longer reaches these areas, making the food chain extremely limited,” Khalifa said.
He explained that deep-sea ecosystems are highly vulnerable because some deep-sea organisms have adapted to very stable environmental conditions. “Some deep-sea organisms have adapted to a very stable environment because the temperature is constant, the pressure is high, and oxygen levels are low. Any change in temperature, salinity, or any form of pollution can lead to the mass death of organisms,” he said.
“Pollutants and waste, including heavy metals, plastics, and persistent organic compounds, reach deep-sea areas, where they settle and become concentrated. There is also the issue of human activities. Deep-sea fishing, marine mining, oil and gas pipelines, and offshore energy projects all destroy habitats in an almost permanent way.”
Khalifa noted that protecting these ecosystems is not only important for conserving biodiversity but also for preserving essential ecological functions such as nutrient cycling, carbon storage, and the support of marine food webs.
In addition, bottom trawling stirs up and redistributes seabed sediments, altering oxygen distribution and the chemical composition of the marine environment, thereby affecting sensitive species.
These impacts can lead to the loss of slow-growing species, disruptions in food chains, and the gradual degradation of Mediterranean marine ecosystems, Khalifa said. Intensive fishing also reduces biodiversity by decreasing the abundance of various species, weakening their ability to adapt to environmental changes and diseases.
“Fishermen understand very well the marine environment in which they operate, and they are aware of the policies and regulations. However, it is also important to ensure the effective implementation of these regulations,” he added.
While some countries, including Egypt, have already begun implementing the measure, discussions within the Fisheries commission continue among countries that have not yet announced their support.
Mohamed Basha, an Algerian expert in maritime economics and marine policy, said that “Algeria has traditionally been cautious about any regional arrangements that could be interpreted as limiting its sovereignty in managing its continental shelf and exclusive economic zone. Therefore, lowering the ban threshold from 1,000 to 800 m may be viewed not only as an environmental measure, but also as a regulatory framework that could, in the future, limit its options for exploiting deep-sea marine resources.”
Basha explained that the nature of Algeria’s continental shelf is an important factor in this debate. In several areas, it is relatively narrow and descends rapidly into deep waters compared with other parts of the Mediterranean. This means that the transition from traditional fishing depths to ranges between 700 and 900 m can occur relatively close to the coast.
“Algeria is seeking to preserve its future development options. Even if current deep-sea fishing activities remain relatively limited, policymakers may view the establishment of an 800 m limit as prematurely closing the door to future fisheries development, particularly regarding deep-water crustaceans and commercially valuable bottom-dwelling species,” Basha said.
“This comes alongside the limited national research available on deep-sea fisheries and habitats.”
He added that in the western Mediterranean, particularly off the coasts of Oran and Tlemcen in Algeria, some fishing activities target bottom-dwelling species and deep-water crustaceans such as red shrimp. Lowering the threshold to 800 m could therefore reduce the fishing grounds available for certain bottom-trawling operations, even if fishing beyond 1,000 m is not currently widespread.
Director of the Information and Documentation Office at Libya’s Ministry of Marine Resources Feras Al-Gabri commented that “Libya supports and encourages increasing and strengthening environmental and international restrictions related to marine fisheries to protect sensitive ecosystems. From this perspective, it does not object to the proposal to extend deep-sea bottom fishing restrictions to begin at a depth of 800 m instead of 1,000 m, as this approach is consistent with our policy aimed at limiting the depletion of marine resources in the depths of the Mediterranean Sea.”
However, he said that “when introducing new international standards, consideration should be given to the differences between the large industrial fishing fleets of the developed countries and the traditional, limited-scale fishing sectors in Southern Mediterranean countries, such as Libya, which do not pose a threat to fish stocks.”
Libyan law strictly prohibits foreign vessels from fishing within Libya’s territorial waters, he said, placing fisheries management under national control. He also noted that the number of local fishing vessels and their activities do not place excessive pressure on or pose a threat to fish stocks. In addition, there are no fish exports abroad, meaning that fishing activity is directed solely towards meeting the needs of the domestic market.
Nevertheless, laws should be strengthened, and fishing restrictions expanded in the light of the severe depletion of fish stocks being witnessed globally.
“It would be better to implement the ban gradually to evaluate the effectiveness of the protection measures,” he concluded.
PROTECTION AND SUSTAINABILITY: Hamadi Mejri, a fisheries programme officer at World Wildlife Fund North Africa, a NGO, said that “vessels only reach 1,000 m in limited cases, given the special equipment and greater operational capacity required, particularly towing cables whose length must exceed the depth of the fishing area several times.”
“Therefore, adopting an 800 m limit may not represent a substantial change for a large part of the bottom trawl fleets targeting demersal resources in Tunisia,” referring to species living on, near, or feeding from the seabed.
“The main concerns relate to the potential economic impacts on some fishing fleets that specialise in exploiting deep-water benthic resources, particularly in countries where such activities are carried out regularly. Some stakeholders also argue that more studies should be conducted for each area before adopting a unified depth limit across the Mediterranean,” he added.
Mejri pointed out that the main challenge lies in monitoring fishing activities in remote and deep-sea areas. Effective enforcement requires the use of Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) and Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), as well as inspections at sea and in ports.
He stressed that the success of such measures should not be assessed solely by the expansion of protected areas, but rather by the level of compliance, the quality of monitoring systems, and the continuity of scientific monitoring programmes capable of evaluating the environmental, social, and economic benefits achieved over the long term.
Some fisheries in restricted areas established by the commission in the Mediterranean have produced encouraging results, he said. One example is the Jabuka/Pomo Pit area in the Adriatic Sea, where positive signs have been recorded in the recovery of biomass for certain exploited species and improvements in the status of fish stocks following the implementation of spatial protection measures.
The scientific committee of the GFCM is set to meet in June to continue to examine the proposal, and the decision to extend the fishing ban to 800 m remains under discussion among member states amid growing scientific, political, and environmental pressures to strengthen protection for deep-sea marine ecosystems.
This publication was produced as the recipient of the Med Mosaic Ocean Litracy Grant 2026.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 18 June, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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