Fisheries resources and coastal and marine environments in the Mediterranean are

threatened by overexploitation, pollution and the impact of a wide range of activities.

All Mediterranean countries share these problems and their solution necessarily

implies a common response that takes into account the inherent particularities related

to geomorphological, ecological, socio-economical and cultural aspects of each

country.

The contents of the publication here presented have been selected with the aim of

reviewing key issues of the sector and were prepared and presented as a reference

work for the VII Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries of CIHEAM

member countries held at Zaragoza (Spain) on 4^th February 2008. This issue of Options

Méditerranéennes published by the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza

(CIHEAM-IAMZ) with the collaboration of the General Fisheries Commission of the

Mediterranean (GFCM) and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of the Food and

Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has counted on the active

contribution of key experts, who have been involved in activities organized by these

institutions for many years.

The work starts with a review of facts and figures, an analysis of the seafood market

trends in Europe, followed by a review of the state of fishery resources. Some

management-related issues are addressed, including the ecosystem approach to

fisheries management in the Mediterranean, the use of trawling nets, recreational

fisheries, and marine protected areas for fisheries in the Mediterranean. Two main

aquaculture topics are also dealt with: sustainable development of Mediterranean

aquaculture, and assessment of seabream and seabass markets. Finally, regional

cooperation in the Mediterranean is discussed. This publication also includes the final

declarations of the meeting, as well as the speeches delivered by Commissioner Joe

Borg, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European

Commission, and Mr Alain Bonzon, Secretary of the General Fisheries Commission for

the Mediterranean (GFCM).