Enric Sala discusses in the interview below what the 2014 research paper says about the state of the Mediterranean Sea and the scenarios for its future:
What are the most important findings of this latest research?
The bottom line here is that the only protected areas that universally and successfully restore marine life are no-take reserves where fishing is prohibited. “Protected” areas that allow some types of fishing, evidently, are not very effective at saving marine life.
How does this inform future ocean policy with regard to protected areas as well as fishing?
Our results clearly indicate that dedicating public resources to “paper parks,” or areas that are protected only in the imagination of some, is a waste. If we want the fish back, and if we want a future for coastal fisheries, we need to create more no-take marine reserves. They are investment accounts.
What does the research tell us about non-indigenous species?
The Mediterranean is a sea with hundreds of alien species, most of which have come through the Suez Canal. We thought that native predators would keep the invaders in check, but that’s not what we have found. Current reserves in the Mediterranean have not been able to stop species invasions. There are factors other than fishing that make this a complex story. Or maybe it is that most reserves are too small and have not yet developed the large biomass of predators needed to control the populations of the alien species.
Does the study tell us anything about the changing marine environment with regard to climate change? Does it set a new baseline to monitor the impact of warming seas?
Climate change is warming Mediterranean waters, and thus facilitating the spread of tropical species that use the Suez Canal to migrate from the Red Sea. In other words, climate change is “tropicalizing” the Mediterranean, and displacing native species that prefer colder waters. Our study provides the first quantitative baseline across the Mediterranean to track how alien species increase in abundance over time.
What have you learned about the assemblage of species in different parts of the Mediterranean Sea, specifically in the context of the impact of fishing, protected areas, and climate change?
Our major finding was that overfishing is the most important factor affecting Mediterranean underwater ecosystems, more than pollution, invasive species, or climate change. Taking fish out of the sea in massive quantities is what changes the underwater landscape the most. More than anything else. Period.
Can this research give you a glimpse into what the future of the Mediterranean might look like, such as the species that might decline or become extinct and those species that might have an opportunity to survive and flourish? What is your prognosis for the future of fisheries in the Mediterranean if nothing is done? What might the future be if we opt for remedies available to us?
If we project from our current baseline, the Mediterranean of the future will be a poor sea, dominated by small tropical species that no one likes to eat. Fishes will not be abundant, and the native species that the Greeks and Romans started to fish commercially will be rare — and most fisheries and the jobs they support will collapse. But this could change if we stop all the irrational overfishing, including both legal and illegal fishing, and protect a large chunk of the Mediterranean. Without these radical changes, we’re just going to reduce the Mediterranean Sea to soup of microbes and jellyfish.