The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean met last week to discuss its objective of “ensuring the conservation and the sustainable use of living marine resources as well as the sustainable development of aquaculture in the Mediterranean and in the Black Sea.”
The closing of the 48th annual session of the Commission coincided with the opening of UNFCCC COP30 in Brazil; with the Mediterranean under increasing pressure from climate change, the parallels go beyond the coinciding of these two meetings.
The Mediterranean region, which is thought to be warming 20% faster than the global average, is a ‘climate change hotspot’, threatening the region’s ecosystems, communities, and economies.
By 2100, water temperature is expected to rise by between 1.8°C and 3.5°C, with hotspots in Spain and in the Eastern Mediterranean. With an average water temperature of 26.9°C, July 2025 was the warmest since records began for the Mediterranean Sea, according to the Copernicus Earth Observation Service. In some regions, water temperatures rose above 28°C.
While the ocean is impacted by climate change, it is also a key ally in buffering its worst effects. The ocean has absorbed more than 90% of the excess heat generated by burning fossil fuels, and about 30% of human-generated carbon dioxide emissions since the 1980s. The deep ocean plays an especially critical role in climate regulation, carbon storage, and heat transport. Without this massive buffer, global temperatures would already be far higher than they are today, making it all the more important for sustainable management of our greatest climate ally.
On 14 October 2025, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress adopted a resolution calling for the full implementation of UN General Assembly resolutions and a transition away from bottom trawling on seamounts by 2026. Supported by over 95% of IUCN members, this resolution sends a compelling message of global support for the protection of seamounts from bottom trawling.
Following this powerful political signal, the GFCM should signal its own commitment to making the transition toward ending the practice of bottom trawling on seamounts in the Mediterranean. The DSCC welcomes the decision to reconvene the GFCM’s Working Group on Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems in the coming months, a critical first step towards the GFCM working to support the longevity of the deep sea as a critical climate ally, and to support the continued, sustainable management of marine resources in the area.