Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea - MarBEF

© UNEP
© Greenpeace
Tourism and population pressure
Of the 220 million tourists who visit the region every year, over 100
million flock to the Mediterranean beaches.
Mass tourism has led to increased waste discharges into the sea, loss of
natural habitats and higher pressure on endangered species.
Mediterranean coastal areas, which account for 30% of international
tourist destinations, are already seriously damaged.
Oil tanker
Sea pollution
The land-locked waters of the Mediterranean have a very low renewal
rate (80 to 90 years) and so are extremely sensitive to pollution. The
Mediterranean represents less than 1% of the Earth’s total marine
surface, but oil-tanker traffic through this sea accounts for more than
20% of global traffic. Every year, 635,000 tonnes of crude oil are
spilled by vessels in the Mediterranean Sea.
80% of the urban sewage produced is discharged untreated. Added to
that are agricultural runoffs containing pesticides, nitrates and
phosphates, which contaminate the sea.
Biodiversity
The Mediterranean Sea has an unusually high biodiversity for a
temperate sea and is, in fact one of the richest seas in the world.
It is home to 7.5% of the planet’s marine life species and 18%
of the world’s marine fauna. However, only 1% of the
Mediterranean Sea is protected.
Cetaceans
19 cetacean species are found in
the Mediterranean sea. Eight are
common (Fin Whale, Sperm
Whale, Striped Dolphin, Risso’s
Dolphin, Long-finned Pilot Whale,
Bottle-nose Dolphin, Common
Dolphin, Cuvier’s beaked Whale),
four are occasional (Minke Whale,
Killer Whale, False Killer Whale,
Rough-toothed Dolphin) and six
are ‘accidental aliens’ that were
occasionally sighted in the last
120 years (e.g. Humpback Whale).
© Greenpeace
Overfishing
Around 1.5 million tonnes of fish
are caught in the Mediterranean
each year. Destructive and often
illegal fishing methods such as
bottom-trawling, dynamite use,
long-lining and drift-netting have
depleted fish stocks. Use of drift
nets are also responsible for the
accidental deaths and incidental
catches of whales, dolphins and
marine turtles.
Depleted fish stocks are also
reflected in the undersized catch.
83% of all Blue-fin Tuna and
Swordfish caught in the
Mediterranean are undersized.
Blue-fin Tuna
Marine invasive
species
Thousands of marine species are
transported, either intentionally
or accidentally, from their native
range to “new” areas. These
species are called non-native
species and sometimes referred
to as alien or invasive species.
Introductions and transfer of
non-native marine species to
their new environment mainly
occurs by the transport and
discharge of ballast water, and to
a lesser extent by transport of
fouling organisms on hulls, or
through aquaculture. In addition,
many species are spread through
seawater canals that link
biogeographical waterbodies
(e.g. Suez Canal).
Caulerpa taxifolia
An algal species native to the
Red Sea, Caulerpa taxifolia,
has spread round the
Mediterranean from the French
Riviera, where it first emerged in
the 1980s. It is obliterating
fisheries which depend on sea
grasses and is replacing them
with largely sterile algal beds.
Mediterranean Monk Seal
This seal (Monachus monachus) is the only pinniped to be found within the
Mediterranean Sea. It is now very rare and listed as an endangered species. The
only known colonies are in the Alboran Basin and in the Aegean Sea.
Page 2 ISSUE 3 The Mediterranean and Black Seas
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