Revisiting rebuilding options of European fisheries

Overfishing remains widespread in European seas, and the 2020 sustainability objectives under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) have not been fully met, leaving many stocks outside safe biological limits. At the same time, management must also ensure economic viability for fishing fleets, highlighting the need to quantify trade-offs between stock recovery and fleet profitability. Building on previous research, we assess 220 fish and invertebrate stocks across eight ecoregions, providing higher spatial resolution than previous analyses. Using a surplus-production framework, we model biomass and profitability trajectories under alternative exploitation scenarios. Results show that reducing fishing mortality to moderate exploitation patterns produces the most robust improvements in profitability across regions, while also supporting biomass rebuilding. However, the magnitude and timing of these effects vary geographically: northeast Atlantic regions start from higher baseline stock status but exhibit more modest marginal gains, whereas Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, despite poorer initial conditions, display stronger rebuilding potential and larger relative improvements once fishing pressure is reduced, with pronounced heterogeneity among subregions. These findings suggest that moderate exploitation reductions can yield long-term economic gains, though transitional costs and ecosystem constraints may limit near-term feasibility. Our results have direct relevance for region-specific European Union (EU) management, indicating where existing multiannual plans may require complementary measures to align biological sustainability with fleet profitability. We conclude that spatially resolved bioeconomic assessments can inform adaptive management and support progress toward both ecological and socioeconomic objectives under the CFP and associated frameworks.