NEW YORK / US, 24 June 2025: A new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), released at the UN Ocean Conference, delivers a nuanced snapshot of the world’s marine fisheries: while many regions show encouraging signs of recovery, overfishing remains a major global challenge.
According to the 2025 edition of the FAO Review of the State of World Marine Fishery Resources, 64.5% of fish stocks are currently fished within biologically sustainable limits, but 35.5% continue to be overfished—an issue with severe implications for global food security and ocean health.
This year’s report is the most comprehensive to date, assessing 2,570 fish stocks with input from over 650 experts across 90 countries. FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu hailed it as “an unprecedentedly comprehensive understanding” of global fisheries and a critical tool for evidence-based policymaking.
The report highlights clear regional contrasts. Northeast Pacific and Southwest Pacific fisheries lead the way with 92.7% and 85% sustainability rates, respectively. These regions have long benefited from science-based management, ecosystem-based policies, and strong enforcement mechanisms.
The Antarctic region, assessed for the first time, shows 100% sustainable fishing—an achievement credited to robust international cooperation and strict ecosystem-based regulations.
Other regions, however, are lagging. The Southeast Pacific and Eastern Central Atlantic continue to face severe challenges, where small-scale fisheries dominate but suffer from limited data, weak institutions, and fragmented governance.
Encouragingly, the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions are showing early signs of recovery, with reduced fishing pressure and increasing fish biomass.
The review also breaks down sustainability by species. Of the ten most landed marine species—including anchoveta, Alaska pollock, and skipjack tuna—60% of stocks are now sustainable. Tuna and tuna-like species fare even better, with 87% of assessed stocks considered sustainable and 99% of landings coming from sustainable fisheries.
However, deep-sea species remain highly vulnerable, with only 29% fished sustainably. The report also flags concern over highly migratory sharks, which continue to suffer from inconsistent global management and low recovery rates.
Despite gains in data coverage and stock assessments, the report emphasizes that small-scale fisheries, which play a crucial role in food security and local economies, are still poorly monitored.
FAO is calling for increased investment in fisheries data systems, local capacity building, and science-led governance to bridge the knowledge and management gaps.
“This report gives us the clearest picture ever of global fisheries,” said Qu. “But knowledge alone is not enough—we must scale up what works and act urgently. This is the essence of FAO’s Blue Transformation.”
The FAO urges global stakeholders to replicate successful models from the Pacific and Antarctic, invest in innovation, and establish coherent frameworks for migratory and deep-sea species. The road ahead, the report suggests, is not about reinventing the wheel, but reinforcing proven strategies through stronger global cooperation.
As oceans warm and demand for seafood grows, the need for sustainable, inclusive, and science-backed fisheries management has never been more urgent.
