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418 V. Borsellino et al.

an activity which throughout history has created bonds of common cultural identity between
populations which are otherwise very different from each other. It should be said, however,
that the simultaneous presence of countries with high socio-economic levels such as those of
the European Union, with countries with fragile economies and unstable political situations,
makes joint management of resources and, therefore, of fishing activities more complicated.
Mediterranean fishing has always been considered as artisanal labour-intensive work, largely
located along coasts and requiring a wide range of gear and aimed at a broad number of
species. Thus, it is very different from fishing in continental oceans or in the Atlantic.

The Mediterranean fleet numbers 89 953 boats (see table 1), of which 53.8% belong to
Community countries, with a high proportion from France, Greece, Italy, and Spain (51.2%
of the Mediterranean total). Among other Mediterranean countries, there are large fleets from
Croatia (15.4%) and Tunisia (14.0%).

Catches in 2001 amounted to 991 062 tonnes, equivalent to 1.2% of world catches, but
have been continually falling (−8.1%) since at least 1996, in spite of the fact that there
appears to have been an increase if we measure from 1980 (when the catch totalled 873 000
tonnes). The main species that are fished are sardines (19.6% of total catches in 2001) and
anchovies (10.0%), while bluefin tuna constitutes a small percentage (2.4% of the total), as
does swordfish (1.5%) [12].

As regards employment, records show that the sector employs 448 492 workers (1997), 24%
of whom are in the Community and the rest from other Mediterranean countries.

3.1 Fishing in the Channel of Sicily

The naming of the Straits of Sicily was introduced by the national cartographic association,
acting on a recommendation by the Bureau Hydrographic International (BHI), aiming at
bringing marine toponyms into line. The term refers to the stretch of sea between Tunisia and

Table 1. Mediterranean fleet: number of vessels (1998).

Countries Vessels (n) Rate (%)

France 1725 1.9
Greece 20 496 22.8
Italy 18 779 20.9
Spain
Cyprus 5081 5.6
Malta 500 0.6
Slovenia 2.0
Total Mediterranean 1767 0.1
56
European countries 53.8
Albania 48 404 0.2
Algeria 146 2.6
Croatia 2310 15.4
Egypt 2.7
Israel 13 814 0.4
Lebanon 2408 2.8
Libya 385 0.8
Morocco 2500 4.0
Serbia and Montenegro 749 0.2
Syria 3563 1.5
Tunisia 193 14.0
Turkey 1340 1.7
Total Third Mediterranean countries 46.2
Total Mediterranean countries 12 574 100.0
1567

41 549
89 953

Source: ISMEA, FAO.