Catalan Sea (Southern)

Due to technological improvements and fisheries expansion, the catch increased greatly from the 1900s until late 30s when it decreased during the Spanish Civil War. After the war, catches increased again due to public incentives to the fishing sector. From 1994 onward, landings showed marked fluctuations and a progressive decrease. It is now recognized that there is a depletion of marine resources, and management actions are not applied strongly enough to reverse the situation. The current depletion is shown by low values of all indicators (pie diagram). From 1996 to 2005 trophic level of landings and proportion of predators increased. This is due to the depletion of small pelagic fish (mainly sardine, anchovy) and not due to a recovery of the ecosystem.