In overexploitation, with relatively high biomass.
[The GFCM methodology to provide stock status and management advice is described in the Appendix F of the Sixteenth Session of the Scientific Advisory Committee Report. See the Bibliography section.]

Stock assessment in the GFCM area of application is often conducted by management units, based on GSAs. This method does not ensure that the whole stock is assessed, since stocks may cover several different management units. In some cases, when there is scientific evidence of a stock spreading through different GSAs, as well as information on species from different GSAs, existing information is combined across GSAs. This is then defined as a “joint stock assessment of a shared stock”. The GFCM recommends that when scientific evidence of shared stocks exists, joint stock assessments should be attempted. A number of activities aimed at achieving a better definition of stock boundaries are currently being conducted at the GFCM level. [The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries, 2016]

Red mullet is an important commercial species in GSA 25, exploited by trawlers and polyvalent small-scale vessels using set nets. In both fisheries the species is exploited with a number of other demersal species. In recent years trawl landings proportion is significantly higher. Over the period 1985-2020 catches showed fluctuations with a declining trend for small-scale fisheries; from 2005 the values remained at similarly low levels. Landings from trawlers show a decreasing trend as well, with a sharp decrease in 1995; from 2012 landings have increased slightly and remained at the same level ever since. During the period of the assessment (2005-2020), there have been changes in the two fisheries exploiting the species, mainly reduction on the number of fishing licenses as well as increase of mesh sizes of set and bottom trawl nets. Catches of red mullet over the assessment period had a declining trend, with highest value in 2007 (47.4 tonnes) and lowest value in 2018 (11.9 tonnes). In 2011 the trawler fleet reduced to two vessels, while for the small-scale fleet a buy back program of 173 vessels took place from 2013 to 2015 reducing the number of active vessels to 327.