In overexploitation, with relatively low 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]

In GSA 1, red mullet is among the most important target species for the trawl fisheries. It is largely exploited in all the trawlable areas, both sandy and muddy bottoms mainly by trawlers on the shelf, but also by small-scale fisheries in particular trammel nets (about the 12 percent of the catches). The amount of discards reported is very low and considered to be negligible. Trawl fisheries developed along the continental shelf and upper slope are multi-specific. Smaller vessels operate almost exclusively on the continental shelf (targeting red mullets, common octopus, European hake and sea breams) and bigger vessels operate almost exclusively on the continental slope. Remaining vessels can operate on the continental shelf and slope fishing grounds. Red mullet is intensively exploited during its recruitment from September to November. The total trawl fleet has declined from 2003 to 2019.