Levantine Sea

The Levantine Sea is part of the eastern Mediterranean basin, a region strongly affected by rising sea temperatures and experiencing the greatest marine species invasion in the world. The special hydrological conditions of the Levantine Sea and its narrow continental shelf, combined with the low concentrations of available nutrients, result in very low primary production and ultra-oligotrophic waters. It is a heavily impacted ecosystem being at risk from ongoing climate change, making ecological and trophic models valuable for research. Given the strong anthropogenic pressures and rapid environmental changes, achieving sustainable fisheries management in this region remains both lacking and highly challenging. Although scientific output in the Levantine Sea has increased in recent decades, the number of stock assessments remains very low.