Ecosystem Dynamics and Fisheries Management in the Black Sea

The Black Sea is a highly dynamic marine basin characterised by pronounced seasonal stratification, a unique combination of riverine nutrient inputs and limited ocean exchange, and a history of intensive human exploitation. Over the last six decades, the system has experienced multiple regime shifts driven by overfishing, eutrophication, invasive species and climate variability. Apex‐predator depletion led to trophic cascades that restructured the food web, while nutrient enrichment fuelled phytoplankton blooms and hypoxia that altered benthic habitats. Commercial fisheries shifted focus from large demersal species to small pelagics such as anchovy and sprat, yet catches remain unstable amid environmental fluctuations and governance challenges. Transboundary management is complicated by differing national policies and enforcement capacities around the basin. Recent modelling and indicator‐based studies have emphasised the need for an ecosystem‐based approach that integrates ecological, socioeconomic and climatic drivers. Scientific advice on fishing mortality targets, spatial closures and nutrient reduction measures is increasingly informed by coupled physical–biogeochemical and food‐web models. Harmonised monitoring, adaptive harvest strategies and basin-wide cooperation are essential to restore resilience, safeguard ecosystem services and secure livelihoods for riparian communities.

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Ecosystem Dynamics and Fisheries Management in the Black Sea publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ecosystem dynamics and fisheries management in the black sea across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Ecosystem-based management: An integrated approach that considers the entire ecosystem, including humans, to sustain ecological integrity and the services it provides.

Trophic cascade: A series of indirect interactions that propagate through food‐web levels when predators or prey are added or removed.

Regime shift: A rapid, substantial and persistent change in the structure and function of an ecosystem.

Pelagic larval stage: The early life phase of many marine species during which larvae drift in open water and are subject to physical transport.

Local retention: The proportion of larvae or particles that remain within a source region rather than being advected away by currents.

References

1. Overfishing of top predators eroded the resilience of the Black Sea system regardless of the climate and anthropogenic conditions. Global Change Biology (2010).
2. Ecological indicators reveal historical regime shifts in the Black Sea ecosystem. PeerJ (2023).
3. Investigating the impact of cross-shelf transport and local retention in the Black Sea Rim Current system on small pelagic fishes. Frontiers in Marine Science (2024).