© Associated PressAt risk: The number of bluefin tunas in the Mediterranean is decreasing and they may be wiped out from the area completely
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said 43 species of marine fish were assessed as being at risk of extinction in the region, largely as a result of overfishing, damage to habitat and pollution.
The latest assessment found almost half of the sharks and rays found in the Mediterranean are at risk of extinction.
In total, 15 species were considered to be in the highest-risk category, critically endangered, 14 of which were sharks and rays including all three angel shark species found in the region.
And commercial species such as Atlantic bluefin tuna and dusky groupers are endangered, the assessment found.
Species which fall into the three most at-risk categories in the Red List assessment - critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable to extinction - are considered to be under threat of dying out.
Still more marine fish - including some commercial species such as European plaice and sea bass - were classified as 'near threatened', meaning they are close to being at risk or would be were it not for conservation programmes.
Among commercially-valuable species, Atlantic bluefin tuna has been undergoing 'heavy overfishing' for more than a decade, with a failure to enforce conservation measures and continuing illegal fishing, a report from the IUCN warned.
Kent Carpenter, IUCN global marine species assessment co-ordinator, said: 'The Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic population of the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is of particular concern.
© Associated PressExperts say that 43 species of marine fish are considered at risk in the region
'The lack of compliance with current quotas combined with widespread underreporting of the catch may have undermined conservation efforts for this species in the Mediterranean.'
The IUCN also said the use of fishing gear such as lines, or gill or trawling nets, plus illegal use of drift nets were capturing marine animals with no commercial value, ranging from fish to dolphins, turtles and birds.
Maria del Mar Otero, IUCN-Med marine programme officer, said: 'The use of trawling nets is one of the main problems for conservation and sustainability of many marine species.
'Because it is not a selective technique, it captures not only the target fish but also a high number of other species while also destroying the sea bottom, where many fish live, reproduce and feed.'
The report calls for reinforcement of fishing regulations in the Mediterranean, the creation of new marine reserves, a reduction in pollution and a review of fishing quotas, in particular the number of fish from threatened species allowed to be caught.
It also urged greater protection of Atlantic bluefin tuna, which is a sushi delicacy in Japan, in particular its spawning grounds.
Last year, a bid to have the fish listed as endangered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), temporarily stopping the trade, failed after it was defeated by a majority of countries at a Cites meeting in Doha, Qatar.
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