Recreational fishing is a booming activity in Mediterranean coastal areas. Despite generating a variety of impacts on marine resources and ecosystems, there is much less research into recreational fishing than there is into commercial fishing. This is the first study to cover the diverse implications that derive from this activity in Mediterranean coastal areas, and is based on a review of different studies from 15 areas in Spain, France, Italy and Turkey. This study defines and compares the biological impact of the different recreational fishing methods on Mediterranean marine resources particularly the most vulnerable and threatened coastal species, and characterizes the emerging and potential indirect ecological impacts on the marine ecosystem of certain aspects of this activity that have not, thus far, been taken into account (e.g. exotic species of bait, fishing gear loss and bycatch). The results highlight the importance of determining the actual impact resulting from recreational fishing in coastal areas, so that effective regulatory measures can be developed for each mode of fishing