EU Fisheries ministers defy advice and legislate overfishing

The European Union’s Council of Fisheries Ministers agreed yesterday to 2015 and 2016 fishing limits for deep-sea fish stocks that exceed the levels recommended by the scientific advice.
In setting the total allowable catches (TACs) for EU vessels, the 28 member state ministers responsible for fisheries also did not follow the recently reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
A fundamental element of the CFP is a requirement to end overfishing by 2015 where possible and by 2020 at the latest.
‘Ministers responsible for fisheries have disregarded a key component of the new Common Fisheries Policy by deciding to continue the overfishing of vulnerable deep-sea fish stocks in 2015 and 2016’, said Uta Bellion, director of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ European marine programme.
‘The policy allows exceptions to efforts to end overfishing in 2015 only where there is evidence that such steps would seriously jeopardise the social and economic sustainability of the fishing fleets involved. No such evidence was presented today.’
The European Commission had recommended fishing limits for most deep-sea stocks that were in line with scientific advice and the reformed CFP.
Where it did not, ministers had the option of deciding on more precautionary limits. Instead, they set fishing levels higher than scientific advice for the majority of TACs.
‘The ministers’ decision demonstrates a disregard for both the marine environment and those fishermen who rely upon it for their livelihoods, added Bellion.
‘We urge ministers to make sustainable choices for both when deciding on fishing limits for the majority of EU stocks at their next meeting in December.’