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The European Commission adopted a new strategy on sustainable fishing on 4 July, which aims to end overfishing and bring the catch rates of major fish stocks to levels that do not compromise their productive potential. With the proposed policy, the Commission aims to implement the EU’s commitment to restore stocks to levels that can produce at maximum sustainable yield by 2015, made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. The new approach “will be a central element of the Union’s strategy to restore the sustainability of our fisheries and the competitiveness of our fleets. It will also help us meet the commitment taken along with our international partners to achieve sustainability wherever our fleets are involved,” said EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg. In a communication to the Council and European Parliament, the Commission recognised that overfishing has contributed to the depletion of fish stocks, leading to fewer catches, less income for fishing communities, and lower levels of profitability. In the short-term, the Commission is calling for less fishing to allow stocks to rebound. In the longer-term, under the framework of the Common Fisheries Policy, the Commission intends to establish target rates of fishing appropriate to each stock. While the new policy calls for a gradual change, EU members plan to mitigate impacts to fishing communities through financial assistance from the European Fisheries Fund (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 30 June 2006).
In related news, the environmental group WWF on 5 July announced that the Mediterranean and East Atlantic bluefin tuna is “on the verge of collapse.” In a report, WWF shows that fishing far exceeds the quota, catch figures have been underreported and industrial fleets are plundering bluefin tuna breeding grounds. The report identifies the EU, Libya and Turkey as the main culprits of most of the illegal, unregulated, and unreported catches.
The European Commissions’ communication. The WWF’s report “The plunder of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic in 2004 and 2005 - Uncovering the real story”.
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