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European Commission: Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy
22 August 2011
EU_fishToday, nearly every stakeholder agrees on the fact that the current Common Fisheries Policy of Europe is in urgent need of reform.

Vessels are catching more fish than can be safely reproduced, thus exhausting individual fish stocks and threatening the marine ecosystem. Today, three out of four stocks are overfished: 82% of Mediterranean stocks and 63% of Atlantic stocks. Catches are diminishing year after year and the fishing industry is facing an uncertain future.

In order to solve this problem the European Commission set out an ambitious plan to reform fisheries management in Europe. The new text, which was presented on July 13, is strongly based on sustainability and aims to reach a sustainable level of fish stock exploitation by 2015. Estimates show that if stocks were exploited in this way, fish stock sizes would increase by about 70%. Overall catches would increase by around 17% and profit margins could rise substantially, thus freeing the catching sector from public support.

Among the main points of the reform there is the ecosystem approach, which should be adopted by all fisheries, with long-term management plans based on the best available scientific advice. Discarding (the practice of throwing unwanted fish back into the sea) will be phased out with a precise timeline for implementation. Fishermen will therefore, be obliged to land all the commercial species that they catch. The proposals also include clear targets and timeframes to stop overfishing; market-based approaches such as individual tradable catch shares; support measures for small-scale fisheries; improved data collection; and strategies to promote sustainable aquaculture in Europe.

The new package is now being submitted to the European Parliament and Council for adoption under the ordinary legislative procedure. Adoption and entry into force of the new framework are expected by 1 January 2013.

For more information please visit the EU website.

 

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