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EU: Landing obligation presents challenges in push for CFP alignment
While progress is being made in implementing the common fisheries policy (CFP), the situation in some oceans remains “worrying”, the EU commission has said in its latest fisheries report.
A growing number of total allowable catches (TACs) are in line with maximum sustainable yield (MSY), it noted; “however, this is no time for complacency. We need to continue moving in this direction as 2020 is approaching rapidly”.
“In the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, the situation remains worrying,” it said.
The EU is taking the lead to reverse this, including with its international partners. The commission will do its utmost to facilitate a fast and meaningful agreement on two new proposed multi-annual plans – for pelagics in the Adriatic and demersals in the Western Mediterranean, it said.
Member states should also step up efforts to ensure their national management plans under the Mediterranean regulation are in line with the new CFP, it said.
“The full implementation of the landing obligation also presents challenges, both for mitigating potential choke situations and for ensuring harmonized implementation at sea through appropriate enforcement and control tools.”
“With the EU fleet being largely profitable, now is the time to ensure that the necessary measures are in place to ensure a sustainable and competitive future for the EU fisheries sector.”
The commission claimed significant progress is being made towards implementing the CFP, with the average exploitation level across all stocks nearing MSY.
Stocks are rebuilding; socio-economic performance of the fleet is improving; and a better balance of fishing capacity and opportunities is being achieved, it said.
Environmental NGO Oceana, though, was less upbeat, claiming the EU was still far from phasing out overfishing by 2020.
“The data from the report show that overfishing levels still remain high in the North East Atlantic, including adjacent seas, i.e. the Baltic or the North Sea, where 41% of stocks have been excessively harvested.”
According to the report, the Mediterranean Sea is currently in the worst state of all of Europe’s seas, with around 90% of the fish stocks overfished, and some at high risk of complete collapse.
European hake, red mullet, blue whiting and anglerfish are all fished at levels around ten times higher than what is considered sustainable, according to science.
“The legal deadline is just two years away and politicians are running out of excuses for this outrageous waste,” said Lasse Gustavsson, executive director of Oceana in Europe. “Healthy and well-managed EU fish stocks have the potential to produce over 57% more – or 2 million [metric tons] more – sustainable fish annually, and create 92,000 new jobs at the same time.”
Progress achieved on the CFP so far by the EU is insufficient to meet this deadline, as confirmed repeatedly by the scientific, technical and economic committee for fisheries, an EU advisory body, said Oceana.
“Oceana calls on the European commission, the council of the EU and all EU member states to take responsible decisions this year and set sustainable catch limits – for all the Atlantic fish stocks – that are in line with scientific advice.”