European Court of Justice to hear Ireland is failing to stop overfishing

Experts have said that in the EU, it is estimated that at least 38% of fish stocks in the North East Atlantic and Baltic Sea, and 87% in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, are being overfished. File picture

An environmental organisation is set to tell the highest court in the EU that Ireland is in "systemic violation of a legally-binding deadline to end overfishing". 

Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) will outline its case at an oral hearing before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Thursday that Ireland has not met the Common Fisheries Policy requirements passed in 2013 aimed at compelling EU members states to end overfishing. Overfishing is when too many fish at once are caught, which in turn leads to breeding not being able to keep pace, leading to depletion of species.

FIE director Tony Lowes said the Common Fisheries Policy took a long-term perspective of the rebuilding of fish stocks for the benefit of all.  "If you prioritise short-term socio-economic objectives, you will end up depleting stocks and, in the long term, jeopardising these same socio-economic objectives. 

"Therefore to achieve the long-term objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy, fisheries closures have to happen in the short term. This is a consequence we have to deal with and not avoid simply for the sake of preserving short-term socio-economic interests," he said.

Charity ClientEarth is supporting the FIE action, which was referred to the ECJ by the High Court in Ireland in late 2021.

ClientEarth fisheries lawyer Arthur Meeus said: "For the first time in the history of the EU, the highest European court is being brought in on a case to fight overfishing in the EU. Years of overfishing have brought many stocks – like the Celtic Sea Cod – to the brink. 

"This is not only bad for fish – it also disturbs other species who rely on them. This disruption to ecosystems undermines the health of our ocean and its ability to store carbon. 

"Ultimately, it also affects fishers and coastal communities across Europe who depend on this resource for their livelihoods."

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More than 300 scientists, including 50 Irish experts, asked EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, to take action on overfishing in 2020.

The statement, which included signatories from UCC, UCD, NUI Galway, TCD, Galway-Mayo IT and Queen’s University Belfast among other leading European institutions, called for recognition "that ecosystem-based fisheries management is critical to the health of the ocean and its capacity to respond to climate change and that fishing limits must be set accordingly”.

According to the experts, overfishing reduces fish biomass, impacts biodiversity, alters the marine food web and degrades marine habitats. This makes the marine ecosystem more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, they said.

The experts said that in the EU, it is estimated that at least 38% of fish stocks in the North East Atlantic and Baltic Sea, and 87% in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, are being overfished.

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