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.