EU nations ‘ ‘continue to overfish Atlantic’

Two environmental groups say EU nations continue to overfish Atlantic waters, despite commitments to fish sustainably and stay within safe scientific limits.

Studies show almost two out of three limits for catches in the waters off north-western Europe are still set above scientific advice.

The Pew Charitable Trusts said that in many cases the EU’s Atlantic nations set fishing limits “contrary” to the recent reform of the Common Fisheries Policy and continue to overfish for such dinnertime favourites like North Sea cod and hake.

In its report Turning the Tide, Pew said catches of North Sea cod, an iconic species in Europe, has slumped from 300,000 tonnes in the early 1970s to less than 30,000 tonnes recently.

Meanwhile, the New Economics Foundation found cod was now fished beyond scientific advice by 38%, blue whiting by 51% and pollock by an astounding 231%.

Fish stocks in EU waters decreased dramatically over the past half century leaving many fish close to commercial extinction. Even though the decline of some stocks has bottomed out, most remain in a parlous state and exist at only a small part of their economic potential.

It forced the EU into a fundamental rethink of its fishing practices two years ago — conservation issues are now a key consideration. The ultimate goal of the reform is to have fish caught with a maximum sustainable yield, which would assure both healthy stocks and viable fishing communities.

Pew’s senior adviser, Markus Knigge, said legislation is in place that provides “a very clear benchmark that overfishing should end by 2015”. He said the only way scientific advice can be disregarded is if there was a threat to the “social and economic sustainability of the fishing fleets involved”.