New Economic Foundation and Our Fish urge the EC and MSs to include “an end on overfishing” in climate legislation, following a study, which claims that EU countries have overfished 8.78 tons over the last 20 years.
Table 1. The overfishing league table
The report also shows that "between 2001 and 2020, six out of ten TACs were set above the scientific advice” (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. Excess TAC 2001-2020
Based on these findings, Lydia Chaparro, a marine ecologist from the Spanish Fundación ENT, states that “because the current challenges facing the fishing industry, it is more important than ever to preserve the sector viability by ensuring sustainable fisheries. Therefore we call on the EU –and the Spanish government- to significantly increase their efforts to stop overfishing. In practice, this means that, by 2021, all fishing opportunities including those for deep-sea species must be set at the scientifically recommended sustainable levels”. Chaparro also adds, “given the situation generated by the pandemic, the government must establish measures to favour that part of the fleet which provides the greatest social benefit and generates the least environmental impact, thus favouring the transition towards a sustainable, low-impact fishing sector”.
“As the COVID-19 crisis has clearly showed, our systematic destruction of nature is threatening our planet and people health. The NEF’s “Landing the Blame” analysis reveals a stark reality: by allowing nearly 9 million tons of fish to be overfished in 20 years, EU fisheries ministers continue to undermine the only ecosystem that provides us the best protection against climate change –the ocean”, Rebecca Hubbard, Our Fish Program Manager, adds.
“The EC and EU leaders must wake up to the gravity of the situation by enshrining an end to overfishing and the restauration of the ocean health in the EU Green Deal, and by prioritizing the completion of biodiversity strategies and the “Farm to Fork” strategy as a matter of urgency, Hubbard declares.
Click here for the full report in English https://bit.ly/3fqQORa
Source: industriaspesqueras.com