European Commission pushes for more sustainable fishing in the Mediterranean

Overfishing continue to persist in the Mediterranean Sea according to the EU’s annual report on fish stocks prepared to design quotas for the upcoming year.

European commissioner for fisheries Karmenu Vella said that fisheries in Europe were further progressing to sustainability in the North and West of the European Union, where more fish can be harvested, thereby contributing to improved revenues for our fishermen and their communities.

The situation is very different from the Mediterranean Sea, where serious problems of overfishing continue to persist, according to Vella.

"The visible success in northern fisheries proves that sustainable fisheries management is possible. Together with the fishermen we now need to consolidate the positive results and achieve the goals of the new Common Fisheries Policy,” Vella said.

“Our efforts in the Mediterranean need to be stepped up. We need to develop Union management plans and more effective regional plans. But only when we address the situation in our Member States, will we gain the necessary credibility to start discussing with our partners in the Mediterranean.”

The commission’s statement explained that the  document is now open to the views of stakeholders via an online public consultation.

“The Commission will make its proposals for the 2016 fishing opportunities during the autumn given these results,” it added.

The report revealed that in the Northeast Atlantic area, the North Sea and the Baltic Seas more than 50% of fisheries were at sustainable levels in 2014, compared to only 14 % in 2009. It added that fish stocks in the Mediterranean show that 93% of the assessed stocks are not sustainably fished.

“The situation is similar for stocks fished by fishermen from the EU only, and stocks shared with fishermen of third countries. The Black Sea is in a comparable situation, with 86 % of the assessed stocks being overfished,” the statement reads.

The Commission also confirmed its commitment to bring all fisheries as soon as possible to levels that correspond to maximum sustainable yields.

“This core objective of the new Common Fisheries Policy will contribute to reaching good environmental status in our seas by 2020 at the latest.”