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Brussels, Belgium – Today’s Council of European Fisheries Ministers are reviewing a technical regulation to address the problem of fish discards (throwing unwanted fish back into the sea to die).
This will see the introduction of larger fishing nets, limited fishing seasons and a minimum size for fish caught in the North-East Atlantic, the North Sea, Skagerrak and Kattegat. However it is rumoured that after strong opposition from France and Spain the proposal was rejected.
WWF strongly criticises the lack of political willingness from Member States to provide immediate solutions to the annual depletion of fish stocks and to significantly improve European fisheries. According to estimates, in 2009 40,000 tonnes of North Sea cod will be landed at port and up to 26,000 tonnes thrown back into the sea dead or dying, because they are too small or not profitable enough. This corresponds to an average loss of about 39 million euros and a waste of marine life.
“Action needs to be taken now to save our seas and the fish in it. There is no reason to wait till 2012 for a new reform of the Common Fisheries Policy to address the problem of fish discards, when something can be done today", says Aaron McLoughlin, Head of European Marine Programme at WWF.
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
- 19 - 20 May, 2010
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