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EUROPE'S Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki issued a statement at the weekend with a stark warning that the world's seas are in crisis.
It is not immediately clear why she has made the statement, but she is known to be passionate about the need to reform the way Europe and the rest of the world needs to reform its fishing policy. The annual EU quota round talks for 2012 are due to get under way in a few weeks and there has been some criticism from fishing leaders in Europe about some of her CFP reform proposals, so it may be she wants to get her message over early.
Ms Damanaki said: "Our seas and oceans are in crises: ocean ecosystems are deteriorating, and this poses a direct threat to the coastal communities and sea-based economies that depend on them and that are the key pillars of European economy and quality of life.
"By contrast to that, if protected and well managed, marine resources can contribute to rebuilding Europe's economy. The oceans, seas and coasts of Europe can unlock new sources of sustainable and smart growth. And isn’t this what Europe needs right now?
"The seas are simultaneously ways of transport; sources of raw material; sources of energy; sources of food; water reservoirs; the world's climate engine; and a place for leisure. In Europe the maritime economy accounts for a production value of some 450 billion euro."
She adds: "A return to the sea can create the high-value jobs that our young people are rightly asking for. It can regenerate coastal communities, it can ensure Europe's food and energy security and it can improve our competitiveness in emerging industries. On condition that we keep marine resources healthy and that we find a dynamic yet responsible way to use them."
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