Over 120 organisations across the European Union are encouraging EU fisheries ministers to end most overfishing in 2015 as required by the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
Fisheries Ministers will meet in Brussels on 15-16 December to set 2015 fishing limits for stocks in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent waters. More than 40 per cent of assessed stocks in these waters are known to be overfished.
125 organisations haveย come together urging fisheries ministers to step up to meet the 2015 deadline to end overfishing. As any delay would prolong environmental degradation and bring socioeconomic hardship for the fishing sector. With fewer fish, there can only be less fishing in the long term. The group points out that the ministers, despite the legal requirement in the CFP, have legislated overfishing as of not following scientific advice when setting the catch limits for Baltic Sea and deep sea species earlier this autumn.
The group points out that according to the CFP, ministers are only able to request a delay in the requirement to end overfishing in 2015 if they have specific evidence that the social and economic sustainability of the fishing fleets involved would be seriously jeopardised by such a decision. And that they, moreover must explain how fishing pressure would be progressively and incrementally reduced to sustainable levels as soon as possibleย โย and not later than by 2020.
To see the full letter and the organisations standing behind the letter please see link below.