Environmental protection groups Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) and Our Fish have called on German minister for agriculture Julia Klöckner to tackle overfishing.
The call follows data from the EU’s Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), which has concluded that fish stocks are recovering too slowly.
A Long Way to Go
According to STECF, the EU is still a long way from ending overfishing in its waters by 2020, although, five years ago, EU member states made a legal commitment to achieve this aim.
Positive trends to rebuild fish stocks have also steadily slowed in recent years.
Moreover, the situation in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea remains ‘worrying’, according to DUH and Our Fish, with both groups calling for prompt action to achieve the aims set for 2020.
The STECF report shows that 41% of fish stocks in the North-East Atlantic are still overfished, and that 37% are outside safe biological limits.
Furthermore, the report criticises the lack of a scientific assessment in order to bring catch limits in line with the agreed sustainability targets.
Political Thinking
“If we don’t want to miss the goal of sustainable fish stocks by 2020, we need to radically rethink our political decision-making,” said Sascha Müller-Kraenner, DUH’s general manager.
Elsewhere, Rebecca Hubbard, director of the Our Fish campaign, urged the European Commission and all member states to push for catch limits.
“Not only the survival of the European fishery is at risk, but also the health of our seas, on which we all depend,” Hubbard said.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Jana Zimmermann. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
