EU tackles fish stock depletion

The European commission is fishing for ideas on how best to meet pledges to restore fish stocks.

Brussels has tabled a new plan aimed at implementing environment targets set at an international summit in Johannesburg four years ago.

“Applying the maximum sustainable yield under the CFP will be a central element of the union’s strategy to restore the sustainability of our fisheries and the competitiveness of our fleets,” fisheries commissioner Joe Borg said.

“It will also help us meet the commitment taken along with our international partners to achieve sustainability wherever our fleets are involved”.

The commission is seeking to turn around decades of over fishing in a bid to let stocks recover.

“Fish reserves are depleted. We have realised that in EU waters 81 per cent of the stocks were five times over fished,” said a commission spokeswoman.

“Our new plan is to fish less in order to have healthier stocks and bigger fishes in stocks, which will result in lower costs and therefore higher economic returns.”

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