Saithe © Paul Naylor
Current talks could bring about much needed reform of fisheries management across Europe.
The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), set up by the European Commission to manage fish stocks across the EU is widely agreed to have failed to prevent overfishing and to manage our fisheries in a sustainable way.
Greater effort is now needed to catch fewer and smaller fish, techniques to catch fish can result in a great deal of bycatch and a number of fish stocks are fished beyond limits recommended by scientists resulting in overfishing.
However, 2013 could turn out to be a decisive year for european fisheries policy. The CFP is in the process of undergoing reform, with the hopes that it will result in a much better policy that supports truly sustainable fisheries. Recently, MEPs from the Fisheries Committee voted in policies that should lead European fish stocks to a more sustainable future, including agreeing to a ban on discards, legal requirements to prevent overfishing and management plans for all fisheries.
You can read more about our views on this vote here.
These proposals for the CFP still need to be voted on in the full European Parliament- this vote should take place in early 2013. Updates will be placed on these pages as the votes take place.