Horse mackerel - Credit Rob Spray
The Wildlife Trusts are members of OCEAN2012
The 1983 European Union's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has failed to prevent overfishing. Over 25 years, short-term economic interest and political expediency has landed European fisheries in deep crisis. Fewer and smaller fish are being caught and greater effort is required to find them, often resulting in the targeting of other, and sometimes even more vulnerable species.
According to the latest figures from the European Commission: 72 percent of all assessed EU fish stocks are estimated to be overexploited with over 20 percent being fished beyond safe biological limits, threatening their very future.
The 2012 reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) provides a unique opportunity to put in place new legislation to ensure the future of our fish stocks. With The Wildlife Trusts focus to ensure better protection for marine wildlife across UK waters we have recently joined Ocean 2012. This coalition is dedicated to ensuring that the 2012 reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy stops overfishing, end destructive fishing practices and delivers fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks.
OCEAN2012 is committed to shaping a Common Fisheries Policy that:
- Enshrines environmental sustainability as the overarching principle without which economic and social sustainability is unobtainable;
- Ensures decisions are taken at the most appropriate levels and in a transparent way, ensuring effective participation of stakeholders;
- Delivers sustainable fishing capacity at EU and regional level;
- Makes access to fisheries resources conditional on environmental and social criteria;
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Ensures public funds are only used in a way that serves the public good and alleviates social impacts in the transition to sustainable fisheries.
The OCEAN2012 ethos, objectives and campaign delivery mechanisms will complement The Wildlife Trusts mission for Livings Seas through the following means:
- By campaigning for effective marine legislation and policy across the UK seas - campaigning for effective CFP reform
- By influencing the actions of key commercial users of the marine environment - engaging at the EU level in the debate on the CFP with the Europe-wide fishing industry
- By promoting sustainable fishing practices and seafood choices.'- by promoting the need to enshrine environmental sustainability as the over-arching principle in the CFP reform.
Do visit the OCEANS2012 website for more information.