Oceana has published a report denouncing the lack of management measures for 82% of fish species exploited by the European fleet.
The study shows that 686 fish species are caught without the minimum management measures necessary to ensure the future of the stock and calls for an increase in the number of species managed.
Species as common as mullet, cuttlefish, shrimp, octopus and croaker are among the species for which there are currently no management measures specifying limits on catches and fishing effort. This equates to 31% of the total catch and 36% of its economic value.
"International Conventions, European regulations and national fisheries laws make explicit reference to the need and obligation to manage fisheries resources in a responsible way," said Xavier Pastor, executive director of Oceana Europe. "By ignoring these obligations, we endanger not only fish stocks but also the economic and social viability of fishing."
The report highlights the unmanaged and uncontrolled exploitation in the Mediterranean, where the European Commission stresses that the vast majority of stocks are overfished, well above sustainable limits. Similar situations exist in other areas of activity of the European fishing fleet, such as the central and western South Atlantic and western Indian Ocean, where catch limits are defined for only the most valuable species such as tuna.
Oceana calls for a progressive increase in the number of managed species in order to ensure a sustainable level of exploitation. This means implementing mandatory technical and management measures based on scientific criteria or, failing that, on the precautionary principle.
To read the report, please click here.
