Fish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic off the coasts of Northern and Western Europe are recovering, but overfishing is still a big problem in the Mediterranean, according to the latest report from the European Commission.
The commission’s annual report on the state of fish stocks, released this week, said in the Northeast Atlantic, including the Baltic and North Seas, 41 percent of stocks are overfished, which is down from 86 percent recorded in 2009.
"The successful recovery of fish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic proves to me that with the right rules in place, it is possible to bring overfishing to an end,” said Maria Damanaki, European commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries. “When good science is available, when catches are set at the right level and when — most important of all — the fishermen join in the efforts to protect the stocks, then I am sure we will see further improvements ahead."
But there is bad news, too. According to the report, 96 percent or more of bottom-living fish in the Mediterranean are “overfished,” and 71 percent or more of mid-water stocks like sardine and anchovy are overfished. The report also said 33 percent of pelagic stocks and all bottom-living stocks in the Black Sea are overfished.
"I am very worried how badly things are going in the Mediterranean Sea," Damanaki said. "Now that scientists have assessed many more fish stocks over the last five years, the time of denial is over: the Mediterranean Sea is heavily overfished. I see a long struggle and hard work ahead.”
The report is used to set quotas for the following year. The document is now open to the views of stakeholders via an online public consultation. The commission makes its proposals for the 2015 fishing quotas this fall.
