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EU fisheries policy still unsustainable
Green Consumer Guide
30th July 2004
Overfishing is still rife among European Union Member States despite attempts to control the problem, according to recent statistics from the European Commission. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Scoreboard, published on Thursday, shows that 75% of the infringements relate to breaking strict quotas. The extent of overfishing beyond quota boundaries varied greatly, ranging from less than 1% to over 75% in certain cases. Other significant breaches of the CFP include failures in the use of enforcement obligations and inaccurate catch data reporting. Of all the Member States, only Denmark complied fully with the regulations by submitting reports on time.
The findings of the ‘scoreboard’ bring the value of the current CFP into question once again, following massive amendments to ensure sustainability in recent years.
The results also back up studies by environmental group Greenpeace, when presenting its case for a North/Baltic Sea marine reserve earlier in the month.
Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler commented; ”Despite some progress, much remains to be done. Member States committed themselves to ensuring more equitable, effective and uniform enforcement. They must now deliver.”
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