December 14, 2016
How to double catches in the Atlantic
Early this morning, EU fisheries ministers agreed on new fishing limits for the North-East Atlantic Ocean. Oceana is disappointed that, once again, ministers have ignored scientific advice for key commercial fish stocks.
The new limits for 2017 come despite a new, in-depth study led by renowned fisheries expert Dr. Rainer Froese, which revealed that if these stocks were exploited sustainably, there would be more fish in the ocean and a potential catch increase of 29%, from the current 4.83 million tonnes to 6.23 million, within the next 5 years.
Below are some examples of potential catch increases if limits were set according to scientific advice and not to short-term economic interests.
Read here Oceana’s full reaction to the 2017 TACs