Report | November 11, 2016
Froese Report Factsheet – Towards the Recovery of European Fisheries
Healthy stocks produce more fish
To get the full picture of European fisheries, Oceana has commissioned the most comprehensive scientific study1 ever made on the status of European fish stocks and their potential productivity if sustainably managed. The findings of this independent study confirm that only a minority of European stocks can be considered as well managed, and provide the following relevant figures on the status of European fisheries:
- 85% of European fish stocks are below healthy levels.
- Only 12% of European fish stocks are fulfilling the commitments of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
- If European fish stocks were well managed, catches could be increased by 57% / 5M t.
This information is crucial to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the status of European fisheries and to assess the performance of commitments to the CFP, in particular the objective to end overfishing. However the political stance of the EU is neither in line with these principles nor with the critical condition of European fisheries. EU fisheries ministers continue to disregard science and to overfish declining stocks on the basis of short-sighted socioeconomic arguments.
Member States must act without delay and recover all fish stocks above healthy levels to abide with legal requirements, by 2020 at the latest. But this is not just a legal matter, the positive consequences of sustainable exploiting fish resources are clear: better management can increase catches and hence deliver greater socioeconomic benefits to the fishing sector. The EU has the ability to improve the management of fisheries resources and reap the benefits that healthy stocks can provide.
