Author: Dave Walsh

  • Why is Deadpool 2’s Josh Brolin naked, holding a fish?

    Why is Deadpool 2’s Josh Brolin naked, holding a fish?

    Photo caption: Josh Brolin supports the Our Fish campaign to end European overfishing by posing with a fish for Fishlove © Fishlove/Alan Gelati

    London 14 May 2018:- As the Marvel superhero movie Deadpool 2 opens in cinemas around the world, why is Hollywood star Josh Brolin, who plays Nathan Summers/Cable, posing naked with a fish on his Instagram account?

    Brolin’s mysterious post, which has attracted more than 100,000 likes, shows the actor holding a sustainably caught wahoo (Ono) from Hawaii, as part of the Fishlove photography project, which raises awareness of unsustainable fishing practices that are destroying the earth’s marine ecosystem.

    Brolin’s image is one of many to come in 2018, from Fishlove, in partnership with Our Fish, which campaigns to ensure European governments achieve sustainable fish stocks in European waters.

    “The series we’re putting together now will feature some of the most recognisable faces on the planet,” says Nicholas Röhl, co-founder of Fishlove with Greta Scacchi, who has recently returned from his first trip to Los Angeles. “Fishlove is a visual petition by actors and well-known personalities who want overfishing to end,” he says.

    Fishlove has already attracted the support of Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Michael Gambon, Sir Richard Branson, Melanie Laurent, Fiona Shaw, Terry Gilliam, Kenzo, Dame Judi Dench, Emilia Fox, Mark Rylance, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Imelda Staunton – all of whom have posed with fish, in a call to save our seas from overexploitation.

    “The Year 2020 sounds like a dystopian Hollywood movie – yet this is the deadline set by the EU for ending overfishing of fish stocks and we are now hurtling towards it, with our governments asleep at the wheel”,said Our Fish Programme Director Rebecca Hubbard. “Overfishing and climate change are putting fish stocks under pressure, and threatening the health of ocean ecosystems and food security.”

    “Even though a ban on discarding fish is being phased in, behaviour at sea hasn’t changed: there are still tens of thousands of tonnes of fish being thrown overboard in European waters. Every EU country must enforce the discard ban and put an end to illegal and unreported discarding, and end overfishing. Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain and the UK are the most important players and must work together to reach European and international targets – and return European fisheries to a healthy state.”

    A petition to end overfishing and discarding, and protect European marine environments, has over 179,000 signatures. View the petition

    Images

    Preview image is available here. For a high resolution image, contact Nicholas Rohl, Fishlove, nicky@fishlove.co.uk

    Photographer AND caption MUST be added to any usage of this image: 

    Photo caption: Josh Brolin supports the Our Fish campaign to end European overfishing by posing with a fish for Fishlove © Fishlove/Alan Gelati

    Contacts

    Dave Walsh, Communications Advisor, dave@our.fish +34 691826764

    Rebecca Hubbard, Program Director, rebecca@our.fish +34 657669425

    Nicholas Rohl, Fishlove, nicky@fishlove.co.uk, +44 7941 492 305

    About Fishlove

    Fishlove was set up in 2009 by Nicholas Röhl, co-owner of MOSHIMO, and actress Greta Scacchi to raise awareness of the unsustainable fishing practices that are destroying the earth’s marine ecosystem.

    Since then, the Fishlove images have succeeded in bringing the subject of over-fishing to the front covers and pages of the world’s media many times over. It is a visual petition of amazing people, including Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Michael Gambon, Sir Richard Branson, Melanie Laurent, Fiona Shaw, Terry Gilliam, Kenzo, Dame Judi Dench, Emilia Fox, Mark Rylance, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Imelda Staunton, to save our seas.

    In acknowledgment of the central role Fishlove has played in promoting fish conversation as part of the reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy in 2013, a major and influential exhibition of the portraits was held at the European Commission in Brussels at the invitation of Maria Damanaki, then EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

    Helena Bonham-Carter’s image with a tuna, released in 2015, is credited with having helped persuade the UK government to commit to establishing some of the largest, fully protected marine reserves on earth.

    All of the fish shown in the photographs are commercially fished, although some species shown are regarded by scientists as being over-fished and threatened. Fishlove believes that the use of these fish in these photographs is justified so as to highlight what species could be lost if overfishing continues.

    None of the fish depicted in the photographs have been specifically caught for the purposes of making these photographs, and would have been landed irrespective of whether these photographs were taken or not. Other than in very unusual circumstances, the fish photographed are eaten afterwards. The fish in this image was sourced from Santa Monica Seafood

    Fishlove is produced by MOSHIMO, an independent Japanese restaurant in Brighton co-owned by Nicholas Röhl and Karl Jones. Famous for its Fishlove campaign, the restaurant has also won a prestigious PETA award for its promotion of plant-based eating.

    https://fishlove.co.uk/

    Follow on:

    Twitter @fishlove2020 Instagram @fishlovecampaign Facebook @fishlovecampaign

     

    About Our Fish

    Our Fish works to ensure European member states implement the Common Fisheries Policy and achieve sustainable fish stocks in European waters.

    Our Fish works with organisations and individuals across Europe to deliver a powerful and unwavering message: overfishing must be stopped, and solutions put in place that ensure Europe’s waters are fished sustainably. Our Fish demands that the Common Fisheries Policy be properly enforced, and Europe’s fisheries effectively governed.

    Our Fish calls on all EU Member States to set annual fishing limits at sustainable limits based on scientific advice, and to ensure that their fishing fleets prove that they are fishing sustainably, through monitoring and full documentation of their catch.

    http://our.fish

    Follow Our Fish on Twitter: @our_fish

  • EU Eel Evaluation Roadmap: NGO submission

    EU Eel Evaluation Roadmap: NGO submission

    Evaluation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1100/2007 of 18 September 2007 establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of European eel.

    “We strongly support the upcoming evaluation and welcome this opportunity to provide feedback on the effectiveness and implementation of the EU Eel Regulation.”

    The population of European eel has declined dramatically since the 1970s*. Recruitment of juvenile eels remains extremely low despite the joint EU management framework, which has now been in place for 10 years. The state of European eel remains critical and further action is urgently needed.

    Earlier evaluations indicate that the current EU management framework is insufficient and show that implementation of the regulation and of the national eel management plans has been delayed, piecemeal and focused on efforts with little discernible impact on the recovery of the European eel population. Notably, it has been very difficult to measure progress against the main target – at least 40% escapement of silver eels. While a strong focus of resources has been placed on restocking of eel, there is no evidence that this effectively contributes to future recruitment. Most countries maintain a directed fishery, and illegal catches and trafficking of glass eels remain a major problem.

    Habitat loss and deteriorating water quality also affect eel. The latest assessment of the implementation of the Water Framework Directive shows poor status for around 60% of surface water bodies and a massive presence of migration barriers**.

    Since the Eel Regulation came into force, some major changes in related EU policies have taken place. Notably, the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy resulted in the new commitment to restoring the biomass of all harvested fish stocks above levels capable of producing Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). MSY is also used as a key criterion to assess Good Environmental Status under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. We are therefore particularly pleased to see the evaluation’s focus on coherence with other EU legislation, as well as with international instruments.

    We ask the European Commission to ensure that this evaluation of the effectiveness and coherence of the measures taken to aid the recovery of European eel assesses all aspects of eel management and potential options for the future, including:

    • The objective of 40% escapement of silver eels and whether it is in coherence with the precautionary principle and the MSY objective
    • The effectiveness of fisheries closures/restrictions for all life stages
    • The targets and indicators set in the national eel management plans, as well as the national monitoring to measure progress
    • Reporting and data collection obligations
    • Restocking practices and the associated overall effectiveness in terms of conservation
    • Progress on measures to address other major anthropogenic impacts on eel, primarily habitat restoration and removal of migration barriers
    • The use of public funds (EMFF) and whether it has aided eel recovery
    • The substantial illegal trade of European eel outside of and inside the EU and its effect on eel conservation
    • Control and enforcement issues related to the entire chain, from glass eel fisheries to consumption of eel products, including more coordinated action between the Member States’ enforcement agencies
    • The implementation of EU commitments within the framework of CMS and CITES

    Bearing all of the above in mind, we look forward to a thorough evaluation of all aspects of the European eel management framework, and to future opportunities to engage with this process.

    It is our hope that through implementation of urgent measures and better management and protection in the future, we can enable long-term recovery and sustainable exploitation of European eel, but we note that we are a very long way from there today. 

    Submitted by: ClientEarth, European Anglers Alliance, FishSec, Good Fish Foundation, Our Fish, Pew Charitable Trusts, Seas At Risk and WWF

    Download as PDF: Eel Evaluation Roadmap NGO submission

    *www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2017/2017/ele.2737.nea.pdf
    **www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/status-and-monitoring/state-of-surface-waters

     

     

    Background: EU begins evaluation of eel management

    On 13 April 2018, the European Commission released a Roadmap for the upcoming evaluation of the Eel Regulation. The evaluation is set to help the Commission decide whether to review the regulation or focus on improving implementation. Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on issues related to the implementation of the Eel Regulation until 11 May 2018, and then in a second consultation in October.

    The so called Evaluation and Fitness Check Roadmap of Council Regulation (EC) No 1100/2007 of 18 September 2007 establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of European eel provides background on the issue and explains the process and focus for the evaluation. The intention is to inform stakeholders and enable them to participate effectively in the process as well as provide views and possible solutions for better eel management. It is the first step of a process that may take several years.

    The evaluation process started in Spring 2018, with a final report expected in the first quarter of 2019. It consists of three parts: an external evaluation of the management framework, an ICES assessment of the biological aspects and a Commission review of the use of public funds to support implementation. The first public feedback period (open 13 April to 11 May) is intended to inform the initial phase of the evaluation, whereas the second public consultation in October will give stakeholders a chance to reflect on some of the initial results and provide views on potential measures.

    First evaluation found significant delays

    This will be the second EU evaluation since the Eel Regulation came into force in September 2007. The previous evaluation took place after the first national progress reports were submitted in 2012 and a report was presented to the Council and European Parliament in 2014 (in line with requirements in the regulation (Art. 9.2)).

    The first evaluation found that the status of the European eel remained critical and in need of urgent action and that the implementation of the Eel Regulation had suffered significant delays. It also found that most of the management measures taken were related to fisheries, whereas other measures such as improving habitats or controlling predators and parasites had been postponed or only partially implemented. Altogether, it was difficult to assess progress towards the main objective of increasing silver eel escapement due to all the delays and the long timeframes involved. It also highlighted that few countries had reached their restocking targets and there was concern that restocking practices may not contribute to increased escapement but instead sustained the fishing for eel.

    This second evaluation is therefore crucial in terms of assessing the effects of management measures, as more time has passed. Also, since the previous Commission report, the reformed CFP (Regulation (EU) 1380/2013) objective of Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) has been applied to stock management.

    Effectiveness and coherence in focus

    The emphasis of this evaluation is on the effectiveness and coherence of the measures taken to aid the recovery of European eel, in particular through the national Eel Management Plans. A number of areas are listed, including the design and implementation of restocking efforts, the management of glass eel fisheries, enforcement and monitoring both in marine and inland waters, coherence with other EU legislation and international instruments, including CITES and CMS, as well as the use of public money from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to aid implementation.

    The Commission is now awaiting Member State reports on the use of EMFF funds, implementation of the Water Framework Directive and, in particular, the national eel management plans in order to gather the information needed for the external and internal evaluations. ICES has put out an extended data call on eel to support its work.

    When the evaluation report is finalised in early 2019, the Commission will make its decision on the way forward, probably including an Impact Assessment of potential measures. If the regulation needs to be revised, this is a longer process with proposals for amendments that will need to be discussed and agreed between the Council and the European Parliament. It could take years, particularly considering that 2019 is the year of European Parliament elections, the appointment of a new European Commission and Brexit.

    Meanwhile, European eel remains listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN, trade is restricted under CITES Annex II and efforts are ongoing to support its conservation under the Convention on the conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). European eel is still in need of urgent actions to support its recovery.

    A Commission attempt last year to close all EU fishing of adult eels – arguably the most rapid way to aid increased reproduction – was not supported by the Member States. Instead, a joint Declaration on strengthening the recovery for European eel was agreed, committing Member States to step up their actions, including a review of current restocking practices and fighting illegal fishing and trade. In the context of fishing opportunities for 2018, a 3-month ban on fishing for European eel of 12 cm or more is to be implemented by the Member States between 1 September 2018 and 31 January 2019. .

    Across the wide geographical spread of European eel, responses to its plight have been slow, patchy and largely ineffective. The first reports of substantial decline came already in the 1970s, but it took over three decades to get agreement on a management framework for the European Union and a listing under CITES Annex II to restrict trade.

    The European eel regulation (EC 1100/2007) was finally adopted in 2007. It is a framework regulation with an overarching objective (Art. 2.4) – 40 % escapement of silver eel biomass compared to pre-anthropogenic levels – and an agreed set of measures to use. It requires Member States to create and implement Eel Management Plans for each “eel river basin”, and to submit progress reports every third year, beginning in June 2012.

    The implementation of the eel management plans has been riddled with problems, including delays, a lack of reporting, a misuse of measures to support fishing rather than conservation and a very substantial illegal trade in glass eels with countries outside of the EU. Against this background, the upcoming evaluation is incredibly important.

    Photo: Actress Florence Keith-Roach “98.4% of the European eel population is already GONE. Continuing to fish for them is like hunting pandas!”

    Photo credit: @Fishlove/Jillian Edelstein, fishlove.co.uk. Check out this story on the collaboration between Our Fish and Fish Love.

  • Undercurrent: EU progress too slow on rebuilding fisheries by 2020

    Undercurrent: EU progress too slow on rebuilding fisheries by 2020

    Undercurrent News: Report: EU progress too slow on rebuilding fisheries by 2020, April 27, 2018:

    Campaign group Our Fish has said the recently-issued Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STEFC) report on EU progress towards implementation of the reformed common fisheries policy has confirmed a negative outlook.

    “The STEFC report has confirmed what we already know — that the EU is not on track to meet its own 2020 deadline for sustainable fish stocks,” said program director Rebecca Hubbard.

    The report notes “many stocks remain overfished and/or outside safe biological limits, and that progress achieved until 2016 seems too slow to ensure that all stocks
    will be rebuilt and managed according to [maximum sustainable yield] by 2020”.

    “Instead of achieving global stardom for sustainable fisheries management, the EU is in danger of international embarrassment, due to a lack of the leadership needed to deliver the reformed common fisheries policy,” Hubbard added.

    Continue Reading: EU progress too slow on rebuilding fisheries by 2020

  • Undercurrent: EU progress too slow on rebuilding fisheries by 2020

    Undercurrent: EU progress too slow on rebuilding fisheries by 2020

    Undercurrent News: Report: EU progress too slow on rebuilding fisheries by 2020, April 27, 2018:

    Campaign group Our Fish has said the recently-issued Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STEFC) report on EU progress towards implementation of the reformed common fisheries policy has confirmed a negative outlook.

    “The STEFC report has confirmed what we already know — that the EU is not on track to meet its own 2020 deadline for sustainable fish stocks,” said program director Rebecca Hubbard.

    The report notes “many stocks remain overfished and/or outside safe biological limits, and that progress achieved until 2016 seems too slow to ensure that all stocks
    will be rebuilt and managed according to [maximum sustainable yield] by 2020”.

    “Instead of achieving global stardom for sustainable fisheries management, the EU is in danger of international embarrassment, due to a lack of the leadership needed to deliver the reformed common fisheries policy,” Hubbard added.

    Continue Reading: EU progress too slow on rebuilding fisheries by 2020

  • Reaction: Why is the EU Pursuing Embarrassment Instead of Sustainable Fisheries Management?

    Reaction: Why is the EU Pursuing Embarrassment Instead of Sustainable Fisheries Management?

    Brussels, 25 April 2018:- Responding to findings published in the newly published STECF (Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries) report on progress towards implementation of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy, which suggest that the EU will fail to meet its own 2020 deadline, Our Fish Programme Director Rebecca Hubbard said:

    “The STEFC report has confirmed what we already know – that the EU is not on track to meet its own 2020 deadline for sustainable fish stocks – yet the fishing industry keeps on lobbying for continued overfishing. Instead of achieving global stardom for sustainable fisheries management, the EU is in danger of international embarrassment, due to a lack of the leadership needed to deliver the reformed Common Fisheries Policy.”

    The STECF report notes that stock status has significantly improved since 2003, but that the rate of progress has slowed in the last few years, with more than 50% of stocks remaining overfished or outside safe biological limits. The results are in line with what was reported in 2017, with progress achieved until 2016 too slow to ensure that all stocks will be rebuilt and managed according to scientific advice by 2020. The Mediterranean remains a particularly bleak picture, with business-as-usual maintaining severe overfishing and depleted stocks.

    “With national political efforts being driven by fishing industry influences, it’s no surprise that EU-wide progress to end overfishing has slowed. Yet with recent low fuel prices helping EU fishing fleets make record profits, now is the time for the transition to pain-free fish stock recovery.”

    “By failing to manage what is in effect an extractive industry, EU fisheries ministers are providing the fishing industry with the means for its own demise. Instead, they must end overfishing, in order to ensure the future health of EU fish stocks, the marine environment, and realise the social and economic benefits for all EU citizens, who are the rightful custodians of Europe’s seas.”

    “This year, the EU Commission and member state Fisheries Ministers still have a chance to turn the ship around; they can increase the number of fish stocks they manage based on scientific advice, or face the uncomfortable realisation that they do not deserve to sit with global leaders at the sustainable fisheries table”.

    ENDS

    NOTES:

    Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) – Monitoring the performance of the Common Fisheries Policy (STECF-Adhoc-18-01)

    According to the European Commission, “the implementation of the CFP requires the assistance of highly qualified scientific personnel, particularly in the application of marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, aquaculture or similar disciplines, or in the field of collection, management and use of fisheries and aquaculture data”. STEFC members “are nominated by the European Commission from highly qualified scientific experts having competence in these fields”.

    Contacts

    Dave Walsh, Our Fish Communications Advisor, dave@our.fish +34 691826764

    Rebecca Hubbard, Our Fish Program Director, rebecca@our.fish +34 657669425

    About Our Fish

    Our Fish works to ensure European member states implement the Common Fisheries Policy and achieve sustainable fish stocks in European waters.

    Our Fish works with organisations and individuals across Europe to deliver a powerful and unwavering message: overfishing must be stopped, and solutions put in place that ensure Europe’s waters are fished sustainably. Our Fish demands that the Common Fisheries Policy be properly enforced, and Europe’s fisheries effectively governed.

    Our Fish calls on all EU Member States to set annual fishing limits at sustainable limits based on scientific advice, and to ensure that their fishing fleets prove that they are fishing sustainably, through monitoring and full documentation of their catch.

    http://our.fish

    Follow Our Fish on Twitter: @our_fish

     

  • Noordzee visbestanden herstellen te langzaam volgens EU-wetenschappers

    Noordzee visbestanden herstellen te langzaam volgens EU-wetenschappers

    De Europese lidstaten zijn te langzaam met het aanpakken van overbevissing, concludeert de STECF, de wetenschappelijke commissie van de Europese Unie over visserij vandaag in een nieuw rapport(1).

    Europese lidstaten hebben sinds 2015 vanuit het Gemeenschappelijke Visserijbeleid de verplichting om in 2020 een einde te maken aan overbevissing.

    Sinds 2003 is de overbevissing van kwetsbare visbestanden in de Europese wateren gedaald van 70 procent naar 40 procent. Er is dus vooruitgang geboekt in vijftien jaar tijd, maar juist de laatste jaren vlakt die ontwikkeling weer af.

    Ook in de Noordzee is deze trend waar te nemen. Van meer dan honderd soorten die daar rondzwemmen, valt voor slechts 22 soorten wetenschappelijk vast te stellen of ze worden overbevist, of juist niet. De jaren 2005 en 2006 waren een dieptepunt: toen werden 18 van deze 22 gemonitorde visbestanden nog overbevist. In 2011 werden nog tien commerciële vissoorten overbevist en na een paar schommelingen werden er dat in 2016 negen.

    Voor de meeste commerciële visbestanden wordt dit doel behaald. Zo niet voor bijvangst-soorten. “Omdat zij minder economische waarde vertegenwoordigen, krijgen vissen die als bijvangst in de netten belanden weinig bescherming van beleidsmakers”, stelt Frederieke Vlek van Our Fish Nederland “Zolang dat zo blijft, komt er voor die soorten geen échte redding.”

    Om ook bijvangst-soorten goed te kunnen monitoren en beheren, moet geïnvesteerd worden in een meer selectieve visserij. Omdat 2017 een goed jaar was voor vissers dankzij hoge visprijzen en lage brandstofprijzen (2) hebben zij dit jaar een mooie kans om de verplichting uit Europa te gaan behalen, stelt Our Fish.

    Our Fish Nederland werkt aan de naleving van het gemeenschappelijke visserijbeleid en het behalen van duurzame visbestanden in Europese wateren.  

    Einde persbericht. Voor meer informatie:

    Frederieke Vlek campaigner, 0625031004

    (1) STECF report, Monitoring the performance of the Common Fisheries Policy (2018)

    (2) Visserij in cijfers (2018)

  • Save Our Seas: 172,120 EU Citizens Deliver Demand to Environment and Fisheries Ministers

    Save Our Seas: 172,120 EU Citizens Deliver Demand to Environment and Fisheries Ministers

     

     

    Sofia, Bulgaria, 10 April 2018:- As the Council of EU Environment Ministers meeting opens today in Sofia, 172,120 signatures from EU citizens calling for the EU to protect our seas and end overfishing were received by State Secretary for Environment of Sweden, Per Ängquist.

    A joint initiative by campaigning organisations Our FishSeas at Risk and WeMove.EUthe petition provides a platform for concerned EU citizens to call on EU member states to implement the laws they have already agreed upon to have clean and healthy seas, and to end overfishing by 2020 at the latest.

    The text of the petition, launched in October 2017, reads:

    “It’s time to stick to the commitment you made to save and protect our seas by 2020 under the EU Marine Directive. More needs to be done to end overfishing, and fish are not waste and should not be discarded. At least 30% of EU seas need to become Marine Protected Areas and further ambitious measures should be taken to achieve ecologically diverse, clean and healthy seas as prescribed by EU law.”

    “European Union member countries wrote and signed up to laws that could protect our oceans and end overfishing by 2020 if correctly implemented. But so far they are blatantly ignoring their own promises, while our marine ecosystems continue to be destroyed. With only a couple of years left to act, the challenges are getting bigger every day”, said Alice Belin, Marine Policy Officer for Seas At Risk.

    “EU Environment and Fisheries Ministers are making decisions that impact on our ocean, our food, and our communities. It’s time those decisions started following scientific advice and EU law, rather than the narrow profit-based interests of a small number of fishing industry heavyweights,” said Our Fish Program Director Rebecca Hubbard.

    Over 40% of fish stocks in the North-East Atlantic are still overfished, while a staggering 90% of EU fish stocks in the Mediterranean are overfished. Throughout EU waters millions of fish are still being wasted at sea, despite the EU discard ban introduced in 2014.

    Wildlife protection is a joke: We still only have 9% of seas in Marine Protected Areas around Europe and not 30% as recommended by scientists. Most of the existing protected areas are “Paper Parks” with only a small percentage fully protected.

    “People from all over Europe are calling on the EU Environment and Fisheries Ministers to take urgent action – immediately – if they are to achieve the ecologically diverse, clean and healthy seas they promised by 2020. This must include ending overfishing, and protection of at least 30% of EU seas”, said Jörg Rohwedder, Senior Campaigner at WeMove.EU.

    Contacts

    Dave Walsh, Our Fish Communications Advisor, dave@our.fish +34 691826764

    Rebecca Hubbard, Our Fish Program Director, rebecca@our.fish +34 657669425

    Alice Belin, Seas At Risk, Marine Policy officer abelin@seas-at-risk.org +32 2 893 0921

    About Our Fish

    Our Fish works to ensure European member states implement the Common Fisheries Policy and achieve sustainable fish stocks in European waters.

    Our Fish works with organisations and individuals across Europe to deliver a powerful and unwavering message: overfishing must be stopped, and solutions put in place that ensure Europe’s waters are fished sustainably. Our Fish demands that the Common Fisheries Policy be properly enforced, and Europe’s fisheries effectively governed.

    Our Fish calls on all EU Member States to set annual fishing limits at sustainable limits based on scientific advice, and to ensure that their fishing fleets prove that they are fishing sustainably, through monitoring and full documentation of their catch.
    http://our.fish

    Follow Our Fish on Twitter: @our_fish

    About Seas At Risk
    Seas At Risk is an umbrella organisation of environmental NGOs from across Europe that promotes ambitious policies for marine protection at European and international level. http://www.seas-at-risk.org/

    Seas At Risk on Twitter: @SeasAtRisk

    About WeMove.EU

    WeMove.EU is a citizens’ movement, campaigning for a better Europe; for a European Union committed to social and economic justice, environmental sustainability and citizen-led democracy. We are people from all walks of life, who call Europe our home – whether we were born in Europe or elsewhere.
    https://www.wemove.eu

    WeMove.EU on Twitter: @wemoveEU

    Notes:

    Petition: https://act.wemove.eu/campaigns/save-eu-seas

    Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVOxQe0Zu5A

    Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/m6s2u2hcgaz84o2/AAD-srbLxAbl20oo-TNHqbvya?dl=0

  • Deutsche Welle: ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

    Deutsche Welle: ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

    Article – ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries? by Lars Bevanger, Deutsche Welle, 22 February 2018:

    Campaigners say EU politicians under pressure from industry routinely agree to unsustainable fishing quotas, against scientific advice. But fishermen warn big cuts to fish quotas will put thousands of jobs at risk.

    But campaign group Our Fish said the agreement showed “an unsurprising lack of ambition” from the lawmakers, who they accused of failing short of their legal, scientific and moral obligations.

    “It’s extremely frustrating to watch the process, when the law is quite clear about what should be done,” Our Fish program director Rebecca Hubbard said.

    The industry argues it is doing its bit to turn things around, and that cutting quotas too fast would jeopardize tens of thousands of jobs.

    But Hubbard believes fishery ministers should focus on the scientific advice and disregard pressure from the industry in their home countries

    “The reformed Common Fisheries Policy really aims to take the politics out of the process. That gives the fisheries ministers the ability to step out of their local issues that they get stuck in,” she said.

    Fishermen warn cutting quotas too quickly would put tens of thousands of jobs at risk

    “But we’re seeing particular industry players who benefit from this situation in the short term, who have unfair access to large amounts of quota, saying they need more. And this is driving an increase in the total fishing limits that are being set.”

    Read the article: ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

    Listen to audio interview on Deutsche Welle’s Living Planet: Living Planet: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

  • Deutsche Welle: ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

    Deutsche Welle: ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

    Article – ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries? by Lars Bevanger, Deutsche Welle, 22 February 2018:

    Campaigners say EU politicians under pressure from industry routinely agree to unsustainable fishing quotas, against scientific advice. But fishermen warn big cuts to fish quotas will put thousands of jobs at risk.

    But campaign group Our Fish said the agreement showed “an unsurprising lack of ambition” from the lawmakers, who they accused of failing short of their legal, scientific and moral obligations.

    “It’s extremely frustrating to watch the process, when the law is quite clear about what should be done,” Our Fish program director Rebecca Hubbard said.

    The industry argues it is doing its bit to turn things around, and that cutting quotas too fast would jeopardize tens of thousands of jobs.

    But Hubbard believes fishery ministers should focus on the scientific advice and disregard pressure from the industry in their home countries

    “The reformed Common Fisheries Policy really aims to take the politics out of the process. That gives the fisheries ministers the ability to step out of their local issues that they get stuck in,” she said.

    Fishermen warn cutting quotas too quickly would put tens of thousands of jobs at risk

    “But we’re seeing particular industry players who benefit from this situation in the short term, who have unfair access to large amounts of quota, saying they need more. And this is driving an increase in the total fishing limits that are being set.”

    Read the article: ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

    Listen to audio interview on Deutsche Welle’s Living Planet: Living Planet: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?