Undercurrent, 20 November 2019:
The NGO OurFish has demanded that the EU honors its pledge to end overfishing by 2020 in response to the EU Council’s adoption of the Conclusions on Oceans and Seas on Nov. 19.
As part of the document, the EU has found “that climate change is a direct and existential threat to life in oceans and seas globally” and states that “member states unanimously stress the need for immediate action against increasing threats on our oceans, seas and coastal areas”.
After climate change, overfishing is placed as the biggest stressor on ocean ecosystems, undermining the ocean’s ability to adapt to changing temperatures. To this end, the document urges swift action to rebuild fish populations in EU and international waters.
“Our Fish believes that this provides an opportunity for EU prime ministers to execute a clear and deliverable climate emergency action as soon as next month — when EU fisheries ministers set annual fishing limits for next year, they must deliver on international and EU obligations to end overfishing by 2020,” said Our Fish program director Rebecca Hubbard.
Continue reading: EU must ‘make Green deal blue’, honor overfishing targets, NGO insists