Briefing: Fisheries Management Responds to Climate & Nature Emergency

Making up more than 65% of European territory and 70% of the planet’s surface, the ocean sustains us. It is one of the greatest sources of biodiversity and food, produces up to 50% of the oxygen we breathe, regulates the climate and it is the largest carbon sink on the planet. Yet we have overlooked the ocean’s role, and have instead overexploited and degraded it, putting its life-supporting functions under severe pressure. We now know the true importance of the ocean to life on Earth, and no longer have the excuse of ignorance. But despite this, the unrelenting overfishing and destruction continues. In Europe, our marine ecosystems continue to be overexploited, while we overlook their potential to mitigate the effects of climate change. Ignoring the ocean’s capacity to respond to the environment crisis is not just bad management, it is nonsensical. Ocean-based solutions are an extraordinary opportunity to enlist a powerful ally to tackle climate change.