Sustainable fishing in the EU

An initiative is currently underway at EU level on "Sustainable fisheries in the EU: state of play and orientations 2024", consisting of a report and a consultation on the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy. Feedback can currently be submitted. We at Sharkproject, together with Pro Wildlife, have naturally taken advantage of this opportunity. 

Summary of the initiative

The report will assess, in particular:

• progress in achieving sustainable fisheries
• the state of fish stocks
• the implementation of the landing obligation
• the balance between fleet capacity and fishing opportunities.

The consultation aims to gather feedback from stakeholders on fishing opportunities for 2024.

Joint statement by Sharksproject and Pro Wildlife

The long version of our joint statement has been coordinated with Pro Wildlife and is available in the download area to the left. Here is the summary of our statement:

This is a joint response from Pro Wildlife and Sharkproject. We congratulate the EU and its Member States on the progress made so far in reducing overfishing. However, we also believe that much more needs to be done and therefore welcome the opportunity to make a submission to this consultation. Please find attached our more detailed response, which covers three areas with a range of concrete examples of where improvements are urgently needed to ensure sustainable fisheries in the EU (but also by EU fleets in other regions):

1. Ecological aspects (such as long-term sustainability of fishing quotas, rebuilding of overfished stocks, destructive fishing gears and dFADs, stricter regulations for shark fisheries, RFMOs - to mention just a few)

2. Monitoring and enforcement (for instance human observer coverage at high-risk vessels, exemptions, fishing under foreign flag)

3. Socio-economic aspects (fossil fuels, social standards, global responsibilities, food security and equal obligations for all)