European Union Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella addressed shrinking fish stocks in the Mediterranean on 9 February, the same day conservation group Oceana called for emergency closures of Mediterranean fisheries it says are overexploited.
Speaking in Catania, Italy at the High-Level Seminar on the Status of the Stocks in the Mediterranean and on the CFP Approach, Vella noted the “dramatic decline of Mediterranean stocks,” with the overexploitation rate at an estimated 93 percent of the region’s evaluated fish stocks. He said efforts made by the Mediterranean Advisory Council and partners in the fishing industry to curb stock depletion “have not produced the expected results” and called for urgent interventions.
“If we don’t take action now there is a serious risk that stocks will decline beyond the point of no return,” Vella said. “Reversing the trend will require an exceptional effort – but it is possible. Scientists have told us that the recovery potential of Mediterranean stocks remains very high.”
The seminar, taking place 9 to 10 February, was organized by the European Commission and the Mediterranean Advisory Council and brought together key decision makers and stakeholders, including delegations of all 8 Mediterranean E.U. member states. According to a European Commission press release, the seminar’s goals included achieving a shared commitment to goals set within the E.U. and then to work toward bringing neighboring countries onboard with guidelines set by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean.
At least two marine conservation groups responded to Vella’s comments with calls for more urgent action. Oceana in Europe called for special action to protect EU stocks of blackbellied angler, blue whiting, red mullet and Mediterranean hake which it said are fished 10 to 14 times more than what is considered sustainable in some areas.
“The European Commission and EU member states have the duty and power to take action now and end overfishing by 2020,” said Lasse Gustavsson, executive director of Oceana in Europe. “Otherwise, closing all fishing activities in the Mediterranean will be the only option left to save marine resources and even to fulfil the law.”
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) also called for immediate action, warning that without action now, there is a serious risk that stocks will decline beyond the point of no return.
“We are grateful for the organization of this exceptional meeting; it clearly reflects that the European Commission is as concerned as we are with the disastrous state of Mediterranean fisheries,” said Marco Costantini, fisheries project manager at WWF Mediterranean. “But it is crucial that we move quickly to long- term actions and don’t look for short-term solutions which would only be a sticking-plaster approach. The Mediterranean needs a genuine cure, and it is now or never if we don’t want to lose our fish and our fisheries.”
Costantini called for community-based co-management and greater engagement with the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean.
