European Fish Dependence Day – the point which the E.U. has used up all its own seafood resources and must rely entirely on imports to meet demand – has fallen on 9 July this year, about a month earlier than in the year 2000, according to the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).
Thirty years ago, based on total volume, Europe could meet demand with fish from domestic waters until September or October, but today, more than half of its annual demand comes from abroad, with developing countries accounting for about half of the imports, EJF said.
Austria is the first country to run out of fish, reaching the equivalent of 17 January before exhausting its own supply. Measuring by volume, the United Kingdom would reach 7 September until it ran out, still leaving around four months relying entirely on imports.
Although some European fish stocks have stabilized, the foundation said that too many stocks are still overfished, and E.U. self-sufficiency is still too low.
According to the European Commission, 41 percent of assessed fish stocks in the Atlantic are considered overfished, and this figure rises to 88 percent in the Mediterranean. Overfishing also affects fish stocks in developing countries, it said.
“Overfishing and illegal fishing are destroying marine ecosystems and eroding food security around the world,” EJF Executive Director Steve Trent said. “Transparency measures, such as those laid out by EJF’s Charter for Transparency, would allow businesses and consumers to secure legal, sustainable and ethical seafood, eradicating most illegal fishing, and the human rights abuses that often accompany it. In Europe, we depend heavily on fish imports, especially from developing countries. The E.U. therefore has a lead role to play in promoting transparency and sustainability worldwide.”
On average, each European citizen consumes 22.7 kilograms of seafood products annually. Portugal (55.3 kilograms), Spain (46.2 kilograms), Lithuania (44.7 kilograms), France (34.4 kilograms), and Sweden (33.2 kilograms) have the highest consumption rates in the E.U. Together, these five countries account for about one-third of E.U. fish consumption.
Only four countries produce as much or more seafood than they consume – Croatia, Netherlands, Ireland, and Estonia.
