An overhaul of current fisheries management could result in 87 percent more fish being caught in the Atlantic waters around the United Kingdom, Ireland and the northwest of France if governments stop overfishing, claims marine conservation organization Oceana.
According to its new scientific study, “North Western Waters: Status and Potential Productivity of Fish Stocks,” conducted on the status and potential of fish catches in these EU waters, doubling current fish catches from 228,000 metric tons (MT) per year to 475,000 MT could be possible within five to seven years, which will create more jobs and improve profits in the fishing industry.
Fish popular on U.K. dinner tables such cod, plaice, whiting and sole, could potentially see record-breaking catch increases if the stocks were well-managed and fished at levels scientists consider safe to ensure their sustainability in the long term, said Oceana.
The NGO highlighted that the current status of stocks in northwestern waters were “cause for concern,” with 36 in an unhealthy state, 19 of which have biomass levels outside safe biological limits and seven of these stocks are in a severely depleted critical condition, potentially jeopardizing their reproduction capacity. Those stocks most at risk include: sole in the Irish Sea; plaice in the southern Celtic Sea and southwest of Ireland; cod in Rockall waters, in the northwest of Scotland and in the north of Ireland; and red seabream in the whole region.
To avoid unsustainably managed fish stocks ending up in depleted stocks, Oceana recommendedPlaice a series of actions to ensure the long-term viability of fish resources in these waters, comprising:
- Drawing up robust multi-annual fishery management plans that cap fish catches to scientific recommendations
- Adopting emergency measures, such as closing fishing for certain species and in certain regions if they are heavily overfished or depleted
- Protecting areas where fish are known to breed and grow to allow the stock numbers to recover
- Putting an end to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and damaging fishing practices, such bottom trawling, which results in unwanted fish by-catch and marine habitat destruction.
