European Marine Programme

The Pew Environment Group has established a European Marine Programme office in Brussels in our pursuit to end global overfishing and reduce destruction of the world's oceans.

The European Union (EU) has one of the largest fishing fleets in the world. It is also the world's largest importer of fisheries products. However, fisheries management policies in the EU are often poorly developed or not fully implemented. As a consequence, the EU is contributing to the widespread overfishing of the oceans. Our work aims to produce significant improvements in European fisheries monitoring, control and enforcement systems.

A whole-scale reform of the European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is scheduled for completion in 2012. The reform is an opportunity to contribute to the discussion on how our marine habitat and fisheries are managed. The Pew Environment Group has responded by initiating and co-ordinating OCEAN2012. OCEAN2012 is a coalition of organisations dedicated to transforming European Fisheries Policy to stop overfishing, end destructive fishing practices and deliver fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks.

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1. Setting catch limits according to scientific advice

Catch limits for all directed fisheries, and wanted and unwanted by-catch, must be set according to scientific advice. The European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs has publicly stated his support for this requirement, but the deciding on final catch limits is the responsibility of the EU Council of Ministers which often increases the Commission's proposed limits substantially over and above the scientific advice.

2. Reducing fishing overcapacity

The overcapacity of the EU fleet is a key driver of overfishing. With 88 percent of assessed European fish stocks considered overfished, and a number of stocks on the brink of collapse, it is essential that Member States match the size of their fleets to the available sustainable fishing opportunities. While this fact is well recognised within the European Commission, some Member States seem intent on maintaining the present status quo. This is further compounded by a lack of up to date information on the extent of overcapacity, and some Member States' failure to comply with reporting requirements.

3. Ending environmentally harmful subsidies

Rather than continuing environmentally harmful subsidies to the fisheries sector - including fuel subsidies - the EU would better serve consumers and industry by directing funds towards the restructuring and transition of the sector. Using data secured from the European Commission by the Pew Environment Group, EU Transparency has built fishsubsidy.org, which collates data into an accessible and searchable format. For the first time, fishsubsidy.org allows decision makers and the public to see in detail how and where EU fishing subsidies have been spent. The successor to the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), which expires in 2013, will serve the environment and fishing communities in achieving long-term social and economic benefits by adopting environmental sustainability as its over-arching principle.

4. Advancing shark conservation

Today, primarily due to overfishing, sharks are among the oceans' most threatened animals. Although scientists have documented declines in the world's shark population as great as 80 percent, directed shark fisheries are increasing and the practice of shark finning (slicing off the fin and discarding the body at sea) continues. A third of shark and ray species in EU waters are threatened with extinction. It is vital that European fishing regulations are strengthened to secure responsible, science-based shark-fishing limits for long-term sustainability and healthy ecosystems.

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5. Stopping Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

Around the world, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing prevents fisheries from being managed sustainably. 40 percent of fishing in EU waters is estimated to be IUU and it is costing the EU billions of euro - an estimated €10 billion in lost catches and 27,000 lost jobs in the fishing and processing industries by 2020 according to the research released by Pew Environment Group.

The European Commission's November 2008 proposal for a more effective control system to strengthen and augment the current range of measures intended to limit IUU fishing in EU waters and by EU vessels is a step in the right direction. After lengthy negotiations it is expected the Regulation will be adopted in October 2009 during the Swedish EU Presidency. It is essential the adopted regulation includes sanctions for non-compliance, vessel monitoring systems, denying access to EU markets of IUU fisheries products and the suspension of fisheries aid to Member States that fail to enforce the controls. Pew response to Commission's Control Regulation Proposal.