'Eastern Baltic cod and the western Baltic herring stocks are in a critical state,' warns WWF. (Photo: Stock File)

Conservation NGOs angry at EU for setting Baltic TACs above sustainable levels

EUROPEAN UNION
Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 23:20 (GMT + 9)

Following news that the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH) has today set five out of ten fishing limits for fish caught in the Baltic Sea, far above the EU fisheries legal requirements for sustainable fishing levels in 2020, conservation NGOs have expressed their outrage, accusing EU governments of acting with no regard to the law, and ignoring the ongoing overfishing and devastation of the Baltic Sea’s ecosystem.

In the early hours of October 15th, the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH) meeting in Luxembourg (October 14-15th) announced that it had set Total Allowable Catches (TACs) - fishing limits - for fish caught in the Baltic Sea for 2020. The NGOs highlight that under the  Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) - and thus by law, the EU must set TACs on sustainable levels and in line with scientific advice  by 2020 at the latest. This means that this year’s Fisheries Council negotiations are the last chance to fulfill this legal requirement and end overfishing.

“It is outrageous that despite the legally binding deadline to stop overfishing for all fish stocks by 2020, European Fisheries Ministers have set five out of ten fishing quotas for 2020 for the Baltic Sea beyond the legal requirements for sustainable fishing levels. The Ministers’ decision to breach the law will not only damage fish populations - and restrict their ability to replenish; it undermines the long-term economic viability of the fishing industry dependent on these fish, along with the ocean’s resilience to climate change.  Everybody must comply with the law - and politicians are no exception,” said Andrea Ripol, Fisheries Policy Officer at  Seas At Risk.

Ottilia Thoreson, Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme, added: “Eastern Baltic cod and the western Baltic herring stocks are in a critical state with their numbers nearly depleted. Scientific advice clearly states that fishing limits for these stocks should be set to zero, meaning that not a single Eastern Baltic cod or Western Baltic herring should be caught. Yet the fisheries ministers have agreed to continue overfishing these stocks. It is of great concern that ministers continue to disregard the science. How are we to end overfishing and achieve global and regional goals on sustainable fisheries if our decision-makers ignore the facts?”

“With less than three months until the EU’s own deadline to end overfishing, fisheries ministers are repeating the same destructive overfishing again and again, but apparently expecting a different result. That’s one definition of insanity,” said Rebecca Hubbard, Programme Director for Our Fish. “The EU’s stated commitment to a New Green Deal also demands that we take action to address the biodiversity and climate crises. Ending overfishing is one of the fastest, simplest and most achievable solutions to the climate crisis that  EU fisheries ministers can deliver to their citizens.”

For his part,  Andrew Clayton, Project Director of  The Pew Trusts’ Ending Overfishing in Northwestern Europe campaign, said: “Given six years to put fishing pressure on a sustainable footing, ministers have maintained overfishing right up to the deadline year, and now beyond. The consequences of ministers choosing higher ecological risk and less productive fisheries will now be felt for longer, not least by fishermen in Baltic states.”

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