Brussels, 29/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - As WWF's “More Fish” petition, critical of the common fisheries policy (CFP), is about to reach 100,000 signatures, the organisation asked the European Parliament (EP) fisheries committee, on Tuesday 28 February, to end overfishing in Europe. WWF says that 75% of assessed EU fish stocks are overexploited and the EU is losing approximately €3 billion per year in potential income from a failure to manage fisheries sustainably.
With the EP due to vote on the main thrust of the reform of the CFP proposed by the European Commission in July of last year, the petition calls on members of the European Parliament to (1) ensure fisheries are managed regionally, under long-term plans to restore marine ecosystems and fish stocks for future generations; (2) stop waste by putting in place a coherent set of rules so that fishermen only catch what is needed when it is needed; (3) apply the same principles to all European boats wherever they operate in the world.
“Our goal is to have 500,000 citizens sign up by September”, said Anouk Delafortrie from WWF's European Policy Office. She also stated that destruction of marine life is a threat to coastal communities which depend on fishing and argued that “more fish if managed sustainably will lead to higher profits and better jobs”. (SD/transl.rt)