On Tuesday 20 February, the European Commission congratulated the “EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) for having achieved sustainable fishing that is successful for both fisheries and for fish stocks”. The latest scientific data available to the Commission show that the fisheries of the Atlantic, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea have notched up record profits thanks to the sound recovery of fish stocks such as those of North Sea cod which, just a few years ago, were gravely depleted.