“There are environmental factors behind the decline in fish stocks”, said the rapporteur on Mediterranean fisheries, Raffaele Stancanelli (ECR, Italy), in Strasbourg on Monday 4 October. The plenary vote on this own-initiative report takes place on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 October.
According to him, some EU countries have seen their fleets and fishing crews halved over the past 20 years, with “production falling by more than 50% in favour of imports, which are currently around 85% for small pelagic and demersal species”.
Reduce fishing. The European Commission, meanwhile, said that while pollution and climate change need to be addressed, “scientists explain that fishing activities continue to have the greatest impact on the health of Mediterranean fish stocks”, said the Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli.
She pointed out that 87% of fish stocks in the Mediterranean are still overexploited and said that the EU should take action: “reduce fishing in the Mediterranean, adapt fishing capacity to existing fishing opportunities, protect juveniles and spawners, including through marine protected areas”. Lastly, the Commission sent a message of “zero tolerance for illegal fishing activities”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)