Hake are now endangered in the Mediterranean, according to a report published on Tuesday 24 June by Oceana, Sea Shepherd and consumer organisations Altroconsumo (Italy) and OCU (Spain).
Their investigation reveals a widespread sale of juvenile hake in Italian ports in breach of European rules on minimum catch sizes.
According to data collected by Oceana and Sea Shepherd, 91% of bottom trawlers, stalls and markets in seven selected Italian towns were selling undersized hake, a practice prohibited by European Union regulations. The fieldwork focused on seven ports in the Western Mediterranean located in Tuscany, Lazio, Campania and Sicily, areas with high hake nursery trawling activity.
Oceana and Sea Shepherd observed juvenile hake being sold there with impunity, directly from the boats or at market stalls. In some cases, these fish were also sold in fishmongers’ shops or served in nearby restaurants.
Nine out of ten Italians consider the fishing and sale of undersized fish to be a threat to marine biodiversity, according to a survey.
The report: https://aeur.eu/f/hio (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)