On Thursday, 26 March, the NGO Oceana submitted its feedback to the European Commission’s consultation on ‘Vision 2040 for Fisheries and Aquaculture’, advocating that the seafood sector be transformed so as to make it sustainable, competitive, and resilient in the face of environmental and economic challenges (see EUROPE 13819/14).
According to Oceana, many fish stocks, particularly in the Mediterranean and in the Baltic Sea, continue to be overfished.
Oceana offers a number of recommendations. The NGO calls for fish populations to be rebuilt by restoring stocks to biologically sustainable levels and by protecting the marine habitats that are essential to their reproduction. It advocates providing low-impact fishers and coastal communities greater support, asking Member States to allocate fishing opportunities based on environmental and social criteria in order to strengthen small-scale fisheries.
Oceana insists that supply chains need to be fully transparent. With regard to aquaculture, the NGO recommends refocusing on low-impact species, such as bivalves and algae, and stresses that wild catches should be used for human consumption as a matter of priority.
Link to Oceana’s feedback: https://aeur.eu/f/lcg (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)