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Fish caught in the Mediterranean Sea. (Photo IEO)
Oceana argues Spain 'intends to extend overfishing in the Mediterranean'
(SPAIN, 4/4/2018)
Conservation organization Oceana denounces that Spain refuses to fight overfishing in the Mediterranean, which already affects 9 out of 10 populations of fish in this sea.
According to the NGO, the proposal of the General Secretariat of Fisheries to update the plan for the comprehensive management of fisheries in the Mediterranean proposes reductions in effort for the trawling fleet that is far below the scientific recommendations. In this sense, it highlights that it proposes reductions of catches of 10 per cent despite the fact that in certain species they should decrease 80 per cent, as in the case of hake, at high risk of collapse.
Oceana reminds that the previous comprehensive plan, in 2015 should have ended with overfishing, but the measures implemented so far have only served to worsen the situation. Therefore, it considers it necessary to make a real paradigm shift in the Mediterranean to recover its abundance, one of the key points being the reduction of the impact of destructive and non-selective fishing gear.
"It is necessary to limit trawling further, as it is one of the main causes of the alarming state of the Mediterranean's fishing resources," said Lasse Gustavsson, executive director of Oceana Europe.
"In 1999, an important step was taken to prohibit trawling up to 50 m deep to protect the posidonia meadows. In the 21st century, it is necessary to further limit the impact of this type of destructive fishing, increasing its prohibition to 150 metres to protect juvenile aggregation areas and essential ecosystems (maërl and coralligenous). This strip should be reserved for smaller fleets of low impact, which represent the past and future of Mare Nostrum fishing," he adds.
Artisanal fishing accounts for 80 per cent of the fishing fleet in the Mediterranean and, although it must improve its management to be truly sustainable, it has a much smaller impact than trawling. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) determines that preferential access to its fishing grounds must be ensured and, nevertheless, they are currently shared with trawling, says the marine conservation organization.
Oceana claims the Spanish Government should pass courageous and effective measures, aimed at ending overfishing in 2020, and should have a leadership attitude in the recovery of this sea.
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