EU member states are largely failing to promote sustainable fisheries and address marine biodiversity loss, the European Environment Agency (EEA) has warned.
In a briefing published on Wednesday, the EEA stressed that, while Europe’s seas are facing increasing pressure from human activities, countries are not implementing the policies needed to meet the EU targets.
The EU committed to foster an ecosystem-based approach to manage human activities under the 2008 Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the 2013 common fisheries policy (CFP), both aiming to achieve a so-called good environmental status (GES) in Europe’s seas by 2020.
“Yet, these objectives remain to be met, [as] marine biodiversity remains under threat and is declining [and] fishing has not reached sustainable levels for all stocks in all EU waters,” EEA said.
“[Moreover] aquaculture has not achieved its potential as a sustainable source of protein to alleviate pressures on wild fish stocks and contribute to ensuring food security.”
As EEA pointed out, achieving GES under the MSFD relies largely on key EU sectoral policies. In its briefing, the agency outlined several measures that countries should implement, including:
- Phasing out harmful fishing methods;
- Expanding marine protected areas (MPAs);
- Enabling a blue economy that integrates ‘natural capital’ into economic decisions and promoting the sustainable use of marine resources in different sectors, including infrastructure, tourism, and renewable energy.
MPAs currently cover 12.1% of the EU’s sea area but only 2% have management plans in place and less than 1% offer strict protection, including from fishing, EEA said.
“Without significantly reducing or eliminating fishing pressure in MPAs, current management undermines the potential of MPAs to reverse the ongoing declines of marine biodiversity and habitats.”
“A healthy marine environment with productive fish stocks and rich biodiversity is essential for guaranteeing a prosperous future for our fisheries communities for generations to come,” it added.
Controversial practices involved in overfishing, such as bottom-contact gears, are widely considered one of the main threats to marine conservation, hugely damaging sea habitats by dragging heavy nets along the seabed.
Recently, the Scottish government proposed a ban on bottom trawling in 20 fishery sites recently named MPAs, while Greece announced in April the ban in all its MPAs by 2026. However, the practice is still permitted in most of Europe’s crucial protected underwater ecosystems.
Globally, only a third of the largest MPAs are fully protected, with many of them lacking regulations or management, or even allowing high-impact activities, an analysis by the Marine Conservation Institute found.
In June, a research carried out by a group of international scientists from the UK, Canada, USA, and Norway, said halting overfishing can make a huge difference in tackling climate change, as the practice poses significant threats to the ocean’s ability to store CO2 and preserve ecosystems.
By Giada Ferraglioni – giada@carbon-pulse.com
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