Europe’s fish species in danger

More than four-fifths of Europe's fish species are in danger from overfishing, the European Commission reported 5 July 2006. Brussels said fish such as North Sea cod were being caught at five times the rate that would maintain stocks.
The Commission adopted a Communication on 'Implementing sustainability in EU fisheries through Maximum Sustainable Yield' (MSY). Maximum sustainable yield is the highest yield that may be taken from a fish stock without lowering its productive potential for future years. At the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg in 2002, Member States of the EU committed themselves to maintaining or restoring fish stocks to levels that can produce at MSY no later than 2015. The Communication outlines the steps by which the Commission proposes implementing an MSY approach, the benefits this will bring once stocks have been restored to this level, and the options for managing the 'transitional' period for stocks which are currently overfished.

European Commission: Press Release: IP/06/931: Commission launches consultation on fishing less for better returns http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/931&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: COM (2006)360: Communication: Implementing sustainability in EU fisheries through maximum sustainable yield http://ec.europa.eu/comm/fisheries/doc_et_publ/factsheets/legal_texts/docscom/en/com_06_360_en.pdf

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