David Levy – Serial Overfishing by the EU Ministers – A Case to Answer, but Who Will Bring it to Court? – Nov 15

This is a reflection on the New Economics Foundation paper: Landing the Blame: overfishing in the Baltic 2016.

All coastal countries in the EU finally approved the Reformed (2014) Common Fisheries Policy which aims to restore fish stocks above levels capable of producing MSY by 2015 (nearly over) and by “2020 for all stocks”.

So why is it scientific advice has been sidelined by closed door negotiations which have breached the ‘total allowable catch’ (TACs) for many fish stocks in the Baltic Sea?

The answer is that no country is accountable, and so their ministers brazenly ignore the only avenue of restoration which is the scientific advice.

What’s more, all of the Baltic TACs are apportioned without any statistical tonnage being allocated to Russia. So the figures presented by NEF will be significantly worse than presented when their activities are taken into account.

This audit of TACs will not happen so long as the management of fisheries are so maladministered, with no hope of an open and accountable system.

When will some country, some agency or organisation have the courage to expose this fraud in a court of law?

It leaves the situation out of control, in the hands of an industry that has driven their livelihoods into unscrupulous hands of factory industrial ships with no enforcement or law to bring the situation under control.


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