Commission issues fleet capacity guidelines to support sustainable fishing in Europe
The European Commission has strengthened its commitment to sustainable fishing by issuing a new set of guidelines to help Member States strike the balance between fishing capacity and fishing opportunities. The guidelines recommend to Member States a set of standardised indicators (biological, economic and vessel-use indicators) to determine if the size of their fishing fleets are in line with the amount of fishing opportunities allocated to them.
Commissioner Damanaki said on this occasion: "Too many powerful boats chasing too few fish inevitably leads to overfishing and ever dwindling stocks. Balance is the key to sustainable stocks and today's guidelines show our commitment to helping Member States keep their fleets' capacity in line with the amount of fish they can catch."
Under the Common Fisheries Policy, Member States are responsible for achieving a stable and enduring balance between the fishing capacity of their fleet and their fishing opportunities to avoid overfishing and increased pressure on dwindling fish stocks. Member states must take action when required to ensure this balance. The guidelines aim to facilitate the work of national administrations in fulfilling this task.
For further information, read the guidelines and the Press Release on "Fishing capacity: EU Member States comply with obligations to downsize their fleet – but more can be done" from April 29 2014.
