Our oceans are being emptied. Globally, fish stocks have dramatically declined. Scientists have estimated that only 10 percent of large ocean fish may be left.
The European Union (EU) is contributing to the widespread overfishing of the oceans. EU fish stocks are in a worse state than the global average - more than 70 percent of assessed fish stocks in EU waters are overfished, with 14 percent outside safe biological limits. The EU has one of the largest fleets in the world, the largest Exclusive Economic Zone, is the largest importer of seafood and has significant political influence in international fora. Yet fisheries management policies in the EU are often poorly developed or not fully implemented.
In order to strengthen the role of the EU in ending global overfishing and reducing the destruction of the world’s oceans, Pew’s European Marine Programme has initiated and is co-ordinating two coalitions: OCEAN2012 is an alliance of over 140 non-governmental organisations in 18 EU member states dedicated to stopping overfishing, ending destructive fishing practices and delivering fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks; the Shark Alliance is a coalition of over 100 organisations worldwide dedicated to restoring and conserving shark populations by improving science-based shark conservation policy.
As part of our goal to end environmentally harmful subsidies to the fisheries sector, we also fund FishSubsidy.org, a project working to reveal how and where EU subsidies are spent.
Where to find us
EU Marine Programme
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Square du Bastion 1A boîte 5
1050 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)2 274 1620
eumarine@pewtrusts.org
