Officials from some of the world's top fishing powers signed a declaration in Greece on Friday to promote sustainable management of fish stocks. The signatories -- the EU, United States, Japan, Philippines, Colombia and Indonesia -- pledged to support measures to address fishing overcapacity. These include developing international fishing vessel records, limiting the number of licenses and vessel tonnage and eliminating fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing. "We bear responsibility for the conservation of living marine resources and thus for addressing overcapacity when it undermines conservation and sustainability objectives," the statement said. The event was organised in Thessaloniki under Greece's rotating EU presidency. According to the European Commission, the EU imports 70 percent of its fish intake. Overall, the bloc accounts for a fourth of the world's seafood resources. Some progress has been made. In 2013, 25 stocks were fished sustainably in the North Sea and Atlantic, five times more than in 2009, the European Commission says. This is expected to increase to 31 stocks in 2015. But environmental group Greenpeace stressed that more action is needed. "EU countries should start by scrapping the largest and most destructive industrial fishing vessels, initiating a shift towards small-scale low-impact fishing, which is more environmentally sustainable, creates jobs and supports local communities," the group said in a statement. The organisation's oceans policy advisor Sebastian Losada added: “Better management of fishing capacity is critical and long overdue. Governments must ensure that excess fishing capacity is removed and not just dispatched to new fishing grounds.” EU Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki conceded in an online article this week that enforcing compliance by states has been a "struggle". "To achieve the right balance between fishing power and natural resources, all global actors need to pull together," she wrote in a Huffington Post article. But she noted that scrapping fishing vessels piecemeal was not in itself an answer to the problem. "The solution must be a well-designed mix of structural and conservation tools, rights-based management systems, tighter controls and, especially, incentives for diversification," Damanaki said in the article, jointly written with former World Trade Organisation director-general Pascal Lamy and South African national planning minister Trevor Manuel.
GMT 10:54 2018 Sunday ,02 December
Egypt wins membership of World Water Council board of governorsGMT 13:57 2018 Thursday ,29 November
UN weather agency: 2018 is fourth hottest year on recordGMT 07:52 2018 Thursday ,15 November
Massive meteorite crater discovered under Greenland ice-sheetGMT 14:25 2018 Sunday ,28 October
Indonesia quake losses soar to 1.2 billion dollarsGMT 07:44 2018 Wednesday ,24 October
Hurricane Willa gathers speed on way to Mexico's coastGMT 09:11 2018 Tuesday ,23 October
Sri Lanka, Germany top Lonely Planet's destination list for in 2019GMT 19:48 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Oil slick off China coast trebles in sizeGMT 13:38 2018 Sunday ,21 January
Spotted hyena returns to Gabon park after 20 yearsMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor