Public aid for sustainable fisheries

Public aid has been identified as a driver for overfishing. The proposed European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) must ensure that future aid does not undermine the objectives of the CFP, but contributes to the transition to sustainable fisheries and towards achieving healthy marine ecosystems.

No aid for engine modernisation or replacement under the EU Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)

We welcome the Commission’s proposal to stop providing public funding for the replacement or modernisation of main or ancillary engines on board fishing vessels and ask decision makers to support EMFF Article 39(2) in its current form for the following reasons.

Regionalizing the Common Fisheries Policy

This discussion paper aims to provide a thought-provoking background ahead of the European Parliament discussions on the regionalisation of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Last Easter...

How has overfishing impacted our eating habits across Europe? From east to west, north to south Europeans have enjoyed traditional seafood dishes that are disappearing from our plates. The scarcity of once common fish featuring in many popular and seasonal recipes is pushing up prices beyond people’s reach. If we change the fate of EU-managed fish stocks, we might just save our traditional meal.

Access Criteria to Reward Responsible Fishing

This briefing argues for the need to give preferential access to fish resources as a reward to those who fish in the most sustainable way. Our organisations propose that access to fish resources be based on a set of transparent criteria for environmentally and socially sustainable practices, rewarding those who perform well against these benchmarks. 

Tackling discards in EU fisheries

OCEAN2012, OCEANA Greenpeace and  BirdLife have issued a call to action to MEPs to fight the wasteful practice of discarding' (throwing unwanted catch back into the sea). MEPs are called upon to amend the Commission's proposal for CFP reform. 

Preliminary Reaction to the Commission’s proposal for a future EU Maritime and Fisheries Fund

An initial reaction from OCEAN2012, BirdLife Europe, Greenpeace, Oceana, the Pew Environment Group, Seas At Risk and WWF to the Commission’s proposal for the European Fisheries and Maritime Fund which offers a critical opportunity to eliminate subsidies which contribute to overfishing and use them to support transition towards truly sustainable fisheries and towards achieving healthy marine ecosystems.

Fleet overcapacity is driving overfishing

The vast majority of European fish stocks are being fished unsustainably. Fleet overcapacity is one of the main drivers behind overfishing of most or all of these stocks. This briefing looks at why overcapacity is a problem, where and how it should be reduced and how job losses can be reduced, before going on to outline recommendations in response the Commission's proposal to reform the Common Fisheries Policy.

To MSY and beyond: achieving healthy stocks to achieve healthy seas

The CFP must prevent overfishing by setting legally binding catch limits not exceeding scientific advice that ensure that harvested populations remain above levels that can produce the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) by 2015.

Essential elements to stop EU funding from contributing to fleet overcapacity

In this letter to European Fisheries Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, NGOs recommend essential elements to ensure that EU funding will no longer contribute to maintaining overcapacities and overfishing in European waters and by EU fleets globally. Read the Commissioner's response.

Scale Matters: Quality Counts. Securing sustainability through the CFP Reform

A declaration signed by artisanal fishers and civil society groups calling on the European Parliament, European Commission and the Council Presidency to deliver sustainable European fisheries through reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

Reforming EU Fisheries Subsidies

This report looks back at the promises made on fisheries subsidy reform during the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) review in 2002 and analyses whether the promises were delivered during the implementation of the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) in 2007-2013. It suggests ways in which the future financial instrument and the new CFP more broadly could be reformed.

European Fisheries Fund Sustainability Criteria

The European Fisheries Fund (EFF) provides financial support to activities that are supposed to further the Common Fisheries Policy’s objectives of creating an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable fisheries sector in the EU. However, European fisheries subsidies are maintaining, and possibly even increasing, fishing overcapacity, which is a driver of overfishing. This report examines Member States’ use of social and environmental criteria in allocating European Fisheries Funds. 

Joint French NGO position on the Common Fisheries Policy

Analyse du projet de réforme de la PCP: Point d’étape cosigné par quatre ONG environnementales

Joint German NGOs position on the Commission's CFP proposal

Kurswechsel für Europas Fischereipolitik: Vom Raubbau zum Wiederaufbau
Gemeinsame Forderungen für die Verhandlungen der Bundesregierung zur Reform der Gemeinsamen Fischereipolitik 2012

NGOs ask Barroso for a Commission task force to end environmentally harmful subsidies

The EU has committed itself to removing environmentally damaging subsidies, proposing a roadmap for their elimination by 2008. However, to date this roadmap has not materialised. Although the European Commission acknowledges that subsidies have contributed to overfishing by the European fishing fleet, this is not yet adequately addressed by the new proposal to reform the Common Fisheries Policy. OCEAN2012 and other NGOs are keeping up the pressure on the European Commission to ensure the coherence of all EU policies with the EU’s commitment to phase out environmentally harmful subsidies. Read the latest letter to Commission President Barroso.

You can turn the tide for Europe's fish stocks

An overview of the proposals from a coalition of OCEAN2012 and other NGOs for improvements to the proposed Common Fisheries Policy reform.

The battle for ocean supremacy: the jellyfish conquests

This briefing exposes how overfishing has led to increased jellyfish blooms in European waters, harming coastal communities and costing the tourism and fishing industries millions of Euros.

Initial Reaction to Commission’s CFP proposal

Joint UK NGO position on the Common Fisheries Policy

The UK based NGOs WWF, Greenpeace, the RSPB, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), ClientEarth, nef (the new economics foundation) and OCEAN2012 – a broad alliance of organisations, including development and environment organisations, divers, commercial and recreational fisher organisations as well as research institutions and aquariums – seek to promote a reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) which is built on the following guiding principles.