EC in the dark on fish stocks

The EC have finally admitted their scientists are unaware of the state of nearly two-thirds of Europe’s fish stocks as they don’t have the information to assess the exact scale of the crisis the industry is facing.

Last month the Commission said nothing short of a completely new fisheries management system based on scientific evidence would halt years of dangerously depleted stocks and get the struggling fishing industry back on its feet.

This is equally the case in Scotland, especially for those stocks of interest to the sea angling sector. In the past two decades 20 species of fish once common in our inshore waters have been depleted to the point where they may be considered locally extinct in many areas.

SSACN through it’s Scottish Shark Tagging Programme (www.tagsharks.com) is doing what it can to help address the data issue for elasmobranches but our lack of inclusion in inshore fisheries management limits the contribution we can make and highlights the governments lack of transparency and inclusion.

Category: SSACN Announcements