Pew Critical of EU Council Decision on Deep-Sea Quotas

Press Releases and Statements Read time:
Projects: Protecting the Deep Sea & Common Fisheries Policy Reform in the European Union

Navigate to:

  • Table of Contents
Pew Critical of EU Council Decision on Deep-Sea Quotas

Uta Bellion, director of the Pew Environment Group's European Marine Programme, issued the following statement in response to today's decision by the EU Fisheries Council on deep-sea fishing quotas for 2011 and 2012.

 

“The Pew Environment Group regrets the Council's decision to set quotas for deep-sea species even higher than the already flawed limits proposed by the Commission. This will give fleets from France, Spain and Portugal the opportunity to continue plundering these stocks. With this decision, the European Union is in breach of its international commitment to protect deep-sea species and ecosystems in the northeast Atlantic.”

 

“Pew is pleased that the Council has agreed to set the quotas for bycatch of deep-sea shark species at zero. Unfortunately, because deep-sea fishing for other species is still permitted, sharks will continue to be caught.”

 

“This decision contravenes a 2009 UN General Assembly resolution that commits the European Union to implement a set of management measures 'to ensure the long-term sustainability of deep-sea fish stocks and non-target species, and the rebuilding of depleted stocks' and ‘not to authorize bottom-fishing activities until such measures have been adopted and implemented.'”

 

“Deep-sea fisheries are plagued with high levels of bycatch and discards, misreporting and non-reporting of catch, and unregulated fishing for many species—hardly the definition of sustainable. The Council can and should do more to protect these vulnerable marine resources.”


More information:

Joint NGO Position Paper on Deep-Sea TACs and Quotas (PDF)
Recommendations for a Council Regulation fixing for 2011 and 2012 the fishing opportunities for EU fishing vessels for certain deep-sea fish stocks

Deep-Sea Fishing in the Northeast Atlantic: An Overview (PDF)
Briefing with the top 10 deep-sea facts

Shrugging Off Criticism, Europe Will Keep Trawling - NYT, Dec 3 2010

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
RELATED
Topics
Ocean Conservation
Projects
Protecting the Deep Sea Common Fisheries Policy Reform in the European Union
Places
Europe

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.”

Article

April 10, 2024 WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water.

Article

April 4, 2024 Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
A landscape with mountains and clouds. BLM Rule Puts Conservation, Other Land Uses on Equal Footing

MORE FROM PEW

A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
An illustration of a couple holding hands walking away from an outline of houses behind them Pathways to Homeownership: Housing in America
A photograph of City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia to Address Pressing Policy Challenges
A bright blue T-cell infected by HIV is engulfed by hundreds of yellow virions. Pew Researcher Seeks to Crack Code on HIV Cure
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.