21 February 2024
25 factsheets to guide MEPs
21 February 2024
BLOOM and the Fabrique Écologique have joined forces to help future MEPs understand all the issues affecting the future of European fishing.
Founded in 2013, La Fabrique écologique is a think tank that promotes ecology and sustainable development, particularly among political decision-makers. In the run-up to the European elections to be held in France on 9 June 2024, La Fabrique écologique has brought together a panel of French organizations and civil society representatives to produce a series of 25 thematic fact sheets dealing with ecological issues and aimed at candidates.
BLOOM has contributed to this project by producing a fact sheet on fishing. While fishing has been recognized by IPBES experts as the activity that has had the most destructive impact on marine ecosystems over the last 50 years, this fact sheet takes stock of the current situation and traces the progressive destruction of ocean health and artisanal fishing resulting from the rise of industrial models over the last few decades. The problems are now clear: overcapacity of fleets, overexploitation of stocks, subsidies for destructive fishing methods, opaque and unfair quotas, unprotected marine areas, failure to take social and ecological issues into account when allocating public aid, etc.
Yet the ocean plays a vital role in regulating the climate, and is an immense reservoir of biodiversity. The next five years are therefore crucial for the social and ecological transition of the fishing industry. The European Parliament has a decisive role to play on this front, and the responsibility of future MEPs is crucial.
Our top recommendations:
- Put an end to destructive fishing methods by “de-trawling” fleets, with the aim of decommissioning or converting all trawlers by 2030, and banning gear that comes into contact with the seabed, such as demersal seines.
- Stop funding destructive fishing activities by banning subsidies that encourage overcapacity and overfishing, and redirecting this funding towards conversion and support for low-carbon methods that respect marine ecosystems.
- Create genuine Marine Protected Areas, banning all forms of infrastructure and industrial activity, especially industrial fishing.
All our recommendations are available here.
See the 25 thematic fact sheets (in French)
Photo credit: hpgruesen