Joint NGO Feedback to the European Commission’s Consultation on Sustainable Fishing in the EU – Orientations for 2026

The joint NGO response argues that EU fisheries management fails to fully implement the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), leading to missed deadlines for ending overfishing. The authors contend that Total Allowable Catches (TACs) are routinely set above scientific advice, particularly for depleted stocks caught as bycatch, which creates a cycle of overexploitation and 'choke' situations. They recommend setting fishing opportunities well below the 'headline' scientific advice from ICES to account for ecosystem dynamics and uncertainties. Key demands include the full implementation of the Landing Obligation, the roll-out of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM), and the rejection of any revisions to the Western Mediterranean multiannual plan (MAP) that would weaken its objectives.

• Current reporting on the progress of ending overfishing is considered incomplete and potentially misleading because it ignores critical indicators of ecosystem health, such as food web integrity and age/size structures.
• Total Allowable Catches (TACs) are frequently set above the maximum levels advised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), especially for depleted stocks caught as bycatch, which leads to continued overexploitation and 'choke' situations.
• The NGOs recommend that the European Commission propose fishing opportunities well below the 'headline' single-stock advice from ICES to ensure the precautionary principle is applied and ecosystem integrity is safeguarded.
• The Landing Obligation (LO) is poorly implemented six years after its full entry into force, with illegal discards and misreporting (such as sprat being reported as herring in the Baltic Sea) compromising scientific assessments.
• Management of forage fish like sandeel, sprat, and herring often ignores the needs of predators, undermining the Nature Restoration Regulation and MSFD commitments.
• In the Western Mediterranean, the NGOs oppose any revision of the 2019 multiannual plan (MAP), arguing that weakening it would reward non-compliance and undermine the goal of reaching sustainable fishing mortality rates by 2025.

APA

ClientEarth (n.d.). Joint NGO Feedback to the European Commission’s Consultation on Sustainable Fishing in the EU – Orientations for 2026. https://www.clientearth.org/media/zo5cf4vo/joint-ngo-answer-public-consultation-fishing-opportunities-for-2026.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Joint NGO Feedback to the European Commission’s Consultation on Sustainable Fishing in the EU – Orientations for 2026. n.d. https://www.clientearth.org/media/zo5cf4vo/joint-ngo-answer-public-consultation-fishing-opportunities-for-2026.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Joint NGO Feedback to the European Commission’s Consultation on Sustainable Fishing in the EU – Orientations for 2026 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/zo5cf4vo/joint-ngo-answer-public-consultation-fishing-opportunities-for-2026.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearthndjoint, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Joint NGO Feedback to the European Commission’s Consultation on Sustainable Fishing in the EU – Orientations for 2026}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/zo5cf4vo/joint-ngo-answer-public-consultation-fishing-opportunities-for-2026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }