Joint NGO recommendations on the setting of Northeast Atlantic fishing opportunities for 2020

The document argues that the EU has failed to make sufficient progress toward the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) goals, with many stocks remaining overfished. It criticizes the AGRIFISH Council for setting total allowable catches (TACs) above scientific advice and for the poor implementation of the Landing Obligation (LO). The NGOs recommend setting 2020 TACs strictly within scientific limits, improving the transparency of the TAC-setting process, and ending the use of 'bycatch TACs' without robust reduction plans.

• Progress toward the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) objectives has been insufficient, with a significant portion of stocks remaining overfished as the 2020 deadline for achieving maximum sustainable yield (MSY) approaches.
• According to STECF reporting, 41 percent of analysed stocks (29 of 70) were overfished in relation to the MSY exploitation rate, representing a net reduction of only four overfished stocks since the CFP's entry into force in 2014.
• The AGRIFISH Council frequently sets catch limits higher than scientific advice; in 2019, over 40 percent of total allowable catches (TACs) for the Northeast Atlantic exceeded the advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
• The implementation of the Landing Obligation (LO) is poor, with member states using flexibilities like TAC adjustments and exemptions without adequate monitoring, which risks increasing fishing mortality above sustainable levels.
• The NGOs argue that 'bycatch TACs' were granted without the required bycatch reduction plans or control measures, rendering these TACs scientifically and legally unsound.

APA

ClientEarth (2019). Joint NGO recommendations on the setting of Northeast Atlantic fishing opportunities for 2020. https://www.clientearth.org/media/tcyk5qmu/joint-ngo-recommendations-on-the-setting-of-northeast-atlantic-fishing-opportunities-for-2020-coll-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Joint NGO recommendations on the setting of Northeast Atlantic fishing opportunities for 2020. 2019. https://www.clientearth.org/media/tcyk5qmu/joint-ngo-recommendations-on-the-setting-of-northeast-atlantic-fishing-opportunities-for-2020-coll-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Joint NGO recommendations on the setting of Northeast Atlantic fishing opportunities for 2020 |date=22 October 2019 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/tcyk5qmu/joint-ngo-recommendations-on-the-setting-of-northeast-atlantic-fishing-opportunities-for-2020-coll-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2019joint, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Joint NGO recommendations on the setting of Northeast Atlantic fishing opportunities for 2020}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2019}, month = oct, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/tcyk5qmu/joint-ngo-recommendations-on-the-setting-of-northeast-atlantic-fishing-opportunities-for-2020-coll-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }