Reply to the Commission on the state of progress in implementing the CFP through the setting of fishing opportunities

The document argues that the EU missed its 2020 deadline to end overfishing of all stocks and identifies four critical gaps in the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). It highlights that 38% of analysed stocks in the Northeast Atlantic remain overfished and criticizes the Commission for omitting data-limited stocks from reporting and failing to strictly adhere to scientific advice when setting total allowable catches (TACs). The authors emphasize that ending overfishing is essential for the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy, and they call for the adoption of remote electronic monitoring (REM) to ensure compliance with the landing obligation.

• The European Union failed to meet the 2020 legal deadline established by the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) to end the overfishing of all fish stocks.
• In the Northeast Atlantic, approximately 38 percent of analysed stocks (26 out of 68) were still overfished relative to the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) exploitation rate according to a 2020 STECF report, though this is an improvement from 53 percent in 2014.
• The Commission is accused of distorting progress reports by focusing on landing volumes and median fishing mortality rather than the number of stocks meeting CFP objectives, which overlooks depleted stocks like cod in the Baltic and North seas, West of Scotland, and the Celtic Sea.
• There is a disparity in how the Commission sets total allowable catches (TACs) for different stock categories; in 2020 Northeast Atlantic proposals, 35% of TACs for data-limited stocks exceeded scientific advice, compared to only 12% for stocks subject to MSY-based advice.
• The authors argue that setting fishing limits is the primary tool for rebuilding fish populations, noting that remedial measures are 'last hope' actions and that some stocks, such as Celtic Sea cod, have had TACs exceeding scientific advice almost every year since 2014.
• The landing obligation (LO) is undermined by poor compliance and the proliferation of exemptions and bycatch TACs; the authors argue that TACs must be set below ICES catch advice to account for 'significant undocumented discards'.

APA

ClientEarth (2020). Reply to the Commission on the state of progress in implementing the CFP through the setting of fishing opportunities. https://www.clientearth.org/media/tyjgayfl/joint-ngo-response-to-the-commission-consultation-on-the-setting-of-fishing-opportunities-for-2021-under-the-cfp-coll-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Reply to the Commission on the state of progress in implementing the CFP through the setting of fishing opportunities. 2020. https://www.clientearth.org/media/tyjgayfl/joint-ngo-response-to-the-commission-consultation-on-the-setting-of-fishing-opportunities-for-2021-under-the-cfp-coll-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Reply to the Commission on the state of progress in implementing the CFP through the setting of fishing opportunities |date=1 July 2020 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/tyjgayfl/joint-ngo-response-to-the-commission-consultation-on-the-setting-of-fishing-opportunities-for-2021-under-the-cfp-coll-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2020reply, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Reply to the Commission on the state of progress in implementing the CFP through the setting of fishing opportunities}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2020}, month = jul, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/tyjgayfl/joint-ngo-response-to-the-commission-consultation-on-the-setting-of-fishing-opportunities-for-2021-under-the-cfp-coll-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }