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Our Fish

Our Fish is working to end overfishing and restore a healthy ocean ecosystem.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Virginijus Sinkevičius (Commissioner) and

15 May 2023 · To discuss the Marine Action Plan

Meeting with Virginijus Sinkevičius (Commissioner) and

20 Feb 2023 · To explain the “Fisheries and Oceans “ package adopted during that week: CFP Communication, Marine Action Plan and Decarbonisation Initiative.

Response to Communication on the functioning of the Common Fisheries Policy

23 Sept 2022

Ending overfishing by 2020 In the last 8 years, the CFP has improved the state of many fish populations and contributed to increasing the general profitability of EU fleets. However, the 2020 legal deadline to exploit all harvested species in line with MSY has been missed in all European seas. MSY is a limit, not a target. And far from being a utopia, this is the bare minimum for fisheries management. According to science, as presented by Dr Clara Ulrich in the Parliament on 17 March 2022, as climate change also worsens the conditions for fish populations, we need to manage our fisheries to be sustainable AND resilient within an ecosystem-based management framework including: • Higher selectivity and protection of juveniles • More precautionary management objectives than MSY giving higher relative abundances • Fleet-based approaches, eco-scoring, rewarding and incentives for virtuous fishing practices • Marine spatial planning, conflict management • Strong international governance A just transition to low impact fishing The Maximum Sustainable Yield and Good Environmental Status of the CFP and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive have largely not been met, as per the European Environment Agency’s latest Marine Messages II report. The failure to meet these objectives is not a reflection that the objectives are substantively deficient, moreover it is the failure of Member States to make daily and annual decisions that reflect the laws and policy details. While the CFP does not mention climate change, it does call for ecosystem-based management, and quota allocation based on transparent criteria that incentivise environmental and social benefits, which have been missing from fisheries management in the EU to-date. Utilising the existing tools of the CFP the Commission should request from ICES Ecosystem and Climate Impact Assessments for all EU fleets, to ensure that the setting of annual fishing opportunities incorporates climate and ecosystem considerations. These should include analysis of carbon sequestration potential of fish populations and of the seabed/habitats, and CO2 emissions from fuel consumption. These Impact Assessments can then be incorporated into TAC advice from ICES and applied in management, at least partly through implementation of Article 17, which can define a transition plan for EU fishing fleets. The Commission should use the ‘Action Plan’ and the 2022 CFP review to support full implementation of Article 17, including: a. Asking ICES for full biodiversity, ecosystem and climate impact assessments of fishing; b. Setting a minimum number of criteria to be addressed by quota reallocation, with targets that require prioritising criteria that maximise multiple social, environmental, and economic benefits e.g. decrease CO2 emissions from vessels and marine life interactions by 40% for all fleets by 2025; c. Describing a process which phases in the reallocation of all TACs until 2030, including minimum allocations to the small-scale fishers. Decarbonising the fishing industry and crisis support in uncertain times Unlike other sectors there is no medium- or long-term plan for the EU fishing fleet to decarbonise. The war on Ukraine exemplifies the vulnerability of oil prices to geopolitical uncertainty. The European Commission and member states must urgently describe a future for EU fisheries beyond environmental destruction, which is not dependent on fossil fuels and state aid. This is not just about getting cheaper fuel. It is about contributing to the EU achieving its emissions targets. Any short-term support must be in the context of realising this future and a more resilient marine environment and fishing sector. A set of principles can be applied to inform the provision of state aid in response to the crises. These principles can also help to advance decarbonisation of the fishing fleet, and include investment in the transition towards low impact fishing gears and zero emission vessels.
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Meeting with Virginijus Sinkevičius (Commissioner) and

19 Jul 2022 · To exchange views, upon NGO request, on the upcoming Action plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems, on Commission implementing act on vulnerable marine ecosystems and on European eel status

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and FUNDACION OCEANA and Seas At Risk

16 Mar 2022 · Discussion on EU nature restoration law and action plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems

Response to Setting the Course for a Sustainable Blue Planet -Update of the International Ocean Governance Agenda

14 Feb 2022

There is a unique opportunity for the EU to demonstrate its commitment to lead the way on international ocean governance. Ending overfishing in Europe and putting sustainable fisheries management within a package of urgent climate action will position the EU as a global leader. To achieve this, the EU has to follow the same principles at home and abroad. The EU should: Utilise the potential of ocean-based solutions Implementing ocean solutions at a global level could account for up to one fifth of the emissions reductions needed to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The EU can act as a pioneer in fostering nature-based solutions that deliver co-benefits for biodiversity, resilience and human livelihoods. End overfishing to strengthen the ocean’s resilience to climate change The maintenance of healthy fish populations and marine ecosystems contributes to offsetting global warming and to ensuring the ocean can withstand the climate emergency. Thus, ending overfishing in Europe and more precautionary fisheries management is key. Mainstream climate and ecosystem impact assessments for all fisheries Setting of fishing limits should incorporate the full suite of climate and ecosystem impacts that occur as a result of fishing, such as precautionary climate buffers, minimisation of bycatch of protected species and seabed integrity. Such an assessment should be part of the upcoming Action Plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems. The EU can lead by example and introduce a climate and ecosystem-based management approach, to be followed by other countries. Tackle the emissions of the fishing industry Fishing activities remove and disturb significant amounts of blue carbon in the ocean. Moreover, fishing fleets consume a significant amount of fuel, emitting tons of C02 emissions. The EU must ensure that the Review of the Energy Taxation Directive removes detaxation for fuel for the fishing industry and introduces a price that is at least equivalent to land transport. It should reflect this stance during WTO negotiations. Deliver on international commitments Being a credible global leader in international ocean governance implies delivering on one’s own pledges. The Paris Agreement and the UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are crucial for delivering International Ocean Governance - achieving SDG 14 and SDG 13 are not optional. Halt unsustainable fishing partnership agreements In line with the objectives of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the EU Green Deal, the EU should make sure that all agreements with third countries are truly sustainable. The agreements can no longer raise any questions on their transparency, contribution to overfishing in developing countries, the destruction of marine habitats or human rights abuses. Step up its efforts in the conservation of biodiversity in the areas beyond national jurisdiction The High Seas Treaty has the opportunity to provide a global framework for MPAs in the high seas, ensure that the impact of harmful activities will be assessed, and facilitate scientific research on the unexplored parts of the ocean. The EU must ensure that an increased interest in commercial use of deep sea resources will not undermine the ambition of the treaty. Improve transparency of the fishing industry in the EU and worldwide The EU should have in place a transparent and fully documented system of fisheries control. Achieving an ambitious revision of the Control Regulation will send a strong message that the EU is serious about combating IUU and ensuring a level playing field in the fisheries sector. Blaze a path to just transition in fisheries Developing and promoting the application of transparent environmental, social and economic criteria for the allocation of fishing opportunities would incentivise true sustainability and initiate a just transition to low-carbon, low-impact fishing in the EU, and deliver on Art.17 of the CFP.
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Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

29 Sept 2021 · Climate change, fishing and blue carbon

Meeting with Virginijus Sinkevičius (Commissioner) and

13 Jul 2021 · To exchange views with the ‘’blue’’ NGOs on the upcoming Action Plan on sustainable fisheries and protection of marine resources, annual exercise of fixing total allowable catches and ongoing WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies.

Response to Action plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems

13 May 2021

Life on Earth depends on the ocean: no matter where you are, you depend on the ocean and its unique and rich biodiversity for the production of oxygen, food, energy, and the enormous amount of heat and carbon it absorbs. Yet, as United Nations Secretary General António Guterres says, ‘Humanity has waged war on nature and making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century [...] This is an epic policy test. But ultimately, this is a moral test'. None of the European seas are healthy, and fishing remains the biggest driver of marine biodiversity loss. Ultimately, the current challenges and the ambition set out in the European Green Deal and the Biodiversity Strategy will not be met by 2030 without a restructuring of the EU fleet and fisheries footprint to address the impacts of destructive fishing gear (particularly bottom-towed gear), mitigate the ecosystem and climate impacts of fishing, and put European fisheries on a path of adaptation to the climate emergency. If the European Union is serious about that ambition, bold and courageous steps are needed, starting in 2021. The Action Plan must set out a timeline of clear actions that are binding on the EU and Member States. The EU seabed is the most bottom-trawled in the world, more than five times the global average, and 80% of EU coastal areas are disturbed by trawling. It is clear, that destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling need to be phased out of EU waters entirely, with a strict timeline outlined in the Action Plan, starting with it's immediate removal from Marine Protected areas, the deep sea, and sensitive and vulnerable areas. A central pillar of the Action Plan must be to eliminate the threat that overfishing poses to the critical role the ocean plays in regulating the climate and serving as a carbon sink. New research shows that European seas are one of the most carbon-rich oceanic regions, and that through suspension of seafloor sediments, global bottom trawling releases about the same amount of CO2 as the aviation industry does annually. The role of healthy fish populations to the ocean biological pump and its ability to sequester carbon are increasingly recognised and valued in new scientific research, and must be integrated into the Action Plan. Acknowledging and managing the full ecosystem and climate impacts of fishing, including on food web functioning and adaptation capacity, is critical, if we are to transform away from the 'extraction maximisation' mindset that has driven us into this crisis, and towards a fisheries management system designed to maximise health, success and vitality for both people and the ocean. Enshrining a just transition to low-impact, localised fisheries and value chains will have far-reaching positive impacts on ocean health, the climate and our coastal communities. The Action Plan can and must do this, by requiring ecosystem and climate impact assessments that truly assess the wide impacts of fishing activity, and defining a process for allocating fishing opportunities to the most ecologically, climatically and socially sustainable fishing fleets. Nothing less would be compatible with the European Green Deal, EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the EU Climate Law in draft. Acting with urgency on these key measures will deliver multiple benefits in terms of climate resilience, biodiversity protection, food provisioning, job security and healthy coastal communities. We only have eight years.
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Meeting with Antoine Colombani (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans), Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and

4 May 2021 · Energy Taxation Directive and fisheries