"British fish stocks have been under growing pressure for decades, but during the Brexit campaign some politicians promised that leaving the EU would allow the UK to take control. The reality, say ocean experts, is that in the five years since leaving the EU, rather than protecting British fish, politicians have set catch limits too high, allowing international trawlers to plunder stocks."
"Five years after becoming an independent coastal state, the UK seems to have accepted a state of relentless decline. We urgently need a plan to end overfishing, one that follows the science and puts our seas on a long-term path to recovery ensuring a new generation of coastal prosperity. But this requires leadership. Ministers must act now to redefine the future of fishing, so that those that fish in harmony with nature are prioritised over those that devastate our seabed and empty our seas."
"Callum Roberts, a professor of marine conservation at the University of Exeter, said: These results highlight the gross mismanagement of the UK's greatest natural asset its seas. The government has the best fisheries science at its fingertips, and even when data are scarce, the course to restoration is clear. Our seas are already at risk from oil, sewage and agri-chemic"
Of 105 assessed UK fish stocks, only 41% are considered healthy, meaning they can repopulate. Five of the top ten fish stocks are overexploited, and about a quarter of all stocks are overexploited. North Sea cod, Celtic Sea cod, Irish Sea whiting, Irish Sea herring, and North Sea and east English Channel horse mackerel are at critically low levels yet continue to be overfished. In the five years since leaving the EU, catch limits have been set too high, allowing international trawlers to plunder stocks. Calls exist for a science-led plan, leadership, and prioritisation of sustainable fishing to enable recovery.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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