Socio-economic benefits of a bold EU Fisheries reform
The paper demonstrates that if we allow fish stocks to recover, just 10 years from now in 2022, we could start seeing huge benefits compared to continuing past trends:
- EU fishermen could land an additional 2.8 million tons of sustainably caught fish - an increase of around 80%
- The fisheries sector could generate an extra income of €2.1 billion per year - around 80% more
- Across the EU, income per fisherman could be up to 50% higher on average than it is today
Over the past 15 years, EU fisheries have been in continuous decline. Landings and employment have been falling at a steady rate of 4% per year and fishermen’s incomes have stagnated.
The discussion paper draws some stark conclusions for the future if the status quo continues. With no strong fisheries reform, by 2022:
- EU fishermen could land 1.4 million tons of fish less compared to 2009 - about 30% less
- EU fishing fleets could decrease by as much as 20%
- 50,000 fishermen will have lost their jobs across the EU – that’s a 30% drop in employment, compared to 2009
Source of the article
Shows the historical landings of EU-27 during 1995-2009 and the assumed development of fish catch under the report’s four scenarios. ‘Fast Recovery’ is the best possible scenario and the result of an ambitious CFP reform. Source: FAO FishStatJ, 2011 and report’s assumptions.
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