Half Of Uk’s Top Ten Fish Stocks In Peril, Ngo Warns

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Oceana urged nan UK authorities to "put successful spot a strategy to extremity overfishing, including a legally binding deadline and drawback limits".

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An Oceana study has revealed that half of nan UK’s apical 10 commercialized food stocks, including North Sea cod and herring, are “critically low” aliases “overexploited”.

“The government’s nonaccomplishment to travel nan subject connected drawback limits and group a clear scheme to extremity overfishing has pushed galore of nan UK’s astir important food populations towards collapse,” nan NGO warned successful a connection disclosing its findings.

It urged nan UK authorities to “put successful spot a strategy to extremity overfishing, including a legally binding deadline and drawback limits that will rebuild food populations”.

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Only 41% of 105 assessed stocks were recovered to beryllium “healthy”, pinch 27% “critically” depleted and 25% “overexploited”, Oceana suggested.

One successful six stocks, including North Sea cod, suffer from some depletion and continued overfishing, putting them astatine consequence of collapse, it added.

The International Council for nan Exploration of nan Sea (ICES) precocious recommended a zero-catch limit for North Sea cod to avert further declines, according to nan NGO’s report.

However, nan study claimed UK ministers person continuously group drawback quotas supra “sustainable levels”, heightening nan threat to food populations and coastal livelihoods.

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For 3 of nan 5 astir troubled stocks, quotas person exceeded recommended levels for 5 consecutive years, it said.

“Not erstwhile since nan existent full allowable drawback strategy began person moreover half of UK drawback limits been aligned pinch technological advice,” nan study noted, citing nan UK government’s ain fisheries advisers.

Hugo Tagholm, an executive head of Oceana UK, said: “Overfishing is not an unavoidable calamity – it is simply a governmental choice. Ministers disregard nan subject clip and clip again and our seas are paying nan price. Five years aft becoming an independent coastal state, nan UK seems to person accepted a authorities of relentless decline.”

He added: “We urgently request a scheme to extremity overfishing, 1 that follows nan subject and puts our seas connected a semipermanent way to betterment – ensuring a caller procreation of coastal prosperity.”

The Irish Sea and Celtic Sea are nan hardest hit, while nan West of Scotland fares better, nan NGO said.

The Irish Sea saw overfished stocks expanding from 27% successful 2020 to 41% today, while successful nan Celtic Sea, one-third of stocks are “critically” low.

In contrast, 62% of nan assessed stocks were recovered to beryllium patient and conscionable 12% overfished successful nan West of Scotland.

Oceana urged nan UK authorities to activity pinch devolved administrations to “urgently” create a strategy to extremity overfishing by 2026 and found a legally binding deadline to reconstruct food stocks pinch authorities accountability.

It besides calls for aligning each drawback limits pinch technological proposal by nan extremity of 2025 and releasing an yearly audit taxable to parliamentary scrutiny.

Additionally, nan organisation advocates a “fair deal” for fishmen transitioning to little drawback limits and sustainable practices.

In response, a Defra spokesperson told Just Food that nan authorities is moving pinch nan sportfishing manufacture to “promote British seafood and negociate stocks sustainably”.

The authorities assemblage said a £360m ($482.9m) Fisheries and Coastal Growth Fund had been launched to “drive growth” successful nan industry.

“We are committed to restoring stocks to sustainable levels, pinch notable advancement complete nan past 5 years, while supporting nan semipermanent early of our sportfishing industry,” nan spokesperson added.

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