Fishing: EU, apply in full western Mediterranean plan

  "In general, improvements have been noted in the Mediterranean for some fish stocks, while others are still at risk and only after full implementation of the Western Mediterranean Plan will we be able to draw conclusions". This was stated by EU Fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius on the sidelines of the presentation of the new EU package for sustainable fishing. "I thank the fishing communities" of the Mediterranean, "who are making great efforts" to restore the exploitation of fish stocks to sustainable levels. The plan for the Mediterranean, which involves Italy, Spain and France, "is designed precisely to guarantee sustainable fishing, which is part of the culture and livelihoods of coastal communities, to which we must continue to ensure a profitable and resilient sector" . In the new sustainable fishing package, the EU Commission presents a roadmap to phase out bottom fishing, such as trawling, in all marine protected areas by 2030. The goal is not binding. "We will ask the Member States to give us a roadmap by 2024, we believe they are all aware of the need to make progress on sustainable fishing and the protection of ecosystems, especially in the Mediterranean", explain the European Commission. In addition to the Marine Protected Areas Action Plan, the package includes measures to increase the selectivity of catches and improve transparency for the allocation of fishing quotas at national level to better reward sustainable practices and small-scale fisheries. "The common fisheries policy dated 2013 - explain the Commission - has all the tools to face the challenges of sustainability, but it needs to be applied fully".