Our fishing industries – and the oceans they depend on – face catastrophic collapse unless action is taken now, warns Alec Taylor, Director of Policy and Research at Oceana UK.
Half of the UK’s top ten fish stocks are in peril; either critically low, overexploited, or both, a report from Oceana UK shows. This has not come as a bolt from the blue, but after decades of warnings from scientists and environmentalists went unheeded.
In one of the most comprehensive analyses of fish stocks since Brexit, Oceana UK found that the government’s failure to set sustainable catch limits and create a clear plan to end overfishing has pushed many of the UK’s most important fish populations towards collapse.
Cod and mackerel
Oceana’s conclusions were tragically borne out this autumn when the international body providing scientific evidence for fish catch regulation – the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea – announced that the state of crisis for North Sea cod is such that zero catch is needed to safeguard the future of the fishery.
An end to almost all cod fishing in UK waters. A heritage lost.
Swiftly after this, the same experts cautioned that mackerel catch limits for Northeast Atlantic stocks should be slashed by 70%. Overall, Oceana’s report shows that one in six of all stocks are both critically low yet still being overexploited – as is the case for North Sea cod. This puts them on a trajectory towards collapse, threatening businesses and livelihoods in coastal communities along with the UK’s internationally important marine wildlife.
How did it come to this? The answer is sadly simple: by ignoring the science.
Follow the science
This decline has been the result of decades of disregard for data. Yet again this month, annual catch limits have been announced for cod – over 10,000 tonnes higher than the population can stand. For mackerel, governments have set catch limits higher than is sustainable 23 of the last 27 years for this vital shared stock, putting them on course for collapse. In the last 15 years, combined quotas for our mackerel stocks have exceeded scientific advice by a jaw-dropping 39% on average.
The UK government has allowed fishing pressure to build relentlessly as the largest industrial vessels squeezed out small local boats, but ultimately this is not good for anyone’s business. A quick profit now, for the biggest and most harmful vessels, will sink the entire industry. Fish sustainably, within nature’s limits, and we can all reap the benefits for generations to come.
Ocean bounce back
Coastal livelihoods depend on making the right choices now and supporting fishers through that process. Once collapsed, fish populations could take decades to recover. Act now, and we can restore our seas to thriving health. We need a coherent strategy to end overfishing once and for all.
After speaking to fishers, academics, and environmentalists around the UK, Oceana developed a roadmap for a fishing sector based on the principles of science, fairness, resilience, transparency and respect.
For each of the five core principles, there are time-bound actions for government to take. Right now, it should set a legally binding, science-led deadline to end overfishing, with every catch limit in line with science. Alongside this are measures such as a ban on ‘supertrawlers’ over 100 metres long, which hoover up vast quantities of ocean life.
We need to level the playing field, so that those that fish with nature, rather than against it, are rewarded with a greater share of quota and more taxpayer money goes towards sustainable practices.
Once the pressures of overfishing and habitat destruction are removed, there is good evidence to show that marine ecosystems will return to full, thriving abundance.
The government must put in place a plan to safeguard coastal livelihoods and protect the UK’s astounding ocean wildlife. Built on justice and backed by fact.
