La Coruna / Brussels â€" With stocks collapsing in Europe, Spain’s fleet is now plundering waters as far away as Antarctica and Africa using European taxpayers’ money, according to a new Greenpeace report published today. The day before fisheries ministers gather in one of Spain’s main fishing hubs to discuss EU fisheries policy reform, Greenpeace activists hung banners from La Coruna’s iconic Tower of Hercules reading “EU: Save Our Oceans.”
(Media-Newswire.com) - La Coruna / Brussels — With stocks collapsing in Europe, Spain’s fleet is now plundering waters as far away as Antarctica and Africa using European taxpayers’ money, according to a new Greenpeace report published today. The day before fisheries ministers gather in one of Spain’s main fishing hubs to discuss EU fisheries policy reform, Greenpeace activists hung banners from La Coruna’s iconic Tower of Hercules reading “EU: Save Our Oceans.”
Greenpeace oceans campaigner Farah Obaidullah said: “If Europe wants fish tomorrow, Spain must stop overfishing today. Ministers gathering here should immediately take steps to reverse Spain’s ocean destruction at this critical time.”
Tomorrow’s meeting in Vigo is the first step in reforming the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy ( CFP ), the instrument used to manage EU fishing fleets. The EC has already called for a reduction in fishing capacity. Greenpeace calls for the reformed CFP to include aggressive fleet reduction targets, expansion of protected marine reserves and a focus on science and transparency.
Greenpeace’s report, España: The destructive Practices of Spain's Fishing Armada, highlights fisheries mismanagement naming some of the worst Spanish companies and charts a course for policymakers towards sustainable fisheries management.
Spain’s fleet has grown into a voracious armada, representing nearly a quarter of the entire EU fishing capacity. Spain has a fleet twice the UK’s and three times Italy’s, the next biggest fishing nations. Spain’s largest fishing ships can haul in 3,000 tonnes of tuna per trip, double the annual catch of some Pacific nations. Despite a collapse of European fish stocks and decades of promises to reduce capacity, Spain’s industrial fishing has actually grown, fuelled by EU subsidies and short-sighted Spanish policies. Contact information Saskia Richartz Greenpeace European Unit, Policy Director - Marine Affairs saskia.richartz@greenpeace.org Telephone: +32 2 274 1902/ Mobile: +32 495 29 00 28
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